install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install babelfish

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install python3-babelfish

Debian stable package indexes · python3-babelfish · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#babelfish

nixpkgs package indexes · babelfish · source: raw.githubusercontent.com

overview

Package summary

Translate bash scripts to fish

Project links

Commands and aliases

babelfish

history

Project history and usage

babelfish is a small command-line translator that converts bash shell snippets or scripts into fish shell code. Its README frames it as a faster alternative to running bash-backed compatibility layers every time fish needs to source shell setup code.

Project history

The project was created by Bouke Haarsma to avoid relying on fish-foreign-env or bass for repeated bash process execution. Instead, babelfish parses shell code with mvdan.cc/sh and emits equivalent fish code where possible.

The public GitHub releases show a 1.0.0 release in January 2021, a 1.1.0 release shortly after, and a 1.2.0 release in June 2023. The README still describes limitations, including untranslated variables such as BASH_SOURCE and incomplete arithmetic-expression support.

Adoption history

babelfish's adoption is niche and shell-specific. The README documents Homebrew and Go installation, and the package metadata in this batch shows Homebrew and Nix packaging for this Go-based translator.

Its practical audience is fish users who need to consume bash-oriented environment setup scripts, version-manager hooks, or shell snippets without leaving fish or spawning bash repeatedly.

How it is used

Users pipe bash code into babelfish and can then inspect or source the generated fish code. The README demonstrates translating a function, exporting SSH_AUTH_SOCK, setting local variables, and using a shell hook to source bash-oriented setup scripts in fish.

Because its translation coverage is incomplete, babelfish is best treated as a pragmatic bridge for common shell setup patterns rather than a perfect bash interpreter.

Why package nerds care

babelfish is package-nerd interesting in the small-tool sense: it exists to smooth over the mismatch between package ecosystems that ship bash activation scripts and users who prefer fish.

It also shows a common CLI pattern in modern packaging: take a mature parser library, here mvdan.cc/sh, and wrap it in a focused translator that solves one irritating shell integration problem.

Timeline

2021: babelfish 1.0.0 is released on GitHub.
2021: babelfish 1.1.0 follows with continued maintenance.
2023: babelfish 1.2.0 is released on GitHub.
2026: Package metadata in this batch shows babelfish still present in Homebrew and Nix.

Related projects

fish is the target shell for generated output.
bash is the source shell language babelfish translates from.
fish-foreign-env and bass are named by the README as earlier approaches babelfish was intended to avoid for performance reasons.
mvdan.cc/sh provides the shell parser used by babelfish.

Sources

https://api.github.com/repos/bouk/babelfish/releases
https://github.com/bouk/babelfish
input.json source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`babelfish`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.2.1

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.2.1

https://github.com/bouk/babelfish

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:babelfish
Version	1.2.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/babelfish
Homepage	https://github.com/bouk/babelfish
Repository	https://github.com/bouk/babelfish
Upstream docs	https://github.com/bouk/babelfish#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/bouk/babelfish/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.1.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	The shell hook has been installed, you can use it by running: $ source $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/share/fish/vendor_functions.d/babel.fish

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	babelfish
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

python3-babelfish 0.6.1-1

library to work with countries and languages (Python 3)

https://github.com/Diaoul/babelfish

sudo apt install python3-babelfish

Section: python
Architecture: all
Source Package: babelfish
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Babelfish

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: python3-babelfish from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

babelfish

nix profile install nixpkgs#babelfish

normalized package name match
Matched by: Babelfish

nixpkgs package indexes · raw.githubusercontent.com · nixpkgs package indexes: babelfish from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix

Ubuntu apt95%

python3-babelfish 0.6.0-2

library to work with countries and languages (Python 3)

https://github.com/Diaoul/babelfish

sudo apt install python3-babelfish

Section: universe/python
Architecture: all
Source Package: babelfish
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Babelfish

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python3-babelfish from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/babelfish.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install babelfish with Homebrew, apt, Nix