macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mat2local Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install mat2MacPorts ports tree · multimedia/mat2/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install mat2 with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman
Metadata anonymization toolkit. Version 0.14.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add mat2Alpine Linux edge package indexes · mat2 · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install mat2Debian stable package indexes · mat2 · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install mat2Fedora Rawhide package metadata · mat2 · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mat2nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ma/mat2/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S mat2Arch Linux sync databases · mat2 · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Metadata anonymization toolkit
Project links
Commands and aliases
- mat2
history
Project history and usage
mat2 is the second-generation Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit: a Python library and command-line utility for removing privacy-sensitive metadata from documents, images, archives, audio, video, and office files.
Project history
The README frames mat2 around a privacy threat model in which ordinary files disclose author names, companies, camera details, timestamps, and other metadata. It explicitly positions the tool as a successor to the first MAT project, thanks Google Summer of Code and Tails, and records Julien Voisin's 2018 copyright.
The public release stream includes 0.2.0 in July 2018 and later 0.14.x releases. The README describes three surfaces: the `libmat2` library, the `mat2` command-line tool, and a Dolphin service menu for KDE users.
Adoption history
mat2 reached a broader distribution footprint than many single-purpose privacy tools because metadata stripping is useful for activists, journalists, packagers, and privacy-conscious desktop users. The batch input records packaging across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix.
The README points GUI users to Metadata Cleaner, which uses mat2 underneath. That relationship helped mat2 serve both terminal workflows and desktop privacy tooling without making the CLI carry a full GUI itself.
How it is used
Typical CLI usage is `mat2 file...`, which writes cleaned copies such as `myfile.cleaned.png` rather than modifying originals in place by default. The README also documents `--show` to inspect detectable metadata, `--list` for supported formats, `--inplace`, dependency checks, archive-member policy, and a lightweight mode that trades completeness for less alteration of file content.
The README is careful about limits: absence of displayed metadata is not a proof that no metadata exists, especially for complex file formats. That makes mat2 a practical minimization tool rather than a formal sanitizer.
Why package nerds care
mat2 matters in package collections because it wraps a lot of file-format-specific cleanup behavior behind one small CLI. Its optional dependencies such as ExifTool, FFmpeg, Poppler, librsvg, and GdkPixbuf also make it a good example of a privacy tool whose packaging quality depends on distro integration.
For security-minded users, mat2 is a useful counterweight to the default behavior of office suites, cameras, and document exporters: it makes metadata review and removal scriptable.
Timeline
- 2018: README copyright and early releases identify mat2's public project era.
- 2018: GitHub release 0.2.0 is published.
- 2025: GitHub release 0.14.0 is published.
- 2026: The README-documented format list includes office files, images, audio/video, archives, torrents, PDFs, and web formats.
Related projects
- The README links mat2 to the original MAT project, Metadata Cleaner, mat2-web, WordPress integrations, ExifTool, pdf-redact-tools, pdfparanoia, Scrambled Exif, and Dangerzone.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 8 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
mat2 | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-07
manager version0.14.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:mat2 |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.14.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mat2 |
| Homepage | https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2 |
| Repository | https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2 |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2#readme |
| License | LGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/ba/e1/9a8abf4f5ab3c3e214197e310e3f33418d79769ee89911da939a6c891d4f/mat2-0.14.0.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | exiftool, ffmpeg, gdk-pixbuf, librsvg, poppler, py3cairo, pygobject3, python@3.14 |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | mat2 |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
mat2 0.13.5-1.2
Metadata anonymisation toolkit v2
https://0xacab.org/jvoisin/mat2
sudo apt install mat2- Section: utils
- Architecture: all
- 9 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
Nix95%
mat2
nix profile install nixpkgs#mat2- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
Ubuntu apt95%
mat2 0.13.4-2.1
Metadata anonymisation toolkit v2
https://0xacab.org/jvoisin/mat2
sudo apt install mat2- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: all
- 9 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
apk95%
mat2 0.14.0-r0
Metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo apk add mat2- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: mat2
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
apk95%
mat2-doc 0.14.0-r0
Metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats (documentation)
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo apk add mat2-doc- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: mat2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
apk95%
mat2-pyc 0.14.0-r0
Precompiled Python bytecode for mat2
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo apk add mat2-pyc- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: mat2
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
dnf95%
mat2 0.14.0-4.fc45
Metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo dnf install mat2- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: mat2
- 2 dependencies
- 4 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
dnf95%
mat2-dolphin 0.14.0-4.fc45
Dolphin integration for mat2
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo dnf install mat2-dolphin- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: mat2
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
dnf95%
python3-libmat2 0.14.0-4.fc45
Library for mat2
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo dnf install python3-libmat2- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: mat2
- 7 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
pacman95%
mat2 0.14.0-2
Metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats
https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2
sudo pacman -S mat2- License: LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: any
- 10 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
MacPorts95%
mat2
sudo port install mat2- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mat2
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment