Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install ii with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix

Minimalist IRC client. Version 2.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ii

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ii

MacPorts ports tree · irc/ii/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Minimalist IRC client

Commands and aliases

  • ii

history

Project history and usage

ii, short for irc it, is a minimalist IRC client from suckless.org that represents IRC servers, channels, and private messages as directories containing FIFO `in` files and log-like `out` files.

Project history

The suckless source log reaches back to early 2007, with release tags appearing that year. The project page and README define ii's core idea plainly: make IRC scriptable with standard command-line and filesystem tools instead of a large terminal client UI.

Over time ii kept the same small-file abstraction while accumulating pragmatic Unix fixes: portability changes, manual-page updates, OpenBSD pledge support, release bumps, and later direct TLS support through libretls.

Adoption history

ii's adoption has been strongest among Unix minimalists, suckless users, and people writing bots or personal IRC workflows. Its package-manager spread across Homebrew and Linux distributions reflects that it is small enough to package but distinctive enough to keep around.

How it is used

A user starts ii against a server, then writes IRC commands to `in` files and reads messages from `out` files. Joining a channel can be as simple as echoing `/j directory.

Why package nerds care

ii is a canonical tiny Unix package: the interface is the filesystem, composition happens with shell tools, and the implementation goal is small enough to audit. It is useful package-manager lore because it shows how far plain files and FIFOs can replace application UI.

Timeline

  • 2007: Early public source history and 1.2/1.3 release tags.
  • 2008: Version 1.4 prepared with cleanup and documentation fixes.
  • 2011: Version 1.6 kept the implementation under a small line-count target after restructuring.
  • 2016: OpenBSD pledge support added.
  • 2022: Version 2.0 release bump.
  • 2025: Direct TLS support added.

Related projects

  • ii is part of the suckless tools family and is described by suckless as the big brother of sic. It is also conceptually related to filesystem- and FIFO-oriented chat clients and shell-driven IRC bot workflows.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:client

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.

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
iicliglobal 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 version2.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://tools.suckless.org/ii/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://tools.suckless.org/ii/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:ii
Version2.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ii
Homepagehttps://tools.suckless.org/ii/
Repositoryhttps://git.suckless.org/ii
Upstream docshttps://tools.suckless.org/ii
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://dl.suckless.org/tools/ii-2.0.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (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-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameii
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

ii 2.0-1

minimalist FIFO and filesystem-based IRC client

https://tools.suckless.org/ii/

sudo apt install ii
  • Section: net
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: ii from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

ii

nix profile install nixpkgs#ii
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ii/ii/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

ii 1.8-3+ds

minimalist FIFO and filesystem-based IRC client

https://tools.suckless.org/ii/

sudo apt install ii
  • Section: universe/net
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: ii from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

ii 2.0-r2

Minimalist FIFO and filesystem-based IRC client

https://tools.suckless.org/ii

sudo apk add ii
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: ii
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ii from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

ii-doc 2.0-r2

Minimalist FIFO and filesystem-based IRC client (documentation)

https://tools.suckless.org/ii

sudo apk add ii-doc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: ii
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ii-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

ii 1.8-14.fc44

IRC IT, simple FIFO based IRC client

http://tools.suckless.org/ii

sudo dnf install ii
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: ii
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ii from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

ii

sudo port install ii
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Ii
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: irc/ii/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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.

Same workflow

  • catgirlShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.
  • icbircShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.
  • senpaiShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.
  • weechatShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.
  • zncShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.
  • irssiShares av.db curated category or tags: chat, cli, irc, networking.

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/ii.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