# Install west with Homebrew, apt Zephyr meta-tool. Version 1.5.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install west. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:west ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install west ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install west ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: west from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:west - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.5.0 - **Source summary:** Zephyr meta-tool - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - west (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.5.0 ## Project history and usage west is Zephyr's meta-tool: a Python CLI for managing Zephyr workspaces, multiple Git repositories, manifests, and common build, flash, debug, and extension workflows. The Zephyr documentation calls it a swiss-army-knife command line tool developed in its own repository. ### Project history west was added because Zephyr needed two things at once: a standardized way to work with multiple Git repositories and an extensible command-line interface for basic Zephyr workflows. Zephyr's own history-and-motivation page explains that existing tools such as Git submodules and Google's Repo were examined but did not satisfy the project's requirements, including downstream overrides, Windows support, and commit-based or continuous project updating. The GitHub repository was created in May 2018, and Zephyr 1.14-era release material introduced west for multiple-repository management plus improved flashing and debugging. That timing matches Zephyr's transition from a single RTOS repository mindset toward a modular embedded ecosystem with external modules, HALs, tools, samples, and downstream distributions. west evolved through a pre-1.0 period where the tool's packaging and manifest APIs were still settling. Its v0.6 line removed the old split bootstrapper model and made core commands part of the PyPI-distributed package. West v1.0.0, published in February 2023, declared the APIs stable and dropped the compatibility modules needed by the old Zephyr 1.14 LTS line. ### Adoption history west adoption is tied directly to Zephyr adoption: most Zephyr users encounter it during workspace setup. The standard flow is `west init` to create a workspace and clone the manifest repository, followed by `west update` to fetch the projects named in the manifest. Vendors and downstreams also use west manifests to pin Zephyr and module revisions for reproducible embedded products. Because Zephyr is not just a kernel tree but a collection of code, modules, vendor HALs, and tools, west became the package-nerd-visible front door for many embedded developers. It is also extensible, so Zephyr can expose workflow commands such as build, flash, debug, and signing through the same top-level CLI. ### How it is used west workspaces contain a `.west` directory, a manifest repository, and multiple project repositories defined in a YAML manifest, usually `west.yml`. The command's core model is deterministic: the manifest repository's commits name exact or trackable revisions in project repositories, and `west update` makes the workspace match that manifest. Typical users run `west init -m` with a Zephyr or downstream manifest, `west update` to clone modules, and Zephyr extension commands such as `west build`, `west flash`, or `west debug` during firmware work. Advanced users use `west manifest`, `west list`, `west forall`, `west compare`, and newer commands such as `west grep` to inspect or operate across a multi-repository workspace. ### Why package nerds care west is significant because it packages Zephyr's multi-repository source distribution into a single command-line mental model. For embedded developers, installing `west` is often the step that turns a pile of Git repositories into a coherent Zephyr SDK-style workspace. ### Timeline - May 2018: zephyrproject-rtos/west repository is created. - Zephyr 1.14 era: west is introduced for multiple repository management and enhanced flashing/debugging workflows. - v0.6.x: west moves away from a split bootstrapper model and is distributed as one PyPI package. - February 20, 2023: west v1.0.0 is published with stable APIs and no Zephyr 1.14 LTS compatibility modules. - 2023-2025: later releases add workspace comparison, grep, aliases, manifest filtering, packaging updates, and auto-caching support. ### Sources - - - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Linux: /etc/westconfig, ~/.westconfig, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/west/config, /.west/config - macOS: /usr/local/etc/westconfig, ~/.westconfig, /.west/config - Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\west\config, %USERPROFILE%\.westconfig, \.west\config ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - west - 1.3.0-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: west from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Zephyr RTOS Project meta-tool | https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/west ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/west.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/west.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph