install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install mklittlefs

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#mklittlefs

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/mk/mklittlefs/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Creates LittleFS images for ESP8266, ESP32, Pico RP2040, and RP2350

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

mklittlefs

history

Project history and usage

mklittlefs is earlephilhower's C++ utility for creating, listing, and unpacking LittleFS filesystem images for small embedded boards. The repository was created in 2018, and the README says the tool builds and unpacks LittleFS images and is based on Ivan Grokhotkov's mkspiffs. Its command-line interface accepts create, unpack, list, and image-info modes along with filesystem size, page size, block size, and debug options.

Project history

The tool's ecosystem role comes from Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32, and RP2040 workflows where a sketch uses a flash filesystem and a host-side tool must turn a local data directory into the binary image uploaded to the board. The README warns that LittleFS build-time options such as LFS_NAME_MAX affect image compatibility, so mklittlefs and the target firmware need matching settings. Related Arduino upload tooling from the same maintainer uses LittleFS filesystems for Arduino-Pico RP2040/RP2350, ESP8266, and ESP32 cores, while PlatformIO packages the tool as tool-mklittlefs.

How it is used

Homebrew packages mklittlefs as a standalone executable with no runtime dependencies, making it convenient for macOS users building embedded images outside an IDE. Compared with mkspiffs, its niche is the LittleFS format rather than SPIFFS.

Sources

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.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`mklittlefs`	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 version4.1.0

manager updated

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:mklittlefs
Version	4.1.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/earlephilhower/mklittlefs
Repository	https://github.com/earlephilhower/mklittlefs
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

mklittlefs

nix profile install nixpkgs#mklittlefs

normalized package name match
Matched by: Mklittlefs

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

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/mklittlefs.yml

Used sources

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

Install mklittlefs with Homebrew, Nix