install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bfg

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install bfg

MacPorts ports tree · java/bfg/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/bfg

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/bfg.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Remove large files or passwords from Git history like git-filter-branch

Project links

Commands and aliases

bfg

history

Project history and usage

BFG Repo-Cleaner is a Scala/JVM command-line tool for removing large files, passwords, credentials, and other unwanted blobs from Git history. Its official positioning is as a simpler and much faster alternative to git-filter-branch for cleansing bad data from repositories.

Project history

The official GitHub repository was created in December 2012. BFG's README and project site center on two core repository-cleaning jobs: stripping large blobs and replacing sensitive text across history.

Release history shows BFG maturing through the 2010s, including Git LFS support in v1.12.5 in 2015, Java 8 and Scala 2.12 support in v1.13.0 in 2018, Scala 2.13 in v1.14.0 in 2021, and v1.15.0 in January 2025.

Adoption history

BFG became widely known because git-filter-branch was powerful but slow and difficult to use for common cleanup jobs. BFG narrowed the problem to the operations teams most often needed after accidentally committing giant artifacts or secrets, then packaged that workflow as a standalone executable.

The input records Homebrew, MacPorts, and Scoop packaging, matching BFG's cross-platform appeal: it is a Java-based tool that can be used from macOS, Linux, or Windows when a Git repository needs emergency cleanup.

How it is used

Typical usage is on a mirror clone or bare repository, with commands such as stripping blobs above a size threshold or replacing text listed in a file. After BFG rewrites the repository objects, users still need the normal Git cleanup and force-push workflow expected after history rewriting.

Because it rewrites repository history, BFG is used deliberately: it is most valuable when a repository has already leaked bulky files or secrets and the team needs a repeatable cleanup tool rather than manual filter-branch scripting.

Why package nerds care

BFG is package-nerd significant because it turned one of Git administration's ugliest chores into a memorable, packaged CLI. Before git-filter-repo became the modern upstream-recommended tool, BFG was the package many developers reached for when Git history got polluted.

Its design is a good example of a focused package beating a built-in general-purpose tool for a painful workflow: fewer knobs, better defaults for common cleanup cases, and performance claims strong enough to become part of the project's identity.

Timeline

2012: Official repository created in December.
2015: v1.12.5 added Git LFS support.
2018: v1.13.0 moved to Scala 2.12 and Java 8.
2021: v1.14.0 updated to Scala 2.13.
2025: v1.15.0 released in January.

Related projects

Related projects include git-filter-branch, git-filter-repo, git lfs migrate, and secret-scanning tools such as Gitleaks or TruffleHog that may detect the problem before BFG is needed.

Sources

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 1 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime 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
`bfg`	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 version1.15.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner/

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bfg
Version	1.15.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bfg
Homepage	https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner/
Repository	https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner
Upstream docs	https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner
License	GPL-3.0-or-later
Source archive	https://search.maven.org/remotecontent?filepath=com/madgag/bfg/1.15.0/bfg-1.15.0.jar
Dependencies	openjdk
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

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

MacPorts95%

bfg

sudo port install bfg

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bfg

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: java/bfg/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/bfg

scoop install main/bfg

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bfg

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/bfg.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

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/bfg.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 bfg with Homebrew, MacPorts, scoop