macOS
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brew install overdrivelocal Homebrew formula metadata
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Install overdrive with Homebrew
Bash script to download mp3s from the OverDrive audiobook service. Version 2.4.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-29.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Bash script to download mp3s from the OverDrive audiobook service
Project links
Commands and aliases
- overdrive
history
Project history and usage
OverDrive was a Bash command-line utility that processed OverDrive audiobook metadata and downloaded the associated MP3 files. The upstream project now identifies the service-dependent workflow as defunct.
Project history
Christopher Brown maintained OverDrive as a Bash script for downloading authorized MP3 audiobook parts from the OverDrive service. The repository's copyright notice covers 2017–2021 and preserves its former usage documentation at the final documented tag.
The maintainer explicitly declined to retrofit the project for Libby or to support DRM circumvention. In early 2025 the repository was updated to state that the original OverDrive workflow was no longer operational.
Adoption history
The script served Unix-like users who wanted to download the MP3 parts described by an OverDrive Media file without relying on the retired desktop client. Its Homebrew formula provided a simple package-manager installation path.
Its practical adoption was tied to the classic OverDrive `.odm` workflow. When OverDrive removed desktop-app support and the relevant service endpoints stopped working, the utility lost the external service on which its core operation depended.
How it is used
Historically, users supplied an authorized OverDrive Media metadata file and the script downloaded its audiobook MP3 parts. The preserved tagged README documents that former workflow.
The program should now be treated as obsolete: upstream says the required classic OverDrive service is dead, and it does not support Libby or DRM circumvention.
Why package nerds care
OverDrive is an example of a small packaged shell utility whose viability was governed by a proprietary service protocol rather than by local platform compatibility. It remains historically interesting as a lightweight Unix replacement for a discontinued vendor client.
Timeline
- 2017–2021: The repository's copyright range documents the project's maintained era.
- November 2024: The community documented the end of support for the classic OverDrive desktop and ODM workflow.
- Early 2025: The maintainer declared the original OverDrive downloader nonfunctional and declined a Libby retrofit.
Related projects
- The project belonged to an ecosystem of third-party OverDrive Media and `.odm` tools. The maintainer now directs readers to a discussion of alternatives and workarounds rather than presenting a supported successor.
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:download,audio
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
overdrive | cli | global executable |
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 generated2026-11-04
manager version2.4.1
manager updated2026-09-29
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected2.4.1
https://github.com/chbrown/overdrive
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:overdrive |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.4.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/overdrive |
| Homepage | https://github.com/chbrown/overdrive |
| Repository | https://github.com/chbrown/overdrive |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/chbrown/overdrive/archive/refs/tags/2.4.1.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-09-29T02:02:10Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Uses from macOS | libxml2, openssl |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | overdrive |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation