macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lsusblocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 1711
Install lsusb with Homebrew
List USB devices, just like the Linux lsusb command. Version 1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
List USB devices, just like the Linux lsusb command
Project links
Commands and aliases
- lsusb
history
Project history and usage
jlhonora/lsusb is a Mac OS X shell utility that makes Apple's USB hardware report look and feel like Linux's `lsusb` command.
Project history
The project began as a small portability tool for Mac users who wanted the familiar Linux `lsusb` command. Its README explains that it uses `system_profiler SPUSBDataType`, with `lsusb -v` exposing the unmodified Apple command output, and its release history shows early 0.1 and 0.2 releases followed by a 1.0 'Full-featured version'.
Adoption history
Official GitHub signals show a compact but widely noticed utility: 50 commits, about 391 stars, 54 forks, and three releases. The 1.0 release notes say the project incorporated outside contributions and included almost every feature from Linux usbutils 007, which helps explain why it became the original macOS `lsusb` package in Homebrew and other package histories.
How it is used
The README documents direct command-line use, manual installation into a PATH directory, and Homebrew installation through the original tap. Options include verbosity, vendor/product filtering, tree output, version display, and help, with the bundled man page recommended for the most accurate usage description.
Why package nerds care
This is the classic example of a package-manager portability shim: a tiny command with a Linux name that normalizes muscle memory across macOS and Linux. Package nerds care because it demonstrates how Homebrew and taps often filled gaps where macOS had native data but lacked the Unix command surface users expected.
Timeline
- 2010s: Version 0.1 is released as a basic working macOS lsusb clone.
- 2010s: Version 0.2 adds man-page and script-style improvements from contributors.
- 2010s: Version 1.0 is released as a full-featured version with broad parity against Linux usbutils 007.
Related projects
- Linux usbutils is the reference implementation whose `lsusb` behavior inspired the project.
- LanikSJ/lsusb is a maintained fork distributed in Homebrew as `lsusb-laniksj`.
- Apple `system_profiler SPUSBDataType` supplies the underlying USB information on macOS.
Sources
- https://github.com/jlhonora/lsusb
- https://github.com/jlhonora/lsusb/releases
- source_facts.package-manager
- source_facts.repo
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
lsusb | 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 version1.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:lsusb |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/jlhonora/lsusb |
| Repository | https://github.com/jlhonora/lsusb |
| 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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation