macOS
Homebrew Caskverified · 100%
brew install --cask android-platform-toolslocal Homebrew cask metadata
cask
Install android-platform-tools with Homebrew Cask
Android SDK component. Version 37.0.1 via Homebrew Cask; verified 2026-07-09. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install adb.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Android SDK component
Project links
Commands and aliases
- adb
- etc1tool
- fastboot
- hprof-conv
- make_f2fs
- make_f2fs_casefold
- mke2fs
history
Project history and usage
Android SDK Platform-Tools is the Android SDK component that ships adb, fastboot, and related host-side utilities. In package-manager practice it is the small install that developers, ROM maintainers, CI images, and device tinkerers reach for when they need Android device access without a full IDE.
Project history
The Android Debug Bridge is documented by Android as a command-line tool for communicating with a device, installing and debugging apps, and running shell commands. The platform-tools package became the distribution vehicle for adb and fastboot as Android separated SDK components into independently updated downloads.
Google's Platform-Tools release notes show the package as a continuously updated SDK component rather than a standalone application. Its history is therefore tied to Android device protocols and host tooling: adb for development and debugging, fastboot for bootloader-level flashing, and small filesystem/image helpers used by the Android build and device ecosystem.
Adoption history
The toolset is installed by Android Studio and the Android SDK Manager, but package managers also carry it because many users need only adb and fastboot. Homebrew distributes it as a cask, making macOS command-line Android workflows possible without installing the full Android Studio application.
Its adoption spread beyond app developers into CI pipelines, hardware labs, custom ROM communities, recovery workflows, and test automation. That mixed audience explains why platform-tools is treated like a core system utility package even though it is officially an SDK component.
How it is used
Common use centers on `adb devices`, `adb install`, `adb shell`, log capture, port forwarding, file transfer, and fastboot flashing or boot commands. The Android documentation also records `ANDROID_USER_HOME` as the parent for Android tool configuration, with the default user directory under `.android`.
Package users care about version freshness because adb and fastboot need to track Android platform behavior, USB/device protocol changes, and security fixes. Installing platform-tools from a package manager gives scripts a stable executable path while still following Google's SDK releases.
Why package nerds care
This is a classic package-manager split: a large vendor SDK is reduced to the few host binaries people actually put in PATH. It is especially valuable on macOS and CI runners where installing Android Studio would be slow, stateful, and unnecessary.
The source lives in Android's public Gitiles infrastructure rather than a conventional GitHub project, which is a useful reminder that official source-control URLs are not always the same shape as community package metadata expects.
Timeline
- 2008: Android SDK tooling ships with early public Android development releases.
- 2010s: adb and fastboot become the common host-side tools for app debugging, device automation, and bootloader workflows.
- 2020: Android Platform-Tools 30.x release notes document ongoing package-specific releases.
- 2026: Homebrew cask metadata lists Platform-Tools 37.0.0 for macOS.
Related projects
- Android Studio and the Android SDK Command-line Tools provide the broader SDK management surface around platform-tools.
- AOSP hosts adb source under the Android source tree; fastboot and filesystem helpers are related host utilities in the Android platform toolchain.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for android-platform-tools. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
$ANDROID_USER_HOME~/.android/
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
adb | binary | Homebrew cask binary | adb |
etc1tool | binary | Homebrew cask binary | etc1tool |
fastboot | binary | Homebrew cask binary | fastboot |
hprof-conv | binary | Homebrew cask binary | hprof-conv |
make_f2fs | binary | Homebrew cask binary | make_f2fs |
make_f2fs_casefold | binary | Homebrew cask binary | make_f2fs_casefold |
mke2fs | binary | Homebrew cask binary | mke2fs |
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 generated2026-07-25
manager version37.0.1
manager updated2026-07-09
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-toolsnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | cask:android-platform-tools |
|---|---|
| Version | 37.0.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew Cask |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/android-platform-tools |
| Homepage | https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools |
| Upstream docs | https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools |
| Source archive | https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools_r37.0.1-darwin.zip |
| Last updated | 2026-07-09T19:03:03Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| SHA-256 | 7d009f4fb1a70ecaa52937ef4d68f5180c9578e9502fb985f000b50e01b4c9e2 |
| Download URL | https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools_r37.0.1-darwin.zip |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew cask API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/cask |
| Full Token | android-platform-tools |
| Names |
|
| Artifacts | |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
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%
adb 1:34.0.5-12
Android Debug Bridge
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install adb- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 14 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
adbd 34.0.5-12
Android Debug Bridge daemon
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install adbd- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 12 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libbacktrace 1:34.0.5-12
Android backtrace library
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libbacktrace- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libbacktrace-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Android backtrace library - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libbacktrace-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libbase 1:34.0.5-12
Android base library
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libbase- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libbase-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Android base library - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libbase-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libcutils 1:34.0.5-12
Android utils library for C
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libcutils- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libcutils-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Android utils library for C - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libcutils-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-liblog 1:34.0.5-12
Android NDK logger interfaces
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-liblog- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-liblog-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Android NDK logger interfaces - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-liblog-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libnativehelper 34.0.5-12
Support functions for Android's class libraries
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libnativehelper- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libnativehelper-dev 34.0.5-12
Support functions for Android's class libraries - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libnativehelper-dev- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libsparse 1:34.0.5-12
Library for sparse files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libsparse- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libsparse-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Library for sparse files - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libsparse-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libutils 1:34.0.5-12
Android Utility Function Library
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libutils- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
Debian apt95%
android-libutils-dev 1:34.0.5-12
Android Utility Function Library - Development files
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
sudo apt install android-libutils-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: android-platform-tools
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Android Platform Tools
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
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment