Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install cowsay with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper

Apjanke's fork of the classic cowsay project. Version 3.8.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cowsay

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install cowsay

MacPorts ports tree · textproc/cowsay/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add cowsay

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · cowsay · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install cowsay

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

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install cowsay

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · cowsay · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cowsay

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S cowsay

Arch Linux sync databases · cowsay · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install cowsay

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · cowsay · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/cowsay

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

overview

Package summary

Apjanke's fork of the classic cowsay project

Commands and aliases

  • cowsay
  • cowthink

history

Project history and usage

Cowsay is a Perl terminal novelty program that prints a message in a speech balloon next to an ASCII cow. Its official maintained fork describes it as a small, deliberately silly Unix-style program in the spirit of figlet.

Project history

The current cowsay-org project preserves Tony Monroe's original Cowsay. The project README says Monroe first released Cowsay in 1999, after using it privately for some time. Early versions evolved from one cow and a fixed message template into arbitrary messages, multiple cowfiles, figlet support, and a Perl 5 rewrite.

In 2016, Monroe published a final 3.04 version on GitHub and indicated that he was no longer interested in maintaining it. Andrew Janke later created the cowsay-org fork to provide maintenance, hosting, deployment support, random cow selection, and pluggable third-party cow collections.

Adoption history

Cowsay became a familiar package-manager fixture because it is tiny, scriptable, harmless, and visually distinctive. The Homebrew formula data in this batch lists it across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, and openSUSE-style packaging, reflecting its broad life as a demonstration, shell-customization, and terminal-joke package.

How it is used

Typical use is as a command-line filter or generator: users run cowsay or cowthink with a message, often in login banners, demos, shell pipelines, CI jokes, or examples that need recognizable terminal output without real domain complexity.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, Cowsay is a classic low-risk novelty package: it exercises Perl script installation, data-file handling for cowfiles, manpage-style documentation, and cross-platform packaging while remaining easy to test by invoking a single executable.

Timeline

  • 1999: Tony Monroe first released Cowsay publicly.
  • 2016: Monroe published a final 3.04 version on GitHub for others to use.
  • 2016 onward: Andrew Janke's cowsay-org fork provided ongoing maintenance and modern hosting.

Related projects

  • The README explicitly compares Cowsay's spirit to figlet, and points to third-party cowfile collections plus cowsay-org's cows-offensive collection for historical cowfiles kept outside the main distribution.

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.

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

CommandKindExposureNote
cowsaycliglobal executable
cowthinkcliglobal 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 version3.8.4
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv3.8.4

https://github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:cowsay
Version3.8.4
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cowsay
Homepagehttps://cowsay.diamonds
Repositoryhttps://github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay
Upstream docshttps://github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay#readme
LicenseGPL-3.0-only
Source archivehttps://github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay/archive/refs/tags/v3.8.4.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namecowsay
Aliases
  • cowthink
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

cowsay

nix profile install nixpkgs#cowsay
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/cowsay/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
apk95%

cowsay 3.04-r2

Configurable talking cow (and a few other creatures)

https://github.com/tnalpgge/rank-amateur-cowsay

sudo apk add cowsay
  • License: Artistic-1.0-Perl OR GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: cowsay
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cowsay from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

cowsay-doc 3.04-r2

Configurable talking cow (and a few other creatures) (documentation)

https://github.com/tnalpgge/rank-amateur-cowsay

sudo apk add cowsay-doc
  • License: Artistic-1.0-Perl OR GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: cowsay
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cowsay-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

cowsay 3.8.4-5.fc44

Configurable speaking/thinking cow

https://github.com/cowsay-org/cowsay

sudo dnf install cowsay
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: cowsay
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: cowsay from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

cowsay 3.8.4-1

Configurable talking cow (and a bit more)

https://cowsay.diamonds

sudo pacman -S cowsay
  • License: GPL-3.0-only
  • Architecture: any
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: cowsay from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

cowsay 3.8.4-1.3

Configurable talking cow (and some other creatures)

https://cowsay.diamonds/

sudo zypper install cowsay
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Amusements/Toys/Other
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: cowsay
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: cowsay from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

cowsay

sudo port install cowsay
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: textproc/cowsay/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Scoop95%

main/cowsay

scoop install main/cowsay
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cowsay
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/cowsay.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.

Related tools

  • cowsaySame normalized package name appears in another local ecosystem. Shared terms: ascii, cowsay, cowthink.

Same workflow

  • tractorgenShares av.db curated category or tags: ascii-art, cli, games, terminal.
  • asciiquariumShares av.db curated category or tags: ascii-art, cli, games, perl, terminal.
  • avanorShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, terminal.
  • brogueShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, terminal.
  • dmagneticShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, terminal.
  • fortuneShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, games, terminal.
  • cowsaySame normalized package name in another local ecosystem.

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.

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