macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cypher-shelllocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install cypher-shell with Homebrew, apk
Command-line shell where you can execute Cypher against Neo4j. Version 2026.05.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-28.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add cypher-shellAlpine Linux edge package indexes · cypher-shell · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
overview
Package summary
Command-line shell where you can execute Cypher against Neo4j
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cypher-shell
history
Project history and usage
Cypher Shell is Neo4j's command-line interface for running Cypher queries and administrative commands against a Neo4j database. It is the package-manager-friendly way to script graph database sessions without opening Neo4j Browser.
Project history
Neo4j kept Cypher Shell in a standalone neo4j/cypher-shell repository for the 1.1 era; that repository's README says newer versions moved into the main neo4j/neo4j repository under community/cypher-shell. The standalone repository is now archived, while the active source lives with Neo4j itself.
The old README documents a build system that produced runnable scripts, zip packages, Debian packages, and RPM packages, which shows Cypher Shell was treated early as a separately distributable command-line tool even though it was tightly coupled to Neo4j.
Adoption history
Official Neo4j operations documentation presents Cypher Shell as a supported administrative and query tool. It can be installed separately from Neo4j and connected to a live DBMS, which is why it appears naturally in package managers and automation environments.
How it is used
Users run cypher-shell interactively, pass a Cypher string, pipe files, or execute files containing Cypher statements. The current manual documents connection options for address, username, password, database, access mode, logging, output format, parameters, transactions, and scripting behavior.
Why package nerds care
Cypher Shell matters to package nerds because it decouples graph-database operations from the server install. A Homebrew or distro package can give developers a lightweight client for local scripts, CI jobs, and remote Neo4j administration.
Timeline
- 2016: neo4j/cypher-shell standalone repository created.
- 2018: Standalone repository tag history includes Neo4j 3.3 and 3.4 era tags.
- 2023: Archived standalone README points users to community/cypher-shell inside neo4j/neo4j.
- 2026: Current Neo4j Operations Manual documents Cypher Shell as part of Neo4j DBMS tooling.
Related projects
- Neo4j is the graph database Cypher Shell connects to.
- Cypher is the query language executed by Cypher Shell.
- Neo4j Browser is the graphical counterpart for interactive query work.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: yellow
generalized runtime or code generation signal.
Risk classifier
yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime
Why
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
Signals
- text:shell
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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cypher-shell | 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 version2026.05.0
manager updated2026-05-28
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://neo4j.comnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cypher-shell |
|---|---|
| Version | 2026.05.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cypher-shell |
| Homepage | https://neo4j.com |
| Repository | https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j |
| Upstream docs | https://neo4j.com/docs/operations-manual/current/cypher-shell |
| License | GPL-3.0-only |
| Source archive | https://dist.neo4j.org/cypher-shell/cypher-shell-2026.05.0.zip |
| Last updated | 2026-05-28T18:46:52Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | openjdk@21 |
| 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 | cypher-shell |
| Version Scheme | 1 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
apk95%
cypher-shell 4.4.41-r0
Cypher Shell - CLI for Neo4j
sudo apk add cypher-shell- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: neo4j
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cypher Shell
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.
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