install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cruft

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install cruft

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

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#cruft

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install extras/cruft

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

overview

Package summary

Utility that creates projects from templates and maintains the cruft afterwards

Project links

Commands and aliases

cruft

history

Project history and usage

cruft is a Python command-line tool for creating projects from Cookiecutter templates and keeping the generated boilerplate synchronized with later template changes. It addresses a common packaging problem: generated project skeletons drift after the first copy.

Project history

The project was created to balance the convenience of project generators with the maintenance burden they create. Its documentation explains that cruft uses Cookiecutter as the template expansion engine, then records template metadata in `.cruft.json` so a project can later be checked, diffed, linked, or updated.

The Git tag history starts at 2.0.0 in 2020 and reaches 2.16.0 in 2024. The repository and documentation remain centered on Python packaging workflows, with badges for PyPI, conda-forge, tests, and downloads.

Adoption history

cruft's adoption is strongest among teams that maintain many repositories from the same Cookiecutter template. Its documentation includes a GitHub Actions workflow that checks for template updates and opens pull requests, indicating the tool's role in repository-fleet maintenance rather than one-off project creation.

How it is used

Common commands include `cruft create` for generating a project, `cruft update` for pulling template changes, `cruft check` for CI drift detection, `cruft link` for attaching an existing Cookiecutter-generated project to its template, and `cruft diff` for inspecting changes.

cruft stores template URL, commit, answers, and skip settings in `.cruft.json`; it can also read skip configuration from `tool.cruft` in `pyproject.toml`.

Why package nerds care

cruft matters to package maintainers because it treats boilerplate as an updatable dependency. That makes template updates closer to dependency upgrades: visible in diffs, enforceable in CI, and distributable through Python package managers and Homebrew.

Timeline

2020: 2.0.0 public tag
2023: 2.15.0 release
2024: 2.16.0 release

Related projects

cruft is built around Cookiecutter compatibility and commonly appears with Python packaging, PyPI, conda-forge, Poetry, pipenv, and GitHub Actions workflows.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for cruft. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 3 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: .cruft.jsonpyproject.toml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`cruft`	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 version2.16.0

manager updated2026-05-20

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://cruft.github.io/cruft/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://cruft.github.io/cruft/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cruft
Version	2.16.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cruft
Homepage	https://cruft.github.io/cruft/
Repository	https://github.com/cruft/cruft
Upstream docs	https://cruft.github.io/cruft
License	MIT
Source archive	https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d1/7e/0e20012f2aa156e5d6a70483a8d90accb7ed4966dddb0c58987d9f6eba12/cruft-2.16.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-20T12:14:50Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	certifi, libyaml, python@3.14
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	cruft
Version Scheme	0
Revision	10
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.

Debian apt95%

cruft 0.9.71

transitional package

https://salsa.debian.org/pkg-security-team/cruft-ng

sudo apt install cruft

Section: admin
Architecture: all
Source Package: cruft-ng
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Cruft

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

Nix95%

cruft

nix profile install nixpkgs#cruft

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cruft

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

Ubuntu apt95%

cruft 0.9.61build1

transitional package

https://github.com/a-detiste/cruft-ng/

sudo apt install cruft

Section: universe/admin
Architecture: all
Source Package: cruft-ng
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Cruft

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

Scoop95%

extras/cruft

scoop install extras/cruft

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cruft

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/cruft.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/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/cruft.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 cruft with Homebrew, apt, Nix, scoop