https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree
Live USB device tree in your terminal. Rust TUI, no root, no libusb. Full activity metrics on Linux; device tree on macOS/Windows.
https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree
cli linux macos nusb ratatui rust terminal tui usb windows
Last synced: 10 days ago
JSON representation
Live USB device tree in your terminal. Rust TUI, no root, no libusb. Full activity metrics on Linux; device tree on macOS/Windows.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree
- Owner: gnomeria
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-07-07T14:19:23.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-07-16T03:05:45.000Z (24 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-07-16T04:24:44.562Z (24 days ago)
- Topics: cli, linux, macos, nusb, ratatui, rust, terminal, tui, usb, windows
- Language: Rust
- Homepage: https://gnomeria.github.io/usbtree/
- Size: 5.22 MB
- Stars: 224
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 6
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Security: SECURITY.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# usbtree
Cross-platform TUI for inspecting the USB device tree (Linux, macOS, Windows). Enumerates via [nusb](https://crates.io/crates/nusb) — pure Rust, no root, no libusb. One static binary, zero runtime deps: **~1.5 MB download, ~5–7 MB on disk**.
[](LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree/releases/latest)
**Website:** [gnomeria.github.io/usbtree](https://gnomeria.github.io/usbtree)
## Platform support
| Feature | Linux | macOS | Windows |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | :-----------: | :---: | :-----: |
| Device tree — hubs, classes, speeds, tree rails | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Friendly names (`overrides.ids` + usb.ids) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hot-plug watch + timestamped event log | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Detail panel — sysfs path, vid:pid, serial, children | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Device power — advertised `bMaxPower` | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Live activity sparklines — URBs/s (unprivileged) | ✅ | — | — |
| Real bandwidth — bytes/s via usbmon (root) | ✅ | — | — |
| Prebuilt binaries | amd64 · arm64 | arm64 | amd64 |
Live per-device activity is Linux-only — [why →](#activity-metrics-linux).
## Install
> [!NOTE]
> The shell installer and prebuilt links need a published GitHub release. None yet? Install from source.
**Homebrew** (Linux · macOS Apple Silicon)
```sh
brew install gnomeria/tap/usbtree
```
**Linux / macOS** (shell installer)
```sh
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gnomeria/usbtree/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
```
**Windows**
```powershell
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gnomeria/usbtree/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex
```
**From source**
```sh
cargo install --git https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree
```
Installers verify the archive's sha256 against `checksums.txt` and install to `/usr/local/bin` or `~/.local/bin` (Linux/macOS) / `%LOCALAPPDATA%\usbtree\bin` + user `PATH` (Windows). Env vars (prefix `$env:` in PowerShell):
| Variable | Effect |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `USBTREE_VERSION` | pin a version, e.g. `0.0.1` (default: latest) |
| `USBTREE_INSTALL_DIR` | install directory override |
| `USBTREE_SUDO_SYMLINK` | `1` also symlinks into `/usr/local/bin` via `sudo`, so `sudo usbtree` finds it for usbmon bytes/s |
Or grab a `usbtree__-.{tar.gz,zip}` archive from the [latest release](https://github.com/gnomeria/usbtree/releases/latest); each sha256 is in `checksums.txt`.
> [!NOTE]
> **macOS and Windows binaries are not code-signed or notarized.**
> - **macOS**: the install script and Homebrew formula clear the quarantine flag; manual downloads need `xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ./usbtree` (or right-click → Open once).
> - **Windows**: SmartScreen may warn — _More info_ → _Run anyway_, or `Unblock-File usbtree.exe`.
> Verify the sha256 or build from source if in doubt.
