Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install detox with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Utility to replace problematic characters in filenames. Version 3.0.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install detox

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install detox

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/detox/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add detox

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · detox · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install detox

Debian stable package indexes · detox · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install detox

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · detox · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#detox

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S detox

Arch Linux sync databases · detox · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

overview

Package summary

Utility to replace problematic characters in filenames

Commands and aliases

  • detox
  • inline-detox

history

Project history and usage

detox is a Unix-style filename cleanup utility. Its README and man page describe replacing awkward or unsafe filename characters, transcoding legacy encodings such as ISO-8859-1 and CP-1252 to UTF-8, and previewing changes with dry-run mode.

Project history

Doug Harple's man page says detox began as a way to clean up files received from other operating systems, where spaces, parentheses, brackets, ampersands, and similar characters were easy to create but annoying in FreeBSD and Linux shells. The GitHub repository preserves older 1.x releases and modernized 2.x and 3.x lines.

Adoption history

detox became a package-manager utility for users with messy download, transfer, media, or archival directories. Its README explicitly notes that many distributions include detox, and its package-manager footprint spans Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix-style ecosystems in the supplied facts.

How it is used

The usual workflow is cautious batch renaming: run detox -n or --dry-run first, then apply a sequence to one file, a directory, or a recursive tree. The man page documents system and user detoxrc files for custom sequences and translation tables.

Why package nerds care

detox is package-nerd bait because it is a small C utility that encodes decades of shell pain around filenames. Its 2.0 and 3.0 changes are also a tidy example of Unix tools adapting from ASCII-centric transliteration toward UTF-8-preserving behavior.

Timeline

  • 2008: GitHub release v1.2.0 is labeled as a legacy release from 2008.
  • 2017: v1.3.0 migrated the build to the full autoconf suite.
  • 2021: 2.0.0-beta1 changed default transliteration behavior and added built-in config support.
  • 2024: 2.0.0 added XDG_CONFIG_HOME lookup and merged v1.4.5.
  • 2025: 3.0.0 removed most transliteration from the default Unicode tables.

Related projects

  • The project belongs near renameutils, convmv, iconv-driven scripts, shell-safe filename tools, and other Unix file hygiene utilities.

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:repl

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 3 build 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
~/.detoxrc/etc/detoxrc/usr/local/etc/detoxrc

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
detoxcliglobal executable
inline-detoxcliglobal 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 version3.0.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv3.0.1

https://github.com/dharple/detox

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:detox
Version3.0.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/detox
Homepagehttps://detox.sourceforge.net/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/dharple/detox
Upstream docshttps://detox.sourceforge.net/
LicenseBSD-3-Clause
Source archivehttps://github.com/dharple/detox/archive/refs/tags/v3.0.1.tar.gz
Build dependenciesautoconf, automake, pkgconf
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namedetox
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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.

Debian apt95%

detox 2.0.0-4

replace problematic characters in filenames

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo apt install detox
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: detox from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

detox

nix profile install nixpkgs#detox
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/de/detox/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

detox 1.4.5-5

replace problematic characters in filenames

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo apt install detox
  • Section: universe/utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: detox from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

detox 2.0.0-r0

Utility for cleaning up filenames

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo apk add detox
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: detox
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: detox from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

detox-doc 2.0.0-r0

Utility for cleaning up filenames (documentation)

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo apk add detox-doc
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: detox
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: detox-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

detox 3.0.1-4.fc45

Utility to replace problematic characters in file names

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo dnf install detox
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: detox
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: detox from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

detox 3.0.1-1

An utility designed to clean up filenames by replacing characters with standard equivalents

https://github.com/dharple/detox

sudo pacman -S detox
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: detox from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

detox

sudo port install detox
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Detox
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/detox/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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.

Related tools

  • autoconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • automakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pkgconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • fcpShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-management, system, unix.
  • lrShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-management, system, unix.
  • lxsplitShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-management, system, unix.
  • renShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-management, file-renaming, system.
  • renameutilsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-management, file-renaming, system.
  • rmlintShares av.db curated category or tags: cleanup, cli, file-management, system.
  • detoxSame normalized package name in another local ecosystem.

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.

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