macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lunchylocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install lunchy with Homebrew
Friendly wrapper for launchctl. Version 0.10.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Friendly wrapper for launchctl
Project links
Commands and aliases
- lunchy
history
Project history and usage
Lunchy is a Ruby command-line wrapper around macOS `launchctl`. It was created to make common launch agent operations feel like simple service commands rather than exact plist-path invocations.
Project history
The public repository was created in 2011. The README says Lunchy was written as part of project time at Carbon Five and lists Mike Perham, Eddie Zaneski, Mr Rogers, and other contributors in its About section.
The README also preserves a bit of package-culture trivia: the name was originally intended to be `launchy`, but the gem name was already taken, so the project became Lunchy.
Adoption history
Lunchy gained the most visible adoption among macOS developers who wanted short commands for launch agent plists. Its README documents installation through both RubyGems and Homebrew, and the supplied package metadata identifies the Homebrew formula.
Repository metadata shows a larger audience than the later Go port, with thousands of stars, which fits its role as the older and better-known Lunchy implementation.
How it is used
Lunchy accepts commands such as `ls`, `start`, `stop`, `restart`, `status`, `install`, `uninstall`, `show`, and `edit`, using a substring pattern matched against launch agent plist filenames.
The README contrasts `launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/io.redis.redis-server.plist` with `lunchy start redis`, which captures the package's appeal: hide verbose plist mechanics behind the service name a developer remembers.
Why package nerds care
Lunchy is package-nerd-significant because it sits directly at the intersection of Homebrew-installed daemons, user LaunchAgents, and local development services. It made package-installed plist files feel more like init-system services on macOS.
For historical package data, Lunchy is also the origin point for later ports such as lunchy-go, making it a small but recognizable node in the macOS service-management tooling family.
Timeline
- 2011: eddiezane/lunchy repository created.
- 2011: README says Lunchy was written as part of project time at Carbon Five.
- Later: Lunchy distributed through RubyGems and Homebrew per upstream README and supplied package metadata.
Related projects
- `launchctl` and launchd are the macOS facilities Lunchy wraps.
- RubyGems and Homebrew are the installation channels documented by upstream.
- lunchy-go is a later Go port of the Lunchy workflow.
Sources
- https://api.github.com/repos/eddiezane/lunchy
- https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy#readme
- source_facts.package-manager
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 1 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
lunchy | 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 version0.10.4
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchynone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:lunchy |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.10.4 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/lunchy |
| Homepage | https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy |
| Repository | https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/eddiezane/lunchy.git |
| Uses from macOS | ruby |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | lunchy |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Conflicts With |
|
| Requirements |
|
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment