install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install gotags

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#gotags

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

overview

Package summary

Tag generator for Go, compatible with ctags

Project links

Commands and aliases

gotags

history

Project history and usage

gotags is a small Go command-line tool that emits ctags-compatible tag files for Go source code. Its role is intentionally narrow: make Go symbols available to editors and tag browsers that already understand the ctags format.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in March 2012, early in Go's public tooling era, and the v1.0.0 tag points at a March 2012 commit that updated the README and screenshot. The README describes gotags as a ctags-compatible tag generator for Go and documents editor-oriented flags such as recursive traversal, standard-output writing, and sorted tag output.

Adoption history

Adoption appears to have been concentrated in editor workflows rather than broad application stacks. The README includes Vim Tagbar configuration and an Emacs integration through gotags-el, and Homebrew packages the tool as a standalone formula.

How it is used

Users run gotags over Go source files or directories and consume the generated tag file from editors. The tool is most useful in environments where ctags-style navigation remains part of the developer setup.

Why package nerds care

For package collectors, gotags is representative of the pre-language-server layer of Go editor tooling: tiny, single-purpose, and built to bridge Go code into older Unix editor conventions.

Timeline

2012: Repository created and v1.0.0 tagged.
2017: v1.4.1 tag recorded with a version-string update.
2021: Repository activity includes commits through April 2021.

Related projects

ctags provides the tag-file convention that gotags targets.
Vim Tagbar and gotags-el are editor-side consumers of gotags output.

Sources

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 13 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

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`gotags`	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 version1.4.1

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.4.1

https://github.com/jstemmer/gotags

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:gotags
Version	1.4.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gotags
Homepage	https://github.com/jstemmer/gotags
Repository	https://github.com/jstemmer/gotags
Upstream docs	https://github.com/jstemmer/gotags#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/jstemmer/gotags/archive/refs/tags/v1.4.1.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	gotags
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.

Nix95%

gotags

nix profile install nixpkgs#gotags

normalized package name match
Matched by: Gotags

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/go/gotags/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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.

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.

combined/gotags.yml

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

Install gotags with Homebrew, Nix