brew / rank 4631

Install nmrpflash with Homebrew, apt, Nix

Netgear Unbrick Utility. Version 0.9.27 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install nmrpflash.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install nmrpflash

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install nmrpflash

Debian stable package indexes · nmrpflash · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#nmrpflash

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

overview

Package summary

Netgear Unbrick Utility

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

nmrpflash

history

Project history and usage

nmrpflash is a small recovery utility for flashing firmware to Netgear devices through Netgear's NMRP recovery protocol.

Project history

The project was introduced to the OpenWrt community on February 10, 2016 as an unbrick utility for Netgear routers using the NMRP protocol. The first public discussion already framed the tool around recovery rather than general firmware management, with the author asking other Netgear owners to test additional models.

The upstream README describes nmrpflash as a cross-platform C utility for Linux, macOS, Windows, the BSDs, and other POSIX-like systems. Later releases and packaging turned it from a forum-linked recovery helper into a packaged command available through Homebrew and Debian-derived systems.

Adoption history

Adoption is concentrated in router recovery and OpenWrt/DD-WRT-style communities. The README lists many tested Netgear models and warns about image format compatibility, which matches how users actually find the tool: after a failed flash, vendor firmware problem, or router that only exposes the bootloader recovery path.

Debian source packaging and the Homebrew formula make the tool easier to install on ordinary admin laptops. Homebrew is especially practical because the upstream README recommends it on Linux and macOS while warning that some distro packages may lag.

How it is used

The common workflow is direct and timing-sensitive: download the correct Netgear firmware image, connect the router by Ethernet, list local interfaces with nmrpflash -L, start nmrpflash with -i and -f, then power on the router when the tool is waiting. Successful sessions advertise an NMRP server, receive a configuration request, upload firmware by TFTP, wait for the device to finish, and tell the user to reboot.

Package nerds keep it around because it is one of those rare tools that can turn an otherwise dead consumer router into working hardware. The sharp edges are part of the job: firewall rules, static IPs, Npcap on Windows, NMRP timing, model-specific image formats, and long flash-write waits.

Why package nerds care

nmrpflash is not a broad networking platform; it is a focused hardware-rescue package. Its significance is that it wraps a vendor recovery protocol in a reproducible open-source command, making debricking less dependent on opaque vendor GUIs or Windows-only tools.

Timeline

{'date': '2016-02-10', 'event': 'The author announced nmrpflash on the OpenWrt forum archive as a Netgear NMRP unbrick utility.'}
{'date': '2026-03-05', 'event': 'The GitHub repository page listed nmrpflash 0.9.27 as the latest release.'}

Related projects

OpenWrt
Netgear NMRP
Npcap
TFTP

Sources

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
`nmrpflash`	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 version0.9.27

manager updated

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:nmrpflash
Version	0.9.27
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/jclehner/nmrpflash
Repository	https://github.com/jclehner/nmrpflash
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.

Debian apt95%

nmrpflash 0.9.14-16-ge95526d-4+b1

firmware flash utility for Netgear devices

https://github.com/jclehner/nmrpflash

sudo apt install nmrpflash

Section: otherosfs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: nmrpflash
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Nmrpflash

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: nmrpflash from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

nmrpflash

nix profile install nixpkgs#nmrpflash

normalized package name match
Matched by: Nmrpflash

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

Ubuntu apt95%

nmrpflash 0.9.14-16-ge95526d-4build2