# 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 ```sh sudo av install cask:android-platform-tools ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew Cask (100%): ```sh brew install --cask android-platform-tools ``` Evidence: local Homebrew cask metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** cask:android-platform-tools - **Package manager:** Homebrew Cask - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 37.0.1 - **Source summary:** Android SDK component - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-09T19:03:03Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-25T07:20:51+00:00 ## Executables - adb (binary) - etc1tool (binary) - fastboot (binary) - hprof-conv (binary) - make_f2fs (binary) - make_f2fs_casefold (binary) - mke2fs (binary) - adb (alias) - etc1tool (alias) - fastboot (alias) - hprof-conv (alias) - make_f2fs (alias) - make_f2fs_casefold (alias) - mke2fs (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-25 - Package-manager version: 37.0.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-09 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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 - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes 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. ## 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 - Unix: $ANDROID_USER_HOME, ~/.android/ ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew cask API - **Tap:** homebrew/cask - **Full Token:** android-platform-tools - **Names:** Android SDK Platform-Tools - **Artifacts:** Binary: 7, Target: 7 - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - adb - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: adb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android Debug Bridge | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - adbd - 34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: adbd from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android Debug Bridge daemon | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libbacktrace - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libbacktrace from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android backtrace library | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libbacktrace-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libbacktrace-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android backtrace library - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libbase - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libbase from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android base library | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libbase-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libbase-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android base library - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libcutils - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libcutils from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android utils library for C | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libcutils-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libcutils-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android utils library for C - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-liblog - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-liblog from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android NDK logger interfaces | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-liblog-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-liblog-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android NDK logger interfaces - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libnativehelper - 34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libnativehelper from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Support functions for Android's class libraries | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libnativehelper-dev - 34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libnativehelper-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Support functions for Android's class libraries - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libsparse - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libsparse from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Library for sparse files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libsparse-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libsparse-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Library for sparse files - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libutils - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libutils from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android Utility Function Library | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools - Debian apt - android-libutils-dev - 1:34.0.5-12: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: android-libutils-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Android Utility Function Library - Development files | https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools ## Related links - [Homebrew Cask packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/homebrew-cask-packages/) - Generated from Homebrew Cask package-manager metadata. - [Homebrew Cask binaries](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/homebrew-cask-binaries/) - Cask artifact metadata includes a binary. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/android-platform-tools.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/android-platform-tools.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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