Tools

What we build for webOS development, and what each one is for.


This page is a stub.
Contributions to this page are welcome!

Environment Setup covers installing the ones you need first.

webOS Dev Manager


A desktop app for managing a TV in developer mode or a rooted TV. Installs apps, opens a shell, and browses files, without a terminal. The easiest start on Windows, where native development wants Linux or macOS.

Windows, macOS and Linux: dev-manager-desktop.

ares-cli-rs


Our Rust rewrite of the ares CLI. Builds an IPK, installs it, launches it. Fewer dependencies and faster than the official one, and it ships .deb packages for amd64 and arm64.

ares-cli-rs. The official @webos-tools/cli covers more commands, including ares-inspect. Environment Setup compares them.

Native SDK


An unofficial prebuilt cross toolchain, so you can build native code for a TV without assembling one. Linux and macOS only, and Environment Setup covers WSL if you are on Windows.

native-toolchain.

dev-toolbox-cli


Checks a build against symbol data taken from real firmware, so you catch a missing library before a user does. It also writes the release manifest the app repository points at.

CommandDoes
webosbrew-toolbox-elf-verifyReports missing libraries and symbols per firmware
webosbrew-toolbox-ipk-verifyA whole IPK, and which releases it should run on. Native, web app and JS service
webosbrew-toolbox-gen-manifestWrites the release manifest from a built IPK
webosbrew-toolbox-fw-symbolsThe firmware symbol data the others read

dev-toolbox-cli. It feeds Can I Use on this site, and How to Submit shows where it sits in a release.