macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install desklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install desk with Homebrew
Lightweight workspace manager for the shell. Version 0.6.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Lightweight workspace manager for the shell
Project links
Commands and aliases
- desk
history
Project history and usage
desk is a lightweight workspace manager for shells. It associates a named project context with a shell script, then starts a shell where that context has been loaded.
Project history
desk's first GitHub release was v0.1.0 in October 2015. The README frames it as deliberately simple: a shell script that sources another shell script in a new shell, but with enough structure to document aliases, functions, environment variables, and project directories.
Adoption history
The project documented Homebrew installation, direct curl installation, git installation, shell completions for bash, zsh, and fish, and zsh plugin-manager integration through tools such as oh-my-zsh, Antigen, and zgen. That made it easy to adopt in dotfile-heavy developer environments.
How it is used
Users create deskfiles under ~/.desk/desks or add a Deskfile to a project directory, then run desk commands to activate, list, edit, or run commands inside those environments. Deskfiles are normal shell scripts with comments used as descriptions and inline command documentation.
Why package nerds care
desk is package-nerd interesting because it is intentionally small shell infrastructure: it competes more with dotfiles, aliases, and shell plugin managers than with large workspace systems, and packages as a single command with no dependency beyond bash.
Timeline
- 2015: v0.1.0 initial release.
- 2015: v0.4.0 added formatting and desk run work.
- 2016: v0.5.0 added Deskfile work and fish fixes.
- 2016: v0.6.0 changed shell startup to use exec.
Related projects
- The README names godesk as a related fuzzy-filtering launcher for desk.
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.
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
~/.desk~/.desk/desks/*.sh./Deskfile
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
desk | 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 generated2026-07-07
manager version0.6.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv0.6.0
https://github.com/jamesob/desk
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:desk |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.6.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/desk |
| Homepage | https://github.com/jamesob/desk |
| Repository | https://github.com/jamesob/desk |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/jamesob/desk#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/jamesob/desk/archive/refs/tags/v0.6.0.tar.gz |
| 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 | desk |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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 configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment