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brew

Install molten-vk with Homebrew

Implementation of the Vulkan graphics and compute API on top of Metal. Version 1.4.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install molten-vk

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Implementation of the Vulkan graphics and compute API on top of Metal

Commands and aliases

  • MoltenVKShaderConverter

history

Project history and usage

MoltenVK began at The Brenwill Workshop Ltd. as a commercial portability layer for running Vulkan graphics code on Apple's Metal framework. Brenwill announced the product in July 2016 for iOS and macOS, with Bill Hollings presenting it around SIGGRAPH as a way for game developers to keep Vulkan-style rendering paths while targeting Apple platforms.

Project history

Its major ecosystem turn came on February 26, 2018, when Khronos announced the Vulkan Portability Initiative with Valve, LunarG, and The Brenwill Workshop. That announcement released MoltenVK as open source under Khronos stewardship, described it as translating the portable Vulkan subset to Metal on macOS and iOS, and tied it to the macOS Vulkan SDK work. Valve's Dota 2 port was used as an early production example of the value of the stack.

Adoption history

In practice MoltenVK is linked into games, emulators, engines, and graphics applications that already speak Vulkan and need Apple-platform deployment without rewriting their renderer around Metal. Its repository describes a layered Vulkan 1.4 implementation over Metal for macOS, iOS, tvOS, visionOS, simulators, Mac Catalyst, and Apple Silicon, with automatic SPIR-V to Metal Shading Language conversion and a standalone MoltenVKShaderConverter tool. Khronos material lists users and adjacent projects including Dota 2, Metro Exodus, Final Fantasy XIV, DXVK, VKD3D, Google Android Emulator, Dolphin, Autodesk Fusion 360, Google Filament, and other engines and games.

How it is used

As a Homebrew package, molten-vk occupies a developer-tool niche rather than a command-heavy CLI niche: it ships the runtime and shader-conversion tooling for local Vulkan-on-Apple builds. It sits beside the Vulkan SDK and portability-layer ecosystem rather than replacing native Vulkan drivers.

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 4 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 build 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

CommandKindExposureNote
MoltenVKShaderConvertercliglobal 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 generated2026-07-08
manager version1.4.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.4.1

https://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:molten-vk
Version1.4.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/molten-vk
Homepagehttps://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK
Repositoryhttps://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK
Upstream docshttps://docs.ansible.com/projects/molecule
LicenseApache-2.0
Source archivehttps://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK/archive/refs/tags/v1.4.1.tar.gz
Build dependenciescmake
Bottleavailable (on arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namemolten-vk
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Requirements
  • macos
  • xcode
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • cmakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • mesaPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • mpvPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • ncnnPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • ppssppPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • vulkan-toolsPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • flankShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, ios, testing.
  • abnfgenShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • allureShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • artilleryShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • buildpulse-test-reporterShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • bustedShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.

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.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment