install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install boot-clj

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install r-cran-boot

Debian stable package indexes · r-cran-boot · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#boot

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install extras/boot-clj

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/boot-clj.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Build tooling for Clojure

Project links

Commands and aliases

boot

history

Project history and usage

Boot is a Clojure build framework and command-line script runner built around the idea that builds are programs. Its historical niche was giving Clojure projects programmable build pipelines, immutable filesets, classloader isolation, and ad-hoc scripting before the newer Clojure CLI tooling became common.

Project history

Boot's own README describes it as both a Clojure build framework and an ad-hoc Clojure script evaluator. Instead of treating a build as a static project map, Boot evaluates Clojure scripts in a runtime environment that can add dependencies, compose tasks, and pass managed filesets between task middleware.

The public release line visible in the official GitHub releases starts with 2.0.0 prereleases in late 2014, moves through 2.0 release candidates in early 2015, and continues through the 2.7 and 2.8 series. The 2.8.3 release in April 2019 is the last stable release shown in the sampled GitHub release metadata.

Adoption history

Boot was adopted inside the Clojure community as an alternative to Leiningen-style project configuration, especially for workflows needing composable pipelines, ClojureScript builds, REPL-driven automation, and single-file scripts. The official README lists package-manager installation paths through Homebrew, Nix, AUR, Docker, Chocolatey, and Scoop, showing that it crossed from library ecosystem tooling into OS package collections.

How it is used

Users run `boot` with tasks such as `repl`, `pom`, `jar`, and `install`, or write a `build.boot` script that composes tasks in Clojure. The wrapper script or executable is a thin launcher that downloads and runs Boot's JARs from Maven, so `boot -u` historically handled updating the runtime bits.

Why package nerds care

Boot is interesting to package nerds because it is both a package and a package bootstrapper: the installed command is a shim, while the real tool comes from Maven coordinates. It also illustrates a Clojure-era preference for programmable build logic, fileset immutability, and REPL-friendly build automation rather than declarative-only project files.

Timeline

2014: Boot 2.0.0 prereleases appear on GitHub.
2015: Boot 2.0.0 release-candidate series continues.
2016: Boot 2.6.0 and 2.7.x releases published.
2018: Boot 2.8.0 and 2.8.x releases published.
2019: Boot 2.8.3 published on GitHub.

Related projects

Related projects include Clojure itself, Maven repositories used for dependency resolution, Leiningen credentials compatibility noted in the curation data, boot-bin wrapper releases, and ClojureScript build workflows documented by the Boot project.

Sources

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:build tool

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.

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: $BOOT_HOME/boot.properties./boot.properties$BOOT_HOME/profile.boot./profile.boot./build.boot./.bootignore

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: $BOOT_HOME/credentials.gpg~/.lein/credentials.clj.gpg

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`boot`	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 version2.8.3

manager updated2026-06-22

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/boot-clj/boot

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/boot-clj/bootnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:boot-clj
Version	2.8.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/boot-clj
Homepage	https://boot-clj.github.io/
Repository	https://github.com/boot-clj/boot
Upstream docs	https://github.com/boot-clj/boot#readme
License	EPL-1.0
Source archive	https://github.com/boot-clj/boot/releases/download/2.8.3/boot.jar
Last updated	2026-06-22T14:02:54-07:00
Pulse	updated
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	boot-clj
Version Scheme	0
Revision	2
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.

Scoop95%

extras/boot-clj

scoop install extras/boot-clj

normalized package name match
Matched by: Boot Clj

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/boot-clj.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Debian apt92%

r-cran-boot 1.3-31-1

GNU R package for bootstrapping functions from Davison and Hinkley

https://cran.r-project.org/package=boot

sudo apt install r-cran-boot

Section: gnu-r
Architecture: all
Source Package: boot
1 dependencies
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Boot

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

Nix92%

boot

nix profile install nixpkgs#boot

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Boot

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

Ubuntu apt92%

r-cran-boot 1.3-30-1

GNU R package for bootstrapping functions from Davison and Hinkley

https://cran.r-project.org/package=boot

sudo apt install r-cran-boot

Section: universe/math
Architecture: all
Source Package: boot
1 dependencies
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Boot

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: r-cran-boot 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/boot-clj.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 boot-clj with Homebrew, scoop, apt, Nix