# Install lesspipe with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman Input filter for the pager less. Version 2.27 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-17. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#lesspipe. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:lesspipe ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install lesspipe ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install lesspipe ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/lesspipe/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#lesspipe ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/le/lesspipe/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S lesspipe ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: lesspipe from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:lesspipe - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.27 - **Source summary:** Input filter for the pager less - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND MIT AND (Artistic-1.0-Perl OR GPL-1.0-or-later) - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-17T09:20:36+09:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-25T07:20:51+00:00 ## Executables - archive_color (cli) - lesspipe.sh (cli) - archive_color (alias) - lesspipe.sh (alias) ## Dependencies - bash ## Uses from macOS - perl ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Caveats: add the following to your shell profile e.g. ~/.profile or ~/.zshrc: export LESSOPEN="|$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/bin/lesspipe.sh %s" - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-25 - Package-manager version: 2.27 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-17 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/wofr06/lesspipe - Upstream latest detected: v2.27 (current) ## Project history and usage lesspipe is a long-running input filter for the `less` pager. It sits in a classic Unix niche: let the pager stay simple, but teach it to render compressed files, archives, documents, media metadata, and nested archive structures through an external preprocessor. ### Project history The project is maintained by Wolfgang Friebel and distributed from the lesspipe web site and the `wofr06/lesspipe` GitHub repository. The maintainer's project page lists early coverage in Linux Magazin 01/2001, CERN Computing Newsletter 01/2002, and Linux User 04/2002, showing that the script was already established in Unix/Linux user circles by the early 2000s. The changelog shows continuous modernization rather than a frozen shell-script utility: later releases added support for newer archive and document formats, optional syntax colorizers, tab-completion improvements, security fixes, and a 2025 note for a '25 years recursive lesspipe' article. ### Adoption history lesspipe's adoption follows the shape of pager culture: users opt into it through `LESSOPEN`, distributions package it as a small helper, and package managers expose it as a lightweight add-on for people who live in terminals. Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and Arch package metadata in this batch all list a `lesspipe` package. ### How it is used The common usage is not to run lesspipe as a destination program, but to configure `less` so the filter is called automatically. Once installed, it makes `less archive.tar.gz`, `less file.pdf`, or nested archive inspection behave like ordinary paging instead of a manual extract-convert-open workflow. ### Why package nerds care Package nerds care about lesspipe because it is a compact example of Unix composition aging well: one pager, one environment hook, and a shell-script filter that tracks the moving target of real-world file formats. It also explains why many Linux users expect `less` to be smarter than upstream `less` alone. ### Timeline - 2001: Linux Magazin 01/2001 coverage listed on the maintainer's lesspipe page. - 2002: CERN Computing Newsletter 01/2002 and Linux User 04/2002 coverage listed on the maintainer's lesspipe page. - 2015: The GitHub repository `wofr06/lesspipe` was created on July 20, 2015. - 2025: Version 2.18 noted a '25 years recursive lesspipe' article in the lesspipe.sh wiki. - 2026: Version 2.27 was recorded in the changelog on June 10, 2026. ### Related projects - lesspipe is tightly coupled to `less` and its `LESSOPEN` input-preprocessor mechanism. It also overlaps with tools it delegates to or competes with for specific formats, including archive utilities, document converters, `file`/magic databases, `bat`, Vim/Neovim-based colorizers, and media metadata tools. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** lesspipe - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - lesspipe: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/le/lesspipe/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman - lesspipe - 2.26-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: lesspipe from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | an input filter for the pager less | https://www-zeuthen.desy.de/~friebel/unix/lesspipe.html - MacPorts - lesspipe: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/lesspipe/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [bash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bash/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bashish](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bashish/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [cocot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cocot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [colortail](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/colortail/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [dtach](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dtach/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [less](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/less/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [luit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/luit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [macos-term-size](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/macos-term-size/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [mtm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mtm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal. - [ov](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ov/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, pager, system, terminal. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lesspipe.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/lesspipe.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph