install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install helmsman

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsman

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install helmsman

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

overview

Package summary

Helm Charts as Code tool

Project links

Commands and aliases

helmsman

history

Project history and usage

Helmsman is a 'Helm Charts as Code' CLI for managing Helm releases from a declarative desired state file. It plans, validates, and applies a set of chart releases, using Helm and Kubernetes tooling underneath.

Project history

The `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository was created in 2017 and early releases followed quickly, with a 0.1.0 release in November 2017 and a 1.0.0 release in March 2018. The README describes the tool as a way to automate deployment and management of Helm charts from version-controlled code.

Helmsman uses a desired state file, originally centered on TOML and also accepting YAML, to define repositories, namespaces, releases, protection settings, and execution order. Its README emphasizes plan/view/apply behavior, idempotency, namespace and release protection, priority ordering, and parallel execution.

The README records a stewardship change from Praqma, later Eficode, to the maintainers of the `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository. Later documentation distinguishes Helmsman major lines by Helm compatibility, with v1.x for Helm 2 and v4.x for Helm 3 and Helm 4.

Adoption history

Helmsman gained attention in the same era as Helmfile: Kubernetes users had many Helm charts to deploy, but wanted a declarative file and a plan step instead of shell scripts full of `helm install` commands. Its packaging through Homebrew and other distributions reflects use as a local or CI command-line deployment tool.

How it is used

Users run `helmsman -f example.toml` to plan, `helmsman --apply -f example.toml` to execute, and flags such as `--dry-run`, `--debug`, and `--target` to inspect or limit changes. A binary install expects `kubectl`, `helm`, and for many versions the `helm-diff` plugin.

The tool can run as a binary, as a container in CI, or as a container inside a Kubernetes cluster. Its value is strongest where release ordering, namespace protection, and repeated idempotent application matter.

Why package nerds care

Helmsman is part of the Helm wrapper generation that treated Kubernetes releases as package sets. For package-minded operators, its desired-state file is the manifest of packages, while Helm remains the lower-level package manager.

The explicit major-line mapping to Helm 2, Helm 3, and Helm 4 makes it a good example of a wrapper whose own packaging has to track another package manager's compatibility surface.

Timeline

2017: The `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository was created and 0.1.0 was released.
2018: Helmsman v1.0.0 was published.
2025: Helmsman v4.0.0 was published with documentation for Helm 3 and Helm 4 support.

Related projects

Helm is the chart manager Helmsman orchestrates.
kubectl is a runtime prerequisite for binary use.
helm-diff is listed by the README as a required plugin for Helmsman versions from 1.6.0 onward.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for helmsman. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
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
`helmsman`	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 version4.0.5

manager updated2026-05-18

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv4.0.5

https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:helmsman
Version	4.0.5
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/helmsman
Homepage	https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman
Repository	https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman
Upstream docs	https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman/archive/refs/tags/v4.0.5.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-18T22:37:09Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	helm, kubernetes-cli
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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	helmsman
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%

helmsman

nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsman

normalized package name match
Matched by: Helmsman

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helmsman/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

zypper95%

helmsman 3.17.1-1.5

Helm Charts as Code

https://github.com/Praqma/helmsman

sudo zypper install helmsman

License: MIT
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: helmsman
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Helmsman

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helmsman from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

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/helmsman.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 helmsman with Homebrew, Nix, zypper