macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install docutilslocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install docutils with Homebrew, Nix, zypper
Text processing system for reStructuredText. Version 0.23 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-28.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#docutilsnixpkgs package indexes · docutils · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install python313-docutilsopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · python313-docutils · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Text processing system for reStructuredText
Project links
Commands and aliases
- docutils
- rst2html
- rst2html4
- rst2html5
- rst2latex
- rst2man
- rst2odt
- rst2pseudoxml
- rst2s5
- rst2xetex
- rst2xml
history
Project history and usage
Docutils is the long-running Python documentation-processing system behind reStructuredText. It provides a Python library, parsers, writers, transforms, and front-end commands such as `rst2html`, `rst2latex`, `rst2man`, and `rst2xml`.
Project history
The project's roots are in the Python documentation community. reStructuredText was designed by David Goodger as a revision and reinterpretation of StructuredText and Setext, with goals of readable plaintext markup, unambiguous parsing, and conversion into useful structured formats.
Docutils grew out of Python Doc-SIG discussions around docstring processing. Goodger's history notes StructuredText's 1996 origins, his late-1999 encounter with it, a November 2000 first draft of a revised specification, a June 2001 project web site and first release, and the 2002 merger of the reStructuredText and Docstring Processing System projects into Docutils.
Adoption history
Docutils became the reference implementation for reStructuredText and a foundation for Python documentation tooling. The FAQ describes support for standalone files, PEPs, Python docstrings, and client code such as Sphinx extensions, while Homebrew and PyPI packaging keep the command-line tools widely available.
How it is used
Users run front-end tools to convert reStructuredText to HTML, LaTeX, man pages, ODT, XML, pseudoxml, and other formats, or call the `docutils` Python package as a library. Configuration can come from system, local, or user-level docutils config files.
Why package nerds care
Docutils is package-nerd significant because it is infrastructure disguised as a text converter. It links Python docstring conventions, PEP publishing, Sphinx-era documentation, command-line document conversion, and a decades-long release history into one small but foundational package.
Timeline
- 1996: StructuredText first released in the Zope ecosystem.
- 1999: David Goodger discovered StructuredText while looking for Python module documentation tooling.
- 2000: First reStructuredText draft posted to Python Doc-SIG.
- 2001: Project web site and first release rolled out.
- 2002: reStructuredText and Docstring Processing System projects merged and renamed Docutils.
- 2026: Docutils 0.23 listed in release notes and packaged by Homebrew.
Related projects
- Docutils is related to StructuredText, Setext, Python PEP tooling, Sphinx, and the wider Python documentation ecosystem. Its FAQ explicitly points to Sphinx as client code using reStructuredText for Python auto-documentation.
Sources
- https://docutils.sourceforge.io/FAQ.html
- https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/ref/rst/introduction.html
- https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/ref/rst/history.html
- https://docutils.sourceforge.io/RELEASE-NOTES.html
- https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/code/HEAD/tree
- https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/docutils.json
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
/etc/docutils.conf./docutils.conf~/.docutils
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
docutils | cli | global executable | |
rst2html | cli | global executable | |
rst2html4 | cli | global executable | |
rst2html5 | cli | global executable | |
rst2latex | cli | global executable | |
rst2man | cli | global executable | |
rst2odt | cli | global executable | |
rst2pseudoxml | cli | global executable | |
rst2s5 | cli | global executable | |
rst2xetex | cli | global executable | |
rst2xml | 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 version0.23
manager updated2026-05-28
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://docutils.sourceforge.io
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://docutils.sourceforge.ionone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:docutils |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.23 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docutils |
| Homepage | https://docutils.sourceforge.io |
| Repository | https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/code/HEAD/tree |
| Upstream docs | https://docutils.sourceforge.io/FAQ.html |
| License | LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain AND BSD-2-Clause AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND Python-2.0 |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/39/a4/5180d9afc57e8fca05601dd652bdff19604c218814037fe90ffc7625a50a/docutils-0.23.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-28T18:47:22Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | python@3.14 |
| 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 | docutils |
| 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 database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
docutils
nix profile install nixpkgs#docutils- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Docutils
zypper95%
python313-docutils 0.22.4-1.2
Python Documentation Utilities
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/docutils/
sudo zypper install python313-docutils- License: BSD-2-Clause AND Python-2.0 AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND SUSE-Public-Domain
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: python-docutils
- 4 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Docutils
Nix92%
rst2html5
nix profile install nixpkgs#rst2html5- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Rst2html5
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
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment