# Install detach with Homebrew, Nix Execute given command in detached process. Version 0.2.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:detach ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install detach ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#detach ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/de/detach/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:detach - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.2.3 - **Source summary:** Execute given command in detached process - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - detach (cli) - detach (alias) ## 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: 0.2.3 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://inglorion.net/software/detach/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage detach is a small Unix-style command for starting another process outside the control of the current terminal. Its official page frames it as a portable utility that forks, detaches from the terminal, and then executes the requested command. ### Project history Robbert Haarman's official detach page is dated 2010-12-11 and still presents the project as a minimalist command-line tool. The page offers an initial 0.1.0 source release and a later 0.2.3 release that added pidfiles, explicit stdin/stdout/stderr files, and a foreground mode. ### Adoption history detach occupies the old-school Unix packaging niche: tiny source tarball, Makefile installation, and availability through package managers for users who want a command rather than a shell built-in. Its official documentation emphasizes portability across OpenBSD, NetBSD, GNU/Linux, and Mac OS X rather than a large plugin ecosystem. ### How it is used The common use case is launching a command so it survives terminal exit without depending on shell job control. The official examples compare it with setsid, disown, and nohup, and show why a standalone executable can be useful from scripts or other programs. ### Why package nerds care For package nerds, detach is interesting because it packages one precise process-control behavior as a tiny, portable C utility. It sits in the same mental drawer as nohup, setsid, daemon helpers, and shell job-control commands, but with a deliberately narrow interface. ### Timeline - 2010: Official detach page dated 2010-12-11 documents the tool and source releases. - 2010: Initial 0.1.0 release provided the minimal command-running behavior. - 2010: Release 0.2.3 added pidfiles, stream-file options, and foreground execution. ### Related projects - The official documentation directly compares detach with util-linux setsid, shell disown built-ins, and POSIX-style nohup. ### Sources - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** detach - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - detach: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/de/detach/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [immortal](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/immortal/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, daemon, process-management, system, unix. - [supervisor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/supervisor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, daemon, process-management, system, unix. - [daemon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/daemon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-management, system, unix. - [daemonize](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/daemonize/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-management, system, unix. - [lockrun](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lockrun/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-management, system, unix. - [reattach-to-user-namespace](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/reattach-to-user-namespace/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process, process-management, system. - [timelimit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/timelimit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-management, system, unix. - [cpulimit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cpulimit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-management, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/detach.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/detach.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - 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