Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install genact with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget

Nonsense activity generator. Version 1.5.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-15.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install genact

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install genact

MacPorts ports tree · games/genact/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/genact

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/genact.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id svenstaro.genact -e

Windows Package Manager source index · svenstaro.genact · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Nonsense activity generator

Commands and aliases

  • genact

history

Project history and usage

genact is a playful terminal program that prints convincing fake activity, such as compilations, downloads, memory dumps, package builds, and other busy-looking modules. Its package history is mostly about a joke utility becoming a polished cross-platform Rust CLI with releases, shell completions, a WebAssembly version, and broad package-manager availability.

Project history

The repository began in 2011 as a small activity simulator and later accumulated modules that imitate common developer and system-administration tasks. Public tags began in 2018, and the project eventually reached 1.x releases with a Rust implementation, prebuilt binaries, Docker images, Cargo installation, and a browser version.

The README states the premise directly: open a few instances and pretend something useful is happening. That framing made genact part of a small genre of terminal toys that are technically packaged like serious CLIs but culturally used for demos, screenshots, streams, and humor.

Adoption history

genact's adoption is visible through its many packaging paths: prebuilt Linux, macOS, and Windows binaries; FreeBSD packages; Homebrew; MacPorts; Scoop; Cargo; Docker; and a WebAssembly web build. That breadth is unusual for a joke utility and explains why it appears in package-manager indexes beyond the Rust ecosystem.

How it is used

Practitioners run `genact` to generate plausible terminal output during presentations, demos, videos, idle screens, or harmless pranks. The CLI can list modules, select specific modules, change speed, exit after time or module counts, and emit shell completions and a manpage.

Its module list imitates familiar tooling such as Ansible, Cargo, Docker builds, kernel compiles, Terraform, web logs, package downloads, cryptomining, and boot logs, making it visually legible to developers even though no real work is performed.

Why package nerds care

genact is interesting to package nerds because it is a toy with real distribution hygiene: Rust crate, static release binaries, Docker image, Homebrew formula, WebAssembly target, shell completions, and a manpage. It is the sort of tiny package that proves whether a package manager's long tail is healthy.

Timeline

  • 2011: Initial repository commits for activity simulation.
  • 2018: Early tagged releases begin with the 0.2 and 0.3 series.
  • 2022: The project reaches the 1.0 release series.
  • 2020s: Browser/WebAssembly usage and package-manager coverage broaden the ways to run it.

Related projects

  • genact is related to Rust CLI tooling, terminal demo utilities, asciinema-style presentation workflows, and WebAssembly ports of command-line programs.

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 6 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 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.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
genactcliglobal 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 version1.5.1
manager updated2026-06-15
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.5.1

https://github.com/svenstaro/genact

  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:genact
Version1.5.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/genact
Homepagehttps://svenstaro.github.io/genact/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/svenstaro/genact
Upstream docshttps://github.com/svenstaro/genact#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/svenstaro/genact/archive/refs/tags/v1.5.1.tar.gz
Last updated2026-06-15T10:20:17-04:00
Pulseupdated
Build dependenciesrust
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namegenact
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.

Nix95%

genact

nix profile install nixpkgs#genact
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ge/genact/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
apk95%

genact 1.5.1-r0

A nonsense activity generator

https://github.com/svenstaro/genact

sudo apk add genact
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: genact
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: genact from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
pacman95%

genact 1.5.1-2

A nonsense activity generator

https://github.com/svenstaro/genact

sudo pacman -S genact
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: genact from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

genact

sudo port install genact
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: games/genact/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Scoop95%

main/genact

scoop install main/genact
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/genact.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
winget95%

svenstaro.genact

winget install --id svenstaro.genact -e
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Genact
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: svenstaro.genact from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • rustBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • moorShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust, terminal.
  • starshipShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, rust, terminal.
  • ahaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
  • amttermShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
  • ansifilterShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
  • ccatShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.

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 package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment