install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bold

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#bold

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

overview

Package summary

Drop-in replacement for Apple system linker ld

Project links

Commands and aliases

bold

history

Project history and usage

bold is a Zig-written drop-in replacement for Apple's system linker `ld`, focused on Mach-O linking on Apple platforms.

Project history

The official README says bold used to be emerald, but the broader emerald driver effort was split off because of maintainer time constraints. The README positions bold as a direct competitor to LLVM lld and Apple's linker, with benchmark comparisons against Apple's rewritten linker, classic Apple ld, and lld.

Adoption history

bold is a young specialist developer tool. The input package facts show Homebrew and Nix packaging, which is the expected adoption path for an experimental linker aimed at macOS and Zig-adjacent systems developers.

How it is used

Typical usage is building with nightly Zig, then passing bold to C or C++ compilers with `-fuse-ld=bold` for clang or `-B/path/to/bold` for gcc-style toolchains.

Why package nerds care

bold is interesting to package nerds because linkers are rarely casual dependencies; packaging it means exposing an alternate toolchain component that must match platform object formats, compiler driver behavior, and system linker expectations.

Timeline

2026: The Codeberg repository metadata records the public bold repository creation.
2026: The README describes bold as the focused successor to the earlier emerald effort.

Related projects

Related projects include Apple ld, Apple's classic ld mode, LLVM lld, Zig, and the earlier emerald project.

Sources

https://codeberg.org/api/v1/repos/kubkon/bold
https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold
input.source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:repl

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 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
`bold`	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 generated2026-07-07

manager version0.2.0

manager updated2026-06-14

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://codeberg.org/kubkon/boldnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bold
Version	0.2.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bold
Homepage	https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold
Repository	https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold
Upstream docs	https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold
License	MIT
Source archive	https://codeberg.org/kubkon/bold/archive/v0.2.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-14T14:14:32-04:00
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	zig@0.14
Bottle	available (on arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	bold
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Requirements	macos
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.

Nix95%

bold

nix profile install nixpkgs#bold

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bold

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bo/bold/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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/bold.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 bold with Homebrew, Nix