pkg.sopackage field notes

brew / rank 5999

Install hatari with Homebrew

Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon emulator. Version 2.6.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18.

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install hatari

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon emulator

Commands and aliases

  • atari-convert-dir
  • atari-hd-image
  • gst2ascii
  • hatari
  • hatari-prg-args
  • hatari_profile
  • hmsa
  • zip2st

history

Project history and usage

Hatari is an open-source Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon emulator for Unix-like systems, macOS, Windows, and other SDL-supported platforms. It is historically significant because it targets hardware-faithful emulation for games, demos, GEM applications, and retro-development workflows rather than only a comfortable desktop shell.

The project has a long-lived release record: the official site marked Hatari v0.01 as twenty years old in March 2021, placing the project's origin in 2001. Its package-manager presence gives retro-computing users a maintained route to an emulator whose accuracy depends on many small CPU, video, sound, disk, debugger, and machine-model fixes.

Project history

The official About page describes Hatari as an Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon emulator and explains the design goal: emulate ST hardware closely enough to run old ST games and demos. It also notes support for STE hardware, TT and Falcon hardware such as Videl and DSP 56001, hard-disk images, host-directory mounting, joystick emulation, and the need for a TOS image or EmuTOS.

Hatari's release history shows steady expansion from ST/STE emulation toward more accurate TT and Falcon behavior. Entries for the 1.x and 2.x lines repeatedly mention CPU core work, WinUAE-derived CPU updates for Falcon accuracy, TT video, DSP, MMU, FPU, Videl, SCSI, SCC, MIDI, sound, debugger, profiler, and demo/game compatibility fixes.

The project's hosting history also reflects older open-source infrastructure. The news page records a move from BerliOS to tuxfamily.org in 2011, a source repository switch from Mercurial to Git in 2019, and a move to Framagit and the hatari-emu.org site in 2025.

Adoption history

Hatari adoption sits in the retro-computing and demo-scene ecosystem. Users install it to run Atari ST software, inspect old programs, test demos and games, use a built-in debugger, and develop or debug software for ST-family machines without relying on original hardware.

The official site notes packages and binaries are not available for all architectures, which helps explain the role of OS package managers. Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Nix, and MacPorts entries make Hatari available through familiar update channels while still pointing users to TOS/EmuTOS requirements and project documentation.

The emulator's compatibility story is cumulative. Release notes repeatedly name fixed demos, games, and programs, which is how emulators earn adoption in preservation communities: each hardware edge case can unlock a specific title or production.

How it is used

Typical use is graphical or command-line: run hatari with a TOS or EmuTOS image, select an Atari machine profile, mount disk images or host directories, configure video/sound/input, and launch Atari software. Companion tools in the package help convert directories, create hard-disk images, inspect GST symbols, profile code, and manage disk-image formats.

Hatari is also a developer tool. The debugger manual describes a built-in debugging interface for analyzing code running in the emulated machine, and the release notes emphasize debugger and profiler improvements alongside end-user emulation fixes.

Why package nerds care

Hatari is interesting to package maintainers because it bridges old machine ROM requirements with modern SDL-based distribution. The package can ship the emulator and tools, but users still need a legal TOS image or EmuTOS replacement, so documentation and runtime expectations matter.

It is also a reminder that emulator packages are living compatibility databases. Seemingly obscure changelog entries about DMA sound, MFP timers, SCSI request handling, Videl refresh rates, MMU bus errors, and Falcon DSP behavior can be the difference between a demo working or failing.

For Homebrew specifically, Hatari is a desktop-style retro package that also installs command-line helper utilities, so it sits between games, preservation, development, and media tooling.

Timeline

  • 2001: Hatari v0.01 was created, according to the project's twentieth-birthday news post.
  • 2011: The project announced a move from BerliOS to tuxfamily.org and a Mercurial repository.
  • 2012: The 1.6.x releases emphasized Falcon DSP/CPU/MMU/FPU and debugger improvements.
  • 2015: Version 1.9.0 included a major CPU update for Falcon emulation based on WinUAE CPU work and added TT-RAM support.
  • 2016: Version 2.0.0 added SDL2 support and a single CPU core path for ST, STE, TT, and Falcon.
  • 2019: The source repository switched from Mercurial to Git.
  • 2025: The project moved to Framagit and the hatari-emu.org site; version 2.6.0 continued machine, debugger, video, serial, SCSI, and compatibility work.

Related projects

  • EmuTOS is the free TOS replacement recommended by Hatari when users cannot supply an Atari TOS image.
  • SDL is the portability layer Hatari uses for supported host systems.
  • WinUAE CPU work influenced Hatari's more accurate Falcon CPU emulation.
  • Atari ST, STE, TT, Falcon, GEMDOS, TOS, Videl, YM2149, DSP 56001, SCSI, and SCC hardware/software concepts recur throughout Hatari documentation and releases.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:image

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.

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
/etc/hatari.cfg/usr/local/etc/hatari.cfg~/.config/hatari/hatari.cfg

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
atari-convert-direxecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
atari-hd-imageexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
gst2asciiexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
hatariexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
hatari-prg-argsexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
hatari_profileexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
hmsaexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.
zip2stexecutableindexed executableDiscovered 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 version2.6.1
manager updated2026-06-18
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:hatari
Version2.6.1
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://www.hatari-emu.org/
Last updated2026-06-18T02:28:58-04:00
Pulseupdated
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone 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.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • pkgdb category and tag curation