bkerler/edl – Open-Source Qualcomm EDL Flash Tool Guide

Windows (10 / 11)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

curl.exe -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bkerler/edl/master/install_edl_win10_win11.ps1
.\install_edl_win10_win11.ps1

This script installs Python, Git, usbdk, Zadig drivers, and the edl tool automatically. Restart your terminal after completion.

Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt install adb python3-dev python3-pip liblzma-dev git
git clone https://github.com/bkerler/edl.git
cd edl
git submodule update --init --recursive
pip3 install .

macOS

brew install python3 git
git clone https://github.com/bkerler/edl.git
cd edl
git submodule update --init --recursive
pip3 install .

Windows

The Windows install script handles most driver setup automatically. If the device is still not detected, run the batch file in the cloned repo:

cd edl\Drivers\Windows
Install_Windows.bat

In Device Manager, your device should appear as Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 under Ports (COM & LPT) when in EDL mode. If it shows as an unknown device, use Zadig to install the WinUSB driver manually.

Linux

Install the included udev rules to allow non-root access:

sudo cp edl/Drivers/Linux/51-edl.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

EDL mode makes the device expose USB PID 0x9008. Methods vary by device — use whichever applies:

• ADB command (device must be booted with USB debugging enabled)

  adb reboot edl

• Key combination (device powered off) — Hold Volume Up + Volume Down while connecting USB, or device-specific combination. Check XDA or your device's community for the exact combo.
• EDL test point / short (hardware method) — For completely bricked devices: short two PCB test points (D+ to GND or device-specific pads) while connecting USB. Requires disassembly and varies per board revision. Search "[your device model] EDL test point" on XDA.
• Deep flash cable (EDL cable) — A modified USB cable that shorts D+ and GND, triggering EDL on connection. Works on most Qualcomm devices without disassembly.

Once in EDL mode, verify detection:

edl detect

You should see the Qualcomm chipset identified and the Sahara/Firehose protocol negotiated.

Most Firehose operations require a programmer file (prog_firehose_ddr.elf or prog_firehose_lite.elf) matched to your device's exact chipset. This file acts as a secondary bootloader that edl uploads to RAM to enable partition access.

Sources for programmer files:

• Firmware packages — Extract the firmware ZIP for your device; the programmer is often included in the images/ or META-INF/ folder.
• bkerler's Loaders repo — github.com/bkerler/Loaders contains community-sourced programmer files for many chipsets.
• XDA device forums — EDL unbrick threads typically provide the correct programmer for that device.

All commands below assume the device is in EDL mode and connected. Replace /path/to/programmer.elf with your actual programmer path, and partition names with those specific to your device.

Detect device and protocol

edl detect

Read (backup) a single partition

edl r boot boot.img --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

Write (flash) a single partition

edl w boot boot.img --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

Erase a partition

edl e userdata --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

Read all partitions (full backup)

edl rl /output/backup/folder --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

Write all partitions from a folder (full restore)

edl wl /folder/with/images --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

Send a Firehose XML script

edl xml rawprogram0.xml patch0.xml --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

List partition table

edl printgpt --loader=/path/to/programmer.elf

After all write operations complete without errors, reboot the device:

edl reset

The device exits EDL mode and boots normally. First boot after a full firmware restore may take several minutes.