# Install cscope with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper Tool for browsing source code. Version 15.9 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:cscope ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install cscope ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install cscope ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/cscope/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add cscope ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cscope from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install cscope ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: cscope from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install cscope ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: cscope from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#cscope ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/cs/cscope/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S cscope ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: cscope from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install cscope ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: cscope from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/cscope ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/cscope.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:cscope - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 15.9 - **Source summary:** Tool for browsing source code - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - cscope (cli) - ocs (cli) - cscope (alias) - ocs (alias) ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 15.9 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage cscope is a classic Unix source-code browser and cross-reference tool for C-family code. Its history is unusually important for package nerds because it moved from Bell Labs internal tooling into official AT&T Unix and then into open-source Unix distributions. ### Project history The official cscope history page attributes the original work to Joe Steffen at Bell Labs in the early 1980s. It describes the first version as growing from shell scripts using grep and sed into a C program that parsed source into a tagged, updateable database for repeated searches. ### Adoption history The cscope homepage says it was part of the official AT&T Unix distribution for many years. The history page says it spread through AT&T and Bell Labs by the exptools network, was used at AT&T locations around the world, and supported projects with millions of lines of C and C++. ### How it is used The man page describes cscope as an interactive, screen-oriented tool that builds a cscope.out cross-reference database and searches definitions, callers, callees, strings, regular expressions, files, and includes. It can also use cscope.files as the default namefile and offers a line-oriented mode for scripts and editor frontends. ### Why package nerds care cscope is a small but culturally durable Unix developer tool: curses UI, on-disk indexes, editor integration, and broad packaging across Homebrew, Linux distributions, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, and others. It is the kind of tool whose package value is stable because it serves old and large codebases without needing a language server. ### Timeline - Early 1980s: Joe Steffen started cscope at Bell Labs. - AT&T Unix era: cscope became part of the official AT&T Unix distribution. - 2000: SCO open sourced the Cscope code under the BSD license. - 2012: The official homepage announced cscope 15.8a. - 2026: Homebrew formula metadata lists stable version 15.9. ### Related projects - The homepage documents integration with Vim and nvi, and the man page documents command-line and line-oriented modes that allow wrappers and frontends. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ./cscope.files ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** cscope - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - cscope - 15.9-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: cscope from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | interactively examine a C program source | https://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - Nix - cscope: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/cs/cscope/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - cscope - 15.9-2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: cscope from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | interactively examine a C program source | https://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - apk - cscope - 15.9-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cscope from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Cscope is a developer's tool for browsing source code. | https://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - apk - cscope-doc - 15.9-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cscope-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Cscope is a developer's tool for browsing source code. (documentation) | https://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - dnf - cscope - 15.9-31.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: cscope from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | C source code tree search and browse tool | http://cscope.sourceforge.net - pacman - cscope - 15.9-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: cscope from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A developers tool for browsing program code | http://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - zypper - cscope - 15.9-2.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: cscope from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Interactive Tool for Browsing C Source Code | http://cscope.sourceforge.net/ - MacPorts - cscope: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/cscope/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/cscope: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/cscope.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [macvim](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/macvim/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [global](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/global/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-navigation, developer-tools. - [gotags](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gotags/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-navigation, developer-tools. - [rtags](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rtags/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-navigation, developer-tools. - [aarch64-elf-gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aarch64-elf-gcc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, developer-tools. - [abi-dumper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abi-dumper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, developer-tools. - [ack](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ack/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-search, developer-tools. - [aklomp-base64](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aklomp-base64/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, developer-tools. - [ast-grep](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ast-grep/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-search, developer-tools. - [findent](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/findent/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, code, developer, developer-tools, source. - [quex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/quex/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: c, cli, code, developer, developer-tools. - [sloccount](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sloccount/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, code, developer, developer-tools, source. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cscope.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cscope.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph