# Install mkfontscale with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Create an index of scalable font files for X. Version 1.2.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#mkfontscale.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:mkfontscale
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install mkfontscale
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install mkfontscale
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: x11/mkfontscale/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add mkfontscale
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mkfontscale from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install mkfontscale
```

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

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#mkfontscale
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mk/mkfontscale/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install mkfontscale
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mkfontscale from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:mkfontscale
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.2.4
- **Source summary:** Create an index of scalable font files for X
- **Homepage:** <https://www.x.org/>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- mkfontdir (alias)
- mkfontscale (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.2.4
## Project history and usage

mkfontscale is an X.Org command-line utility for the legacy X11 font system. Its manual states that the version shipped with X.Org was originally written by Juliusz Chroboczek for the XFree86 project and that its functionality was inspired by Joerg Pommnitz's ttmkfdir utility. The program scans scalable font files and writes index data that X11 font machinery can use; the related mkfontdir command creates fonts.dir files.

### How it is used

The package's role is infrastructural rather than application-facing. X.Org and downstream package managers keep it available for systems that still need X11 core font directories, scalable font indexes, or compatibility with older X font workflows. The freedesktop GitLab project describes it as utilities for creating the fonts.scale and fonts.dir index files used by the legacy X11 font system, while Homebrew packages it with freetype and libfontenc dependencies and installs both mkfontscale and mkfontdir.

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/mkfontscale.json>
- <https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/api/v4/projects/xorg%2Fapp%2Fmkfontscale>
- <https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/app/mkfontscale>
- <https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man1/mkfontscale.1.html>
- <https://www.x.org/releases/current/doc/man/man1/mkfontscale.1.xhtml>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

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

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - mkfontscale: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mk/mkfontscale/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- apk - mkfontscale - 1.2.4-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mkfontscale from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Scalable font index generator for X | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/
- apk - mkfontscale-doc - 1.2.4-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mkfontscale-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Scalable font index generator for X (documentation) | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/
- dnf - mkfontscale - 1.2.4-5.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mkfontscale from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Tool to generate legacy X11 font system index files | https://www.x.org
- zypper - mkfontscale - 1.2.4-1.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mkfontscale from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Utility to create index of scalable font files for X | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/
- MacPorts - mkfontscale: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: x11/mkfontscale/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Nix - mkfontdir: installed executable or alias match | nixpkgs package indexes: mkfontdir from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix


## Combined YAML source

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