install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install xmlsectool

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Check schema validity and signature of an XML document

Project links

Commands and aliases

xmlsectool

history

Project history and usage

xmlsectool is a Shibboleth Java command-line tool for downloading XML, checking well-formedness and schema validity, verifying XML signatures, and creating enveloped XML signatures. Its main cultural home is SAML metadata operations rather than generic XML editing.

Project history

The tool grew inside the Shibboleth ecosystem as a deployer utility for XML security work. Its documentation is organized by major supported series, with V3 now archived and V4 identified as the current supported line.

Version 2.0.0 was announced in June 2016 as a new stable release based on the Shibboleth v3 Identity Provider software stack. That release was intended as a drop-in replacement for most 1.2.0 users, while moving the tool to Java 7 or later, making SHA-256 the default signing digest, and blacklisting SHA-1 by default.

Version 4.0.0 was released on 2025-04-16. The V4 documentation states that V4 is the only supported release line, requires Java 17, removes options deprecated in V3, and adds a --version option.

Adoption history

xmlsectool's adoption follows Shibboleth and SAML federation operations: operators need to validate and sign metadata, verify downloaded metadata, and sometimes use token-backed signing credentials. Its presence in the Shibboleth announcement channel and deployer documentation shows it is maintained as operational security tooling, not just an example program.

How it is used

Typical use cases include validating SAML metadata schemas, verifying XML signatures before trusting metadata, signing SAML 2.0 metadata with explicit reference ID handling, selecting digest and signature algorithms, and using PKCS#11-backed credentials through Java security providers.

Why package nerds care

xmlsectool is the kind of security package that package nerds care about because it turns a hard-to-compose Java XML security stack into one auditable command. The package boundary is useful: a CLI can be pinned, upgraded, scripted, and documented independently of an identity provider deployment.

Timeline

2016-06-28: Shibboleth announced xmlsectool 2.0.0 and the end of 1.x support.
2025-04-16: xmlsectool 4.0.0 was released as the current stable release.
2025-04-16: Security maintenance for xmlsectool 3.0.0 and earlier ceased, making V4 the only supported release.

Related projects

Related projects and technologies include Shibboleth Identity Provider, Shibboleth Service Provider, SAML 2.0 metadata, XML Signature, Apache Santuario-style XML security libraries, Java security providers, and PKCS#11 hardware tokens.

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 1 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
`xmlsectool`	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 generated2026-07-08

manager version4.0.0

manager updated2026-06-22

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/XSTJ3/xmlsectool+V3+Home

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/XSTJ3/xmlsectool+V3+Homenone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:xmlsectool
Version	4.0.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/xmlsectool
Homepage	https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/XSTJ3/xmlsectool+V3+Home
Repository	https://git.shibboleth.net/git/xmlsectool
Upstream docs	https://shibboleth.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/XSTJ4/overview
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://shibboleth.net/downloads/tools/xmlsectool/4.0.0/xmlsectool-4.0.0-bin.zip
Last updated	2026-06-22T14:06:42-07:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	openjdk
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	xmlsectool
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

package graph

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

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.

combined/xmlsectool.yml

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

Install xmlsectool with Homebrew