## Features
- Live USB tree — color-coded class gutter, per-class icons, tree rails, speed badges (`▂` low/full, `▄` high 480M, `█` SuperSpeed+ 5G/10G); rescans every second. Collapse hubs with `Enter`/`Space`/`h`/`l` → `▸` + `+N` child badge
- Names via fallback chain: `overrides.ids` → descriptor strings → downloaded [usb.ids](http://www.linux-usb.org/usb-ids.html) (`--updatelist`) → embedded snapshot → vendor/class heuristics
- Composite/Misc (0xef) devices classified by interface class, so e.g. a MOTU M2 shows as Audio, not Misc
- Hot-plug watch — plugged flash green, unplugged linger as red ghosts for 30 s, all events logged with timestamps
- Live per-device activity (Linux) — inline sparklines + detail-pane bandwidth graph; URBs/s unprivileged, real bytes/s via usbmon (root, see below)
- Detail panel — sysfs path, vid:pid, vendor, class, speed, `bMaxPower`, serial, connected children
- Safe eject (Linux, unprivileged) — `e` on a mass-storage device unmounts + cuts port power via udisks2, with a confirm dialog
- PCI view (`p`) — flat address-sorted PCI list with detail pane (prog-if, subsystem, link speed/width, NUMA, IOMMU group, power state)
- Live filter (`/`), yank (`y` vid:pid, `Y` full details), `--dump` prints the tree once (no TUI)
## Usage
```sh
usbtree # TUI
usbtree --dump # print the tree once and exit
usbtree --updatelist # download the latest usb.ids into the config dir
usbtree --demo # fake tree with scripted hot-plug + traffic (no hardware)
usbtree --light # use light theme (for light background terminals)
```
| Key | Action |
| --------------------- | ------------------- |
| `j`/`k`, arrows | move selection |
| `Enter`/`Space` | collapse/expand hub |
| `h`/`←`, `l`/`→` | fold / unfold |
| `g`/`Home`, `G`/`End` | top / bottom |
| `/` | filter tree |
| `Tab` | focus tree / events |
| `y` / `Y` | yank id / details |
| `e` | safe-eject storage |
| `p` | toggle USB / PCI |
| `r` | force rescan |
| `t` | toggle theme |
| `q` / `Esc` | quit |
## Configuration
Config lives in `~/.config/usbtree/` (`%APPDATA%\usbtree\` on Windows):
- **`overrides.ids`** — personal names, one `vvvv:pppp Friendly Name` per line (`#` comments OK). Wins over descriptor strings and usb.ids:
```
07fd:000b MOTU M2 Audio Interface
```
- **`usb.ids`** — written by `usbtree --updatelist` (from the [systemd/hwdata](https://github.com/systemd/hwdata) mirror). Takes priority over the snapshot compiled into the binary.
## Activity metrics (Linux)
The header shows the active source:
- **`◌ urb activity`** — unprivileged default: URB-count deltas from sysfs `urbnum`, shown as URBs/s
- **`◉ usbmon bytes/s`** — real per-device bandwidth when `/sys/kernel/debug/usb/usbmon` is readable (root + usbmon module loaded)
`sudo` alone is **not enough** — the `usbmon` module must be loaded or usbtree silently falls back to URB activity:
```sh
sudo modprobe usbmon
sudo "$(command -v usbtree)"
```
The absolute path matters: `sudo`'s `secure_path` excludes `~/.local/bin`, so plain `sudo usbtree` fails unless installed to `/usr/local/bin`. Load usbmon at boot with `echo usbmon | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/usbmon.conf`; needs `CONFIG_USB_MON` (standard on mainstream kernels).
macOS/Windows have no unprivileged per-device traffic counter (`sudo` doesn't help), so live activity isn't implemented there — the header reads `◌ activity n/a on this platform`.
## How it works
Rescans every second; hot-plug detection is a snapshot diff between scans. Paths use sysfs-style naming (`1-1.4` = bus 1, port 1, port 4) on every platform, built from each device's port chain; root hubs are synthesized from the bus list.
Releases are automated with [release-please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please): conventional commits on `main` roll into a release PR; merging it tags a version and builds the binaries.
## Development
Common commands live in the [Taskfile](https://taskfile.dev) — `task -l` lists them (`task demo`, `task test`, `task lint`, `task ci`, `task shots`, `task hooks`). The demo GIF/PNG in `docs/screenshots/` are rendered headlessly by driving `usbtree --demo` with [VHS](https://github.com/charmbracelet/vhs) tapes from `tapes/`, re-committed by the [Screenshots workflow](.github/workflows/screenshots.yml) when `src/` or the tapes change.
Contributions welcome — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md); security reports follow [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).
## License
[MIT](LICENSE).