# Install libmobi with Homebrew, apt C library for handling Kindle (MOBI) formats of ebook documents. Version 0.12 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:libmobi ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install libmobi ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libmobi-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libmobi-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:libmobi - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.12 - **Source summary:** C library for handling Kindle (MOBI) formats of ebook documents - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LGPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-19T12:32:37-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - mobidrm (cli) - mobimeta (cli) - mobitool (cli) - mobidrm (alias) - mobimeta (alias) - mobitool (alias) ## Uses from macOS - libxml2 ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.12 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Libmobi is a C library and tool suite for Mobipocket and Kindle MOBI-family ebook files. It gives Unix packages a small native way to inspect, parse, reconstruct, edit metadata, and handle older Kindle document formats. ### Project history The project README describes Libmobi as a C library for Mobipocket/Kindle MOBI ebook documents, with command-line tools that also serve as examples for the library API. Its feature list covers PalmDOC, PRC, MOBI, newer KF8/AZW/AZW3, AZW4, metadata editing, encrypted documents, dictionary markup reconstruction, and output that can be fed back to kindlegen. The release history shows a practical, parser-maintenance project: early releases added metadata extraction and mobimeta, while later releases focused heavily on corrupted-input handling, fuzzing-reported overreads, null dereferences, portability, and build fixes. ### Adoption history Libmobi is niche because MOBI is an older Kindle-era format, but it is useful in ebook tooling and preservation workflows where existing collections contain .mobi, .azw, or .azw3 files. The README names projects using it, including KyBook 2 Reader, @Voice Aloud Reader, and the QLMobi Quick Look plugin. Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu package libmobi, making its command-line tools mobidrm, mobimeta, and mobitool available without building from source. ### How it is used Developers include mobi.h and link with -lmobi to load MOBI files into library structures and parse raw content into HTML, CSS, fonts, and media resources. Command-line users use mobitool and related tools for inspection and metadata work. The package is most useful for archival conversion, ebook metadata cleanup, Kindle-file debugging, and applications that still need to understand MOBI-family files even as EPUB dominates newer publishing workflows. ### Why package nerds care Libmobi is significant as an ebook-format archaeology package: it wraps a historically important commercial reading format in inspectable C code and command-line utilities. Its fuzzing-heavy maintenance story is also notable. Ebook parsers process complex, often third-party-generated files, so the small package has a security and robustness role out of proportion to its install counts. ### Timeline - 2010s: Libmobi is developed publicly as a C library for Mobipocket and Kindle file formats. - 2021: Libmobi 0.7 and 0.8 fix corrupt-data crashes and CVE-assigned out-of-buffer reads. - 2022: Libmobi 0.11 fixes multiple fuzzing-discovered buffer overreads and null pointer dereferences. - 2024: Libmobi 0.12 fixes build issues with newer libxml, MSVC debug builds, clang warnings, and corrupt-input undefined behavior. ### Related projects - Mobipocket and Kindle formats are the document families Libmobi targets. - kindlegen is relevant because Libmobi can reconstruct source structure that can be fed back to it. - QLMobi is a related Quick Look plugin that uses Libmobi for MOBI preview support. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** libmobi - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libmobi-dev - 0.12+dfsg-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmobi-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Development files for libmobi | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - Debian apt - libmobi-tools - 0.12+dfsg-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmobi-tools from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Tools for handling Mobipocket/Kindle ebook format documents | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - Debian apt - libmobi0t64 - 0.12+dfsg-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libmobi0t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | C library for handling Mobipocket/Kindle ebook format documents | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - Ubuntu apt - libmobi-dev - 0.11+dfsg-1.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libmobi-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Development files for libmobi | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - Ubuntu apt - libmobi-tools - 0.11+dfsg-1.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libmobi-tools from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Tools for handling Mobipocket/Kindle ebook format documents | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi - Ubuntu apt - libmobi0t64 - 0.11+dfsg-1.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libmobi0t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | C library for handling Mobipocket/Kindle ebook format documents | https://github.com/bfabiszewski/libmobi ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [ebook-tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ebook-tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, ebooks, media. - [kepubify](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kepubify/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ebook, ebooks, media. - [convertlit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/convertlit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ebooks, media. - [epr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/epr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ebooks, media. - [fdk-aac](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fdk-aac/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, media. - [freealut](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/freealut/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, media. - [gd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, media. - [id3lib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/id3lib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, media. - [standardebooks](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/standardebooks/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, ebook, ebooks, media. - [vips](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/vips/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: c, cli, formats, library, media. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libmobi.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/libmobi.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph