elfx86exts ☆

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Description:
Decodes x86 binaries (ELF and Mach-O) and prints out ISA extensions in use

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 0.6.2@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: x86 disassembly binary-analysis isa-extensions development

Install: brew install elfx86exts

About:
elfx86exts is a command-line utility that analyzes compiled x86 binaries in ELF and Mach-O formats. It disassembles the code to identify and report the specific instruction set architecture (ISA) extensions being utilized. This provides developers with immediate insight into the hardware requirements and optimization levels of their compiled code.

Key Features:

Supports both ELF (Linux) and Mach-O (macOS) binary formats
Decodes binaries without needing the original source code
Clearly lists x86 ISA extensions like SSE, AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512
Helps verify compiler optimization flags and CPU compatibility

Use Cases:

Verifying that a binary was compiled with the intended CPU architecture optimizations
Checking third-party libraries for specific instruction set requirements
Debugging performance issues related to CPU feature availability

Alternatives:

objdump – objdump is a standard GNU tool that can disassemble binaries, but elfx86exts provides a specialized, high-level summary focused solely on ISA extensions.
llvm-objdump – Part of the LLVM toolchain, it offers similar disassembly capabilities but requires manual inspection to identify extension usage.

License: MIT

Dependencies: capstone

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, arm64_monterey, sonoma, ventura, monterey, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 14, 2025 6:50pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	61ce420b
Sep 12, 2024 6:15pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	523712e3