# Install molten-vk with Homebrew

Implementation of the Vulkan graphics and compute API on top of Metal. Version 1.4.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-24.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:molten-vk
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install molten-vk
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:molten-vk
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.4.2
- **Source summary:** Implementation of the Vulkan graphics and compute API on top of Metal
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-24T17:00:08Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- MoltenVKShaderConverter (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.4.2
## Project history and usage

MoltenVK began at The Brenwill Workshop Ltd. as a commercial portability layer for running Vulkan graphics code on Apple's Metal framework. Brenwill announced the product in July 2016 for iOS and macOS, with Bill Hollings presenting it around SIGGRAPH as a way for game developers to keep Vulkan-style rendering paths while targeting Apple platforms.

### Project history

Its major ecosystem turn came on February 26, 2018, when Khronos announced the Vulkan Portability Initiative with Valve, LunarG, and The Brenwill Workshop. That announcement released MoltenVK as open source under Khronos stewardship, described it as translating the portable Vulkan subset to Metal on macOS and iOS, and tied it to the macOS Vulkan SDK work. Valve's Dota 2 port was used as an early production example of the value of the stack.

### Adoption history

In practice MoltenVK is linked into games, emulators, engines, and graphics applications that already speak Vulkan and need Apple-platform deployment without rewriting their renderer around Metal. Its repository describes a layered Vulkan 1.4 implementation over Metal for macOS, iOS, tvOS, visionOS, simulators, Mac Catalyst, and Apple Silicon, with automatic SPIR-V to Metal Shading Language conversion and a standalone MoltenVKShaderConverter tool. Khronos material lists users and adjacent projects including Dota 2, Metro Exodus, Final Fantasy XIV, DXVK, VKD3D, Google Android Emulator, Dolphin, Autodesk Fusion 360, Google Filament, and other engines and games.

### How it is used

As a Homebrew package, molten-vk occupies a developer-tool niche rather than a command-heavy CLI niche: it ships the runtime and shader-conversion tooling for local Vulkan-on-Apple builds. It sits beside the Vulkan SDK and portability-layer ecosystem rather than replacing native Vulkan drivers.

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/molten-vk>
- <https://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK>
- <https://moltengl.com/press/moltenvk-brings-vulkan-to-ios-and-macos/>
- <https://vulkan.org/user/pages/09.events/vulkanised-2024/vulkansied-2024-bill-hollings-brenwill.pdf>
- <https://www.khronos.org/news/press/vulkan-applications-enabled-on-apple-platforms>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

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


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/molten-vk.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/molten-vk.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation