# Install orbuculum with Homebrew, Nix Arm Cortex-M SWO/SWV Demux and Postprocess. Version 2.2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:orbuculum ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install orbuculum ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#orbuculum ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/or/orbuculum/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:orbuculum - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.2.0 - **Source summary:** Arm Cortex-M SWO/SWV Demux and Postprocess - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-18T02:29:00-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - orbcat (cli) - orbdump (cli) - orbfifo (cli) - orblcd (cli) - orbmortem (cli) - orbprofile (cli) - orbstat (cli) - orbtop (cli) - orbtrace (cli) - orbuculum (cli) - orbzmq (cli) - orbcat (alias) - orbdump (alias) - orbfifo (alias) - orblcd (alias) - orbmortem (alias) - orbprofile (alias) - orbstat (alias) - orbtop (alias) - orbtrace (alias) - orbuculum (alias) - orbzmq (alias) ## Dependencies - capstone - dwarfutils - libusb - sdl2-compat - zeromq ## Build dependencies - libelf - meson - ninja - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.2.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-18 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/orbcode/orbuculum - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Orbuculum is a suite of host-side tools for decoding and presenting trace output from Arm Cortex-M CPUs. The Orbcode project describes it as software for making otherwise invisible trace flows visible, starting with SWO and expanding to 1-, 2-, and 4-bit parallel trace when paired with ORBTrace mini or other trace capture hardware. ### Project history Orbuculum began around Single Wire Output and Serial Wire Viewer workflows for Cortex-M debugging. The upstream documentation says it originally supported only the SWO pin, then added support for parallel trace through ORBTrace mini and other interfaces such as JTrace. The 2.2.0 README describes a larger internal shift from a legacy chip-like stream protocol to `orbflow`, an extensible packet-oriented protocol that represents probe data more compactly. It also notes added CPU families, improved client application handling, improved stats and timing, a simplified communications subsystem, and early ETM4 support. ### Adoption history Orbuculum is niche but meaningful in embedded debugging. The upstream page lists support for Black Magic Debug Probe, SEGGER J-Link, generic USB TTL serial interfaces, FTDI high-speed serial interfaces, OpenOCD, PyOCD, ice40-HX8K and ECP5 parallel-trace boards, raw SWO files, and TCP sources that expose SWO. The ORBTrace mini page links the hardware and software sides of the ecosystem: ORBTrace mini is an open-source debug and parallel trace interface for Cortex-M microcontrollers, and Orbuculum is the host suite used to exploit the captured trace stream. ### How it is used Embedded developers run `orbuculum` as the mux that connects to a trace probe and exposes a network interface, then attach tools such as `orbcat` for ITM channel text, `orbdump` for raw SWO capture, `orbtop` for live activity views, `orbstat` for analysis and KCacheGrind output, `orbmortem` for post-mortem analysis, and `orbtrace` for ORBTrace FPGA configuration. The practical use case is low-intrusion insight into firmware execution: text channels, program-counter samples, performance analysis, and crash reconstruction without relying only on breakpoints or serial logging. ### Why package nerds care Orbuculum matters to package nerds because it packages a specialized embedded trace workflow as Unix-style command-line tools. The formula exposes many executables, each handling one part of trace capture, demultiplexing, viewing, statistics, or post-processing. ### Timeline - 2023-06-30: The changelog records Orbuculum 2.1.0 with timestamping work, a move to Meson/Ninja, stream abstraction cleanup, option renames, ORBTrace SWO support, and reliability fixes. - 2024-10-23: The release page for 2.2.0 describes orbflow protocol, ORBTrace Mini gateware 1.4.0 compatibility, FreeBSD support, and experimental ETM4 work. ### Related projects - Orbuculum is part of the Orbcode ecosystem alongside ORBTrace mini hardware. It also interoperates with common embedded debug tools such as Black Magic Probe, OpenOCD, PyOCD, and SEGGER J-Link. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** orbuculum - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - orbuculum: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/or/orbuculum/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## 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. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [capstone](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/capstone/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [dwarfutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dwarfutils/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [sdl2-compat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sdl2-compat/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [zeromq](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zeromq/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [meson](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/meson/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [ninja](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ninja/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bossa](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bossa/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [elf2uf2-rs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/elf2uf2-rs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [espflash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/espflash/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [esptool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/esptool/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [gpsim](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gpsim/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [gputils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gputils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [jaguar](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jaguar/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [lm4tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lm4tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, embedded. - [stlink](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/stlink/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, debugging, developer, developer-tools, embedded. - [picotool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/picotool/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, embedded, libusb. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/orbuculum.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/orbuculum.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