macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install kwctllocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install kwctl with Homebrew, zypper
CLI tool for the Kubewarden policy engine for Kubernetes. Version 1.36.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-04.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install kwctlopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · kwctl · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
CLI tool for the Kubewarden policy engine for Kubernetes
Project links
Commands and aliases
- kwctl
history
Project history and usage
kwctl is the command-line tool in the Kubewarden admission-controller ecosystem. It gives policy authors and Kubernetes administrators a local way to inspect, annotate, run, benchmark, pull, push, save, and verify WebAssembly admission policies.
Project history
Kubewarden grew around the idea of using WebAssembly modules as Kubernetes admission policies. In June 2021 the project announced kwctl as a new tool for both policy authors and cluster administrators, and the December 2021 first-year recap described it as an expansion of the Kubewarden toolkit after KubeCon Europe.
The CLI became the developer-facing and operator-facing workbench for Kubewarden policies: it handles OCI registry distribution, metadata annotation, policy inspection, local execution, and scaffolding around the admission-controller components that run inside a cluster.
Adoption history
kwctl's adoption follows Kubewarden's adoption path rather than a separate ecosystem. It appears in Kubewarden tutorials and how-to material as the default CLI for testing policies before applying them to Kubernetes clusters and for preparing policy artifacts for registries.
How it is used
The common package-manager use case is installing kwctl beside kubectl, Helm, and policy build tools so a policy can be pulled or run locally before a cluster admission rule is created. It is also used to annotate WebAssembly modules with Kubewarden metadata and push policies as OCI artifacts.
Why package nerds care
For package collectors, kwctl is a small but telling example of the Kubernetes toolchain adopting OCI artifacts and WebAssembly outside normal container images. It is the Kubewarden equivalent of a specialized kubectl for policy packages.
Timeline
- 2021-06-09: Kubewarden announced kwctl as a command-line utility for policy authors and Kubernetes administrators.
- 2021-12-15: Kubewarden's first-year recap described kwctl as a toolkit addition released shortly after KubeCon Europe.
- 2026-06-22: The 2021 kwctl announcement page carried an update date while retaining the original June 2021 publication date.
Related projects
- kwctl is part of Kubewarden Admission Controller alongside kubewarden-controller, policy-server, audit-scanner, Kubewarden policies, OCI registries, WebAssembly, Sigstore, and Kubernetes admission webhooks.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:kubernetes
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
kwctl | 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 version1.36.0
manager updated2026-07-04
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.36.0
https://github.com/kubewarden/adm-controller
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:kwctl |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.36.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kwctl |
| Homepage | https://www.kubewarden.io/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/kubewarden/adm-controller |
| Upstream docs | https://docs.kubewarden.io/reference/kwctl-cli |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Source archive | https://github.com/kubewarden/adm-controller/archive/refs/tags/v1.36.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-04T16:53:43+09:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf, rust |
| 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 | kwctl |
| 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.
zypper95%
kwctl 1.31.0-1.4
The go-to CLI tool for Kubewarden users
sudo zypper install kwctl- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: kwctl
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kwctl
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 package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment