macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install git-annexlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install git-annexMacPorts ports tree · devel/git-annex/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install git-annex with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, pacman, scoop, zypper
Manage files with git without checking in file contents. Version 10.20260624 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-28.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add git-annexAlpine Linux edge package indexes · git-annex · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install git-annexDebian stable package indexes · git-annex · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install git-annexFedora Rawhide package metadata · git-annex · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S git-annexArch Linux sync databases · git-annex · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install git-annexopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · git-annex · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Chocolateyverified · 92%
choco install git-annexChocolatey community package catalog · git-annex · source: community.chocolatey.org
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/git-annexScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/git-annex.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Manage files with git without checking in file contents
Project links
Commands and aliases
- git-annex
- git-annex-shell
- git-remote-annex
- git-remote-tor-annex
history
Project history and usage
git-annex is a distributed data-management tool that lets Git track file names, directory history, and metadata while keeping large file contents outside normal Git objects.
Project history
The project grew around Joey Hess's idea of combining Git's distributed history with a key-value store for file contents. Its manual describes the core model: annexed files become versioned links, while content is stored under .git/annex/objects and can be fetched, copied, moved, or dropped between repositories.
The project broadened beyond a command-line annexer into a larger system with assistant workflows, preferred content, encryption, content verification, and many special remotes. A Kickstarter-backed development year funded concentrated work on the git-annex assistant, after which Joey continued development notes on the project devblog.
The release stream and project wiki show a long-lived maintenance culture: features such as git-remote-annex, clusters, new hash backends, and special-remote improvements were documented through the same site used for manual pages, installation instructions, forums, and news.
Adoption history
git-annex became important in communities that need reproducible paths and Git metadata without putting large data into Git itself. The official install page lists packaging across Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, NixOS, Gentoo, Guix, Void, openSUSE, Homebrew, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, Windows, conda, and PyPI.
Its ecosystem significance comes from special remotes and related tools. The project documents built-in remotes for S3, rsync, WebDAV, git-lfs, borg, bittorrent, tor, web, and rclone, and its devblog describes scientific users and DataLad-related work around storing Git repositories on annex special remotes.
How it is used
Practitioners use git-annex to keep large assets, media, archives, datasets, backups, and offline drives under a versioned tree. A typical workflow initializes a Git repository, runs git annex init, adds large files with git annex add, commits the symlinks or pointer files to Git, and transfers content with get, drop, copy, move, sync, fsck, and special-remote commands.
The tool is also used as a policy engine for storage availability. Users can set numcopies and preferred content rules, encrypt remotes, verify checksums, keep drives offline, and later ask git-annex where content lives or move it to a desired repository.
Why package nerds care
git-annex matters to package people because it sits at the intersection of Git, Haskell packaging, external data stores, and reproducible archival workflows. It has many executables, many optional integrations, and many platform-specific packages, so distributions treat it as a substantial data-management package rather than a tiny Git extension.
Timeline
- 2012: Public testimonials and the assistant campaign documented wider interest in Git-backed large-file workflows.
- 2012: The assistant work was funded through a Kickstarter-backed development year.
- 2025: The devblog described Distribits, scientific users, DataLad-related work, and git-remote-annex.
- 2026: Version 10.20260624 documented new hash-backend build flags, git-remote behavior improvements, and a new put command.
Related projects
- Related systems include Git LFS, DataLad, rclone, borg, bup, rsync, S3-compatible storage, WebDAV storage, and provider-specific special remotes listed by the git-annex project.
Sources
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/design/assistant/blog/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/devblog/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/git-annex
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/install/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/news/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/special_remotes/
- https://git-annex.branchable.com/walkthrough/
security posture
Risk level: orange
formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
- 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
.git/config~/.config/git-annex/autostart
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
git-annex | cli | global executable | |
git-annex-shell | cli | global executable | |
git-remote-annex | cli | global executable | |
git-remote-tor-annex | 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 version10.20260624
manager updated2026-06-28
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://git-annex.branchable.com/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://git-annex.branchable.com/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:git-annex |
|---|---|
| Version | 10.20260624 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git-annex |
| Homepage | https://git-annex.branchable.com/ |
| Repository | https://source.git-annex.branchable.com/ |
| Upstream docs | https://git-annex.branchable.com/ |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND MIT |
| Source archive | https://hackage.haskell.org/package/git-annex-10.20260624/git-annex-10.20260624.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-28T22:11:54Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gmp, libmagic |
| Build dependencies | cabal-install, ghc, pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | libffi, sqlite |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | git-annex |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
git-annex 10.20250416-2
manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
http://git-annex.branchable.com/
sudo apt install git-annex- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 13 dependencies
- 15 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
Ubuntu apt95%
git-annex 10.20240129-1build1
manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
http://git-annex.branchable.com/
sudo apt install git-annex- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 12 dependencies
- 15 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
apk95%
git-annex 10.20260421-r0
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
http://git-annex.branchable.com
sudo apk add git-annex- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
apk95%
git-annex-bash-completion 10.20260421-r0
Bash completions for git-annex
http://git-annex.branchable.com
sudo apk add git-annex-bash-completion- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
apk95%
git-annex-doc 10.20260421-r0
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git (documentation)
http://git-annex.branchable.com
sudo apk add git-annex-doc- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
apk95%
git-annex-fish-completion 10.20260421-r0
Fish completions for git-annex
http://git-annex.branchable.com
sudo apk add git-annex-fish-completion- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
apk95%
git-annex-zsh-completion 10.20260421-r0
Zsh completions for git-annex
http://git-annex.branchable.com
sudo apk add git-annex-zsh-completion- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
dnf95%
git-annex 10.20260115-1.fc44
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
https://hackage.haskell.org/package/git-annex
sudo dnf install git-annex- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- 11 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
dnf95%
git-annex-docs 10.20260115-1.fc44
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
https://hackage.haskell.org/package/git-annex
sudo dnf install git-annex-docs- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: git-annex
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
pacman95%
git-annex 10.20251215-63
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
https://git-annex.branchable.com/
sudo pacman -S git-annex- License: AGPL-3.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 32 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
zypper95%
git-annex 10.20251215-1.4
Manage files with git, without checking their contents into git
https://hackage.haskell.org/package/git-annex
sudo zypper install git-annex- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND BSD-2-Clause AND MIT AND GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- 11 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
zypper95%
git-annex-bash-completion 10.20251215-1.4
Bash completion for git-annex
https://hackage.haskell.org/package/git-annex
sudo zypper install git-annex-bash-completion- License: AGPL-3.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND BSD-2-Clause AND MIT AND GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: git-annex
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
MacPorts95%
git-annex
sudo port install git-annex- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
Chocolatey95%
git-annex
choco install git-annex- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
Scoop95%
main/git-annex
scoop install main/git-annex- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Git Annex
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