# Install lv with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix Powerful multi-lingual file viewer/grep. Version 4.51-10.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-04-10. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:lv ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install lv ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install lv ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/lv/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install lv ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: lv from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install lv ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lv from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#lv ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/lv/lv/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:lv - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 4.51-10.1 - **Source summary:** Powerful multi-lingual file viewer/grep - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-04-10T09:50:56Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - lgrep (cli) - lv (cli) - lgrep (alias) - lv (alias) ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 4.51-10.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-04-10 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://salsa.debian.org/debian/lv - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage lv is a multilingual file viewer and grep-like tool originally by NARITA Tomio. It looks like a less-style pager but adds character-set conversion, multilingual regular expressions, Unicode handling, and the `lgrep` mode. ### Project history The upstream README in the Debian source records copyright years beginning in 1996 and points to NARITA Tomio's original web documentation. The bundled man page describes lv as a completely original implementation, not code derived from less, grep, or other programs. Release notes show active upstream work through the early 2000s, including Debian-related patches and portability fixes. Version 4.51 was released in January 2004, while later distribution maintenance continued through Debian packaging updates. ### Adoption history lv's adoption is mostly distribution-driven rather than community-site driven. It survives in Debian, Ubuntu, Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, Fedora-family packaging, and other Unix package collections because it solves a durable terminal problem: viewing and searching multilingual text on older and mixed-encoding systems. The Debian changelog shows ongoing packaging maintenance into 2026, including modern compiler compatibility work, even though the upstream feature history is much older. ### How it is used Users run `lv` as a terminal pager and `lgrep` as the grep mode. The man page documents options for input, keyboard, output, pathname, and fallback coding systems, with examples for ISO-8859, Shift-JIS, EUC, Big5, HZ, UTF-7, and UTF-8. The official man page documents a `.lv` configuration file in the user's home directory, an `_lv` file for MSDOS, and the `LV` environment variable. Command-line options are read last, so they override file and environment settings. ### Why package nerds care lv is the kind of old terminal utility package that remains valuable precisely because modern stacks still encounter old encodings. For package maintainers it is a small C program with a long tail: patches, portability fixes, and distro maintenance preserve behavior that newer pagers do not always cover. ### Timeline - 1996: Copyright start year recorded in the upstream README. - 2003: Debian-related patches incorporated in upstream 4.50 release notes. - 2004: lv 4.51 release notes published. - 2026: Debian changelog records a compiler-compatibility non-maintainer upload. ### Related projects - less is the familiar pager interface that lv intentionally resembles. - nkf and tcs are comparable coding-system translation tools mentioned by the lv man page. - grep is the model for the `lgrep` mode. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.lv ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** lv - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - lv - 4.51-10: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: lv from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Powerful Multilingual File Viewer - Nix - lv: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/lv/lv/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - lv - 4.51-9: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: lv from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Powerful Multilingual File Viewer - dnf - lv - 4.51-57.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: lv from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A Powerful Multilingual File Viewer | http://www.ff.iij4u.or.jp/~nrt/lv/ - MacPorts - lv: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/lv/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [lv2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lv2/) - Package name indicates the same formula family. - [align](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/align/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [bsdconv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bsdconv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [cconv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cconv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [cmigemo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmigemo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [decasify](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/decasify/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [desed](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/desed/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [dos2unix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dos2unix/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [enca](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/enca/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [fex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fex/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, powerful, processing. - [fmpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fmpp/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, file, processing. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lv.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/lv.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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