brew / approval gates

Install git with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Distributed revision control system. Version 2.55.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-29.

Install command Security notes

agent safety

Agent safety answer

git can read repository history and mutate source-control state used by agents and humans.

Credential access

Reads credential helpers, remotes, config, signed keys, and repository-local secret history.

Remote mutation

Can push commits, tags, branches, and force updates to remote repositories.

Publish/artifact risk

Can publish source changes and release tags that downstream systems consume.

Recommended control

Gate pushes, tag creation, credential fill, and remote rewrites.

Agent-use guidance

Allow diff/status/log reads; require approval for pushes, credential-helper reads, and destructive history changes.

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install git

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install git

MacPorts ports tree · devel/git/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add git

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

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install git

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

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install git

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

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#git

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S git

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install git

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · git · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%

choco install git

Chocolatey community package catalog · git · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/git

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

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id DuckStudio.ChineseGit -e

Windows Package Manager source index · DuckStudio.ChineseGit · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Distributed revision control system

Project links

Commands and aliases

git
git-cvsserver
git-receive-pack
git-shell
git-upload-archive
git-upload-pack
scalar

history

Project history and usage

Git is the distributed version-control system created for Linux kernel development and later generalized into the default source-control substrate for much of software development. Its command-line interface, repository format, protocol family, and ecosystem of hosting services define how many projects exchange code.

Project history

Git began in 2005 after the Linux kernel community lost access to the proprietary BitKeeper workflow it had been using. Linus Torvalds wrote the original implementation to support Linux-scale development, emphasizing speed, integrity, distributed operation, and cheap branching.

The design departed from centralized version-control systems by making every clone a full repository with local history and branch operations. That choice made offline work, fork-based development, and patch exchange natural rather than exceptional.

After its Linux origin, Git evolved into a broadly portable tool with a large manual set, porcelain commands for everyday work, and plumbing commands for scripts and higher-level tools. The kernel.org repository remains the canonical upstream source location, while git-scm.com provides the public documentation hub.

Adoption history

Git's adoption accelerated with distributed open source development and the rise of Git hosting services such as GitHub, GitLab, and related forges. The official Git site characterizes the core project as a command-line tool surrounded by hosting services, graphical clients, editor integrations, and other command-line helpers.

By the early 2010s, Git had moved from a Linux-kernel tool into the common denominator for open source collaboration, commercial software teams, CI systems, package ecosystems, and code review platforms. Its repository model also became the foundation for workflows outside source code, including documentation and data-adjacent projects.

How it is used

Practitioners use Git to initialize or clone repositories, stage and commit changes, branch and merge work, inspect history, exchange commits through remotes, and recover earlier states. Its local-first model makes common commands fast because most history and metadata are on the developer's machine.

Teams layer policy on top of Git through protected branches, pull requests, signed commits, release tags, submodules, worktrees, hooks, and CI triggers. The same executable serves both interactive daily work and automation in release scripts, package recipes, deployment systems, and source archives.

Why package nerds care

Git is one of the central dependencies of package-manager culture. Formulae, ports, distro source packages, language registries, and build systems routinely fetch from Git repositories, pin commits or tags, generate source archives, and use Git metadata to derive versions.

Its significance also comes from its stability as an interchange format. Even tools that wrap Git, avoid the Git CLI, or store files elsewhere usually need to speak in Git concepts: commits, refs, remotes, branches, tags, diffs, and patches.

Timeline

2005: Git was created for Linux kernel development after the BitKeeper transition.
2005: Early Git releases established the distributed repository model.
2010s: Hosted Git forges and pull-request workflows made Git the dominant version-control system for many developer communities.
2020s: Git remained a base dependency for package managers, CI, source archives, and developer tools.

Related projects

Linux kernel development drove Git's original requirements.
GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Forgejo, and other forges build hosted collaboration around Git repositories.
Git LFS and Git Xet extend Git workflows for large-file storage.
Scalar, included with Git packages, targets very large repository workflows.

Sources

approval gates

Human review metadata for risky commands

The local approval-gate seed includes 6 rules for git. Covered entrypoints: git. Severity labels: critical, high, medium. Coverage: partial, reviewed 2026-05-21.

Example gated actions

Push commits, tags, or refs to a remote repository.
Force-push or delete remote refs.
Reset local worktree and index destructively.
Delete untracked files from the worktree.
Read, approve, reject, or fill credentials through Git credential helpers.
Change credential helper configuration.

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.

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.git-credentials

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`git`	cli	global executable
`git-cvsserver`	cli	global executable
`git-receive-pack`	cli	global executable
`git-shell`	cli	global executable
`git-upload-archive`	cli	global executable
`git-upload-pack`	cli	global executable
`scalar`	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 version2.55.0

manager updated2026-06-29

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://git-scm.com

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://git-scm.comnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:git
Version	2.55.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git
Homepage	https://git-scm.com
Repository	https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git
Upstream docs	https://git-scm.com/doc
License	GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND BSD-3-Clause AND MIT
Source archive	https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.55.0.tar.xz
Last updated	2026-06-29T20:54:53Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	gettext, pcre2
Build dependencies	gettext, pkgconf
Uses from macOS	curl, expat
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	The Tcl/Tk GUIs (e.g. gitk, git-gui) are now in the `git-gui` formula. Subversion interoperability (git-svn) is now in the `git-svn` formula.

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	git
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	head 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%

git 1:2.47.3-0+deb13u1

fast, scalable, distributed revision control system