install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install checkpwn

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#checkpwn

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

overview

Package summary

Check Have I Been Pwned and see if it's time for you to change passwords

Project links

Commands and aliases

checkpwn

history

Project history and usage

checkpwn is a Rust CLI for querying Have I Been Pwned account, paste, and password-breach data. It is small, but source-backed enough to document as a package-manager convenience wrapper around a security API.

Project history

The brycx/checkpwn repository was created in May 2018. The README describes checkpwn as a tool to check Have I Been Pwned and determine whether passwords need changing.

The Cargo metadata identifies it as a command-line utility with password, security, and HIBP keywords. The project continued to receive releases through 0.6.0 in March 2026, when it moved to Rust Edition 2024 and updated dependencies.

Adoption history

The README documents installation through Cargo and Homebrew, while the batch metadata also lists Nix. This is typical adoption for a focused Rust CLI: cargo install first, then package-manager formulas for repeatable workstation setup.

Adoption appears niche rather than ecosystem-defining, with modest GitHub star counts, but the tool solves a clear packageable task: local HIBP checks without writing API glue.

How it is used

Users register a Have I Been Pwned API key with checkpwn register, which writes checkpwn.yml in the user's configuration directory, then use checkpwn acc for accounts or lists and checkpwn pass for passwords.

For account checks, the README says checkpwn queries both the HIBP paste and account databases. Password checking is separated from account checking, matching the common operational distinction between exposed accounts and compromised password material.

Why package nerds care

checkpwn is package-nerd interesting as a compact Rust security CLI with Cargo, Homebrew, and Nix distribution. It shows the pattern of wrapping a popular web security service in a local command that stores minimal configuration and can be scripted.

Its config-path behavior also matters to packagers because API keys are user state, not package state.

Timeline

2018: brycx/checkpwn repository created.
2020: 0.5.1 release published.
2022: 0.5.4 release published.
2026: 0.6.0 released with Rust Edition 2024.

Related projects

Have I Been Pwned is the upstream breach-data service that checkpwn queries.
checkpwn_lib is the Rust library dependency used by the CLI according to Cargo metadata.

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 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.

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.

Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml~/.config/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml
Windows: %APPDATA%\checkpwn\checkpwn.yml

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml~/.config/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/checkpwn/checkpwn.yml
Windows: %APPDATA%\checkpwn\checkpwn.yml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`checkpwn`	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 version0.6.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/brycx/checkpwn

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/brycx/checkpwnnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:checkpwn
Version	0.6.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/checkpwn
Homepage	https://github.com/brycx/checkpwn
Repository	https://github.com/brycx/checkpwn
Upstream docs	https://github.com/brycx/checkpwn#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://static.crates.io/crates/checkpwn/checkpwn-0.6.0.crate
Build dependencies	rust
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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	checkpwn
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.

Nix95%

checkpwn

nix profile install nixpkgs#checkpwn

normalized package name match
Matched by: Checkpwn

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ch/checkpwn/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/checkpwn.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 checkpwn with Homebrew, Nix