macOS
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brew install blink1provider-native install command
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Install blink1 with Homebrew
Control blink(1) indicator light. Version 2.5.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-18.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Control blink(1) indicator light
Project links
Commands and aliases
- blink1-tool
history
Project history and usage
blink(1) is ThingM's USB RGB notification light, and `blink1-tool` is the official command-line and C/C++ tooling for controlling it. The Homebrew package represents the Unix-friendly side of a physical status indicator: scriptable color, blink, pattern, and firmware/device operations.
Project history
The upstream README calls the repository the official collection of C/C++ command-line tools for the blink(1) USB RGB LED. It lists `blink1-tool`, `blink1-tiny-server`, `blink1control-tool`, `blink1-lib`, `blink1-mini-tool`, and `blink1raw` as current tools.
GitHub releases show continued maintenance from the 2.x line through 2026, including releases for both `blink1-tool` and `blink1-tiny-server`.
Adoption history
blink(1) was adopted by developers and operations users as a physical notifier for builds, alerts, chat status, and ambient monitoring. Package-manager facts list Homebrew, Nix, and Scoop, which matches a cross-platform hardware utility used from scripts rather than a single desktop app.
How it is used
`blink1-tool` can list devices, set RGB/HSB colors, blink or flash, play/write/read patterns, save startup behavior, query firmware, select device IDs, and run quiet or verbose for scripts. Linux users may need udev rules so non-root processes can access the USB HID device.
The tooling supports macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi OS, BeagleBone, OpenWRT/DD-WRT, and other systems with GNU Make and a C compiler, with HIDAPI and simpler HIDDATA/libusb-oriented build options.
Why package nerds care
blink(1) is a neat package-manager artifact because installing one CLI turns a USB gadget into a Unix endpoint. It bridges shell scripts, CI systems, and physical computing without a daemon or cloud service.
It is also a tiny example of hardware packaging done right: udev rules, static-build concerns, HID backend choices, release binaries, a C library, and a CLI all live close together.
Timeline
- 2018-05-12: v2.0.1 release published on GitHub.
- 2022-01-27: v2.3.0 release published on GitHub.
- 2025-11-24: v2.4.0 release published on GitHub.
- 2026-04-16: v2.5.0 release published for blink1-tool and blink1-tiny-server.
Related projects
- Related projects include Blink1Control, `blink1-tiny-server`, HIDAPI, libusb, udev-based Linux device access, and other USB notification-light integrations used by build and monitoring systems.
Sources
- https://blink1.thingm.com/blink1-tool
- https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool#readme
- https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool/releases
- input source_facts.package-manager
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for blink1. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
blink1-tool | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version2.5.0
manager updated2026-05-18
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:blink1 |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.5.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://blink1.thingm.com/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/todbot/blink1-tool |
| Last updated | 2026-05-18T02:22:18Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation