install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bibclean

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install bibclean

MacPorts ports tree · tex/bibclean/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install bibclean

Debian stable package indexes · bibclean · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#bibclean

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bi/bibclean/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

BibTeX bibliography file pretty printer and syntax checker

Project links

Commands and aliases

bibclean
bibclean-3.07
bibisbn
bibisbn-3.07

history

Project history and usage

bibclean is Nelson H. F. Beebe's BibTeX and Scribe bibliography pretty-printer and syntax checker.

Project history

The official manual describes bibclean as a program that pretty-prints BibTeX input, checks brace balance and bibliography-entry syntax, and normalizes files so later filters and Emacs BibTeX support can process them predictably. The older 1.05 manual page is dated 1992, while later official distribution pages list many releases through the 3.x series.

The project predates today's GitHub-first release culture: the authoritative surface is a University of Utah web/FTP distribution with tar, zip, jar, zoo, checksum, and signed checksum files. The man page and distribution index document a long-running academic Unix tool rather than a modern hosted repository.

Adoption history

The input metadata lists packages in Homebrew, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, and Ubuntu. Its packaging story follows TeX infrastructure habits: source archives and checksums upstream, distro formulas downstream, and command-line users integrating it into bibliography cleanup scripts.

How it is used

bibclean formats each BibTeX entry into a consistent structure, expands tabs, splits long strings, normalizes author/editor names, checks CODEN/ISBN/ISSN values, and can use initialization files for options and field/pattern validation rules. It searches initialization files through the executable PATH, BIBINPUTS, explicit -init-file arguments, and file-specific .ini files.

Why package nerds care

bibclean is package-nerd archaeology in useful form: a specialized text normalizer with decades-old Unix documentation, multiple archive formats, checksums, and a job that still matters to anyone maintaining large BibTeX corpora. It is small, scriptable, and very much of the 'do one thing well' lineage.

Timeline

1992: Version 1.05 manual page is dated 01 August 1992.
1998: Version 2.11.4 manual page is dated 09 May 1998.
2003-2023: The official distribution index records continued updates over two decades.
2020: The 3.x HTML manual material records version 3.05 dated 18 May 2020.
2023: The official distribution page lists bibclean 3.07 archives and a May 2023 update.

Related projects

Related tools include BibTeX, Scribe bibliography files, Emacs BibTeX support, and companion bibliography filters named in the manual such as bibcheck, bibdup, bibextract, bibindex, bibjoin, biblook, biborder, bibsort, citefind, and citetags.

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 12 platform targets.

Recommended review

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

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: $BIBCLEANINI.bibcleanrc in $PATH.bibcleanrc in $BIBINPUTS<bibliography-file-basename>.ini

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`bibclean`	cli	global executable
`bibclean-3.07`	cli	global executable
`bibisbn`	cli	global executable
`bibisbn-3.07`	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 version3.07

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/software/bibclean/bibclean-03.html#HDR.3

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/software/bibclean/bibclean-03.html#HDR.3none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bibclean
Version	3.07
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bibclean
Homepage	https://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/software/bibclean/bibclean-03.html#HDR.3
Upstream docs	https://ftp.math.utah.edu/pub/bibclean
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://ftp.math.utah.edu/pub/bibclean/bibclean-3.07.tar.xz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	bibclean
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.

Debian apt95%

bibclean 3.07-2

pretty-printer for BibTeX databases

http://ftp.math.utah.edu/pub/bibclean/

sudo apt install bibclean

Section: tex
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bibclean

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

Nix95%

bibclean

nix profile install nixpkgs#bibclean

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bibclean

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bi/bibclean/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Ubuntu apt95%

bibclean 2.11.4.1-4.1

pretty-printer for BibTeX databases

http://ftp.math.utah.edu/pub/bibclean/

sudo apt install bibclean

Section: universe/tex
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bibclean

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

MacPorts95%

bibclean

sudo port install bibclean

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bibclean

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: tex/bibclean/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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/bibclean.yml

Used sources

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

Install bibclean with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix