# Install lwtools with Homebrew, dnf

Cross-development tools for Motorola 6809 and Hitachi 6309. Version 4.25 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-19. Also installable with dnf: sudo dnf install lwtools.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:lwtools
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install lwtools
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install lwtools
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lwtools from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:lwtools
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 4.25
- **Source summary:** Cross-development tools for Motorola 6809 and Hitachi 6309
- **Homepage:** <https://www.lwtools.ca/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-19T01:08:48Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- lwar (alias)
- lwasm (alias)
- lwcc-cpp (alias)
- lwlink (alias)
- lwobjdump (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 4.25
## Project history and usage

LWTOOLS is a cross-development toolchain for Motorola 6809 and Hitachi 6309 systems. It includes the LWASM assembler, LWLINK linker, LWAR archiver, object-dump tooling, and related support for raw binaries, CoCo LOADM/DECB formats, object files, and later linking.

### Project history

The official homepage says LWTOOLS began in 2006 when William Astle wanted an assembler with features missing from the alternatives available for his Color Computer 3 operating-system work. The manual history says LWASM grew out of that need for macros and correct forward-reference handling, with LWASM 1.0 released in October 2008.

As the operating-system project grew, assembling everything through a single source file became impractical. That led to object-file support in LWASM and the LWLINK project. The homepage records the first combined LWTOOLS release on January 29, 2009 after separate LWASM and LWLINK releases.

### Adoption history

LWTOOLS adoption is concentrated in retrocomputing and 6809/6309 cross-development communities rather than broad mainstream package use. It is packaged by Homebrew and Fedora-family packaging, and the official homepage provides source releases, contributed binaries, and an active Mercurial repository.

The upstream release list shows continued maintenance through LWTOOLS 4.24 in April 2025, while the Mercurial log showed new toolchain and GCC 6809-related commits in June 2026.

### How it is used

The usual source build is simply `make` at the top of the source tree, with binaries produced in the lwasm, lwlink, and lwar directories and installed with `make install`. The manual documents output formats including raw binaries, DECB binaries, ASCII hex, Motorola S-record, Intel Hex, OS-9 modules, and object files.

Typical package-manager users install it to obtain `lwasm`, `lwlink`, `lwar`, and related inspection tools for assembling and linking 6809/6309 programs on a modern host.

### Why package nerds care

LWTOOLS is package-nerd significant as a maintained retro cross-toolchain with a narrow but serious audience. It packages old-CPU development knowledge into normal Unix build/install conventions, which is exactly the kind of niche tool that package managers keep discoverable.

### Timeline

- 2006: LWASM work begins for Color Computer 3 operating-system development.
- 2008: LWASM 1.0 released.
- 2009: Initial combined LWTOOLS release published.
- 2025: LWTOOLS 4.24 release published.
- 2026: Official Mercurial repository shows active commits.

### Related projects

- LWASM is the assembler component.
- LWLINK is the linker component.
- LWAR is the archiver component.
- gcc6809-related patches and scripts appear in the upstream Mercurial history.

### Sources

- <http://lwtools.projects.l-w.ca/hg>
- <https://www.lwtools.ca/>
- <https://www.lwtools.ca/manual/manual.html>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- dnf - lwtools - 4.24-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lwtools from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Cross-development tool chain for Motorola 6809 and Hitachi 6309 | http://www.lwtools.ca/
- dnf - lwtools-doc - 4.24-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lwtools-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Documentation for the LWTOOLS cross-development tool chain | http://www.lwtools.ca/


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lwtools.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/lwtools.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph