What Tinkerbus is

Tinkerbus is an open-source, ETS-compatible tool for KNX installations. It consists of:

• A desktop application. Built with Wails (a Go backend and a React and TypeScript interface in a native window). It opens ETS 6 projects, edits them, shows the bus and programs devices. See the application.
• Five command line tools. knxproj, knxprobe, knxdownload, knxprogram and knxcap. They share their code with the application. See command line tools.
• An optional online catalog client. The application can search the knxprod-index service for manufacturer product data and install it with one click.

What it works with

• ETS 6 project files (.knxproj), including password-protected ones. ETS 4 and ETS 5 projects are not supported.
• .knxprod product databases from manufacturers, including the zip files some manufacturers wrap them in.
• KNXnet/IP gateways and routers (tunnelling over UDP or TCP).

What it does not do

• It makes only simple new projects: “Start from scratch” writes an empty project with one area and one line, without a password. Whether ETS 6 opens it has not been tried.
• It cannot produce a project signature that ETS accepts, so after editing, ETS 6 may warn about the file or refuse to open it. See Saving.
• It does not implement KNX IP Secure.
• It is not an ETS licence replacement and does not handle ETS licences.

See Tinkerbus compared with ETS 6 for the full list, and Status for what is open.

Platform

The application is a Wails app. The repository contains the Wails packaging files for Windows (NSIS installer) and macOS, taken from the Wails template; nothing in the repository records that they were tested. The project has been developed and tested on Linux. The USB code in the library exists only for Linux. See Build.

Project history

The public repository starts with the initial release of 22 October 2026. There are no tags and no version numbers yet. Tinkerbus is MIT licensed, see Legal.