install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cspell

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#cspell

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

overview

Package summary

Spell checker for code

Project links

Commands and aliases

cspell

history

Project history and usage

CSpell is a spell checker for code, distributed as a Node-based CLI and library. Its niche is checking identifiers, comments, documentation, and source trees with dictionaries tuned for programming languages.

Project history

The package README says cspell is a command-line tool and library for spell checking code, and that it was initially built as the spell-checking service for the Code Spell Checker extension for Visual Studio Code. The top-level README describes the current repository as the CSpell mono-repo.

Adoption history

CSpell moved from editor-extension infrastructure into a standalone CLI used in local projects and CI. The official docs document npm, Yarn, pnpm, Bun, npx, and GitHub Action use, while the repository lists packages for the CLI, library, bundled dictionaries, ESLint plugin, glob handling, trie tools, and related support libraries.

How it is used

Official docs show typical CLI usage such as cspell . or cspell lint patterns, plus configuration discovery from JSON, YAML, JavaScript, TypeScript, TOML, package.json, and .vscode files. The package README emphasizes code-aware parsing, CamelCase and snake_case handling, language-specific dictionaries, and custom word lists.

Why package nerds care

CSpell is interesting to packagers because it is both a user-facing CLI and a dependency graph of dictionary and parser packages. Homebrew packaging gives non-Node users a simple cspell executable, while npm remains the canonical upstream distribution channel.

Timeline

2017: npm package cspell 1.0.0 was published.
2023: GitHub releases show v7.3.1 in the available releases page.
2026: npm and Homebrew metadata list cspell 10.0.1 as current.

Related projects

The package README links CSpell to the Code Spell Checker extension for VS Code, and the repository lists cspell-dicts as the place for dictionary word changes.

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 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: ./cspell.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`cspell`	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 version10.0.1

manager updated2026-06-01

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://cspell.org

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://cspell.orgnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cspell
Version	10.0.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cspell
Homepage	https://cspell.org
Repository	https://github.com/streetsidesoftware/cspell
Upstream docs	https://cspell.org/docs
License	MIT
Source archive	https://registry.npmjs.org/cspell/-/cspell-10.0.1.tgz
Last updated	2026-06-01T13:13:33Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	node
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	cspell
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
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.

Nix95%

cspell

nix profile install nixpkgs#cspell

normalized package name match
Matched by: Cspell

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