macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lylocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install ly with Homebrew, apk, dnf, Nix, pacman
Parse, manipulate or create documents in LilyPond format. Version 0.9.10 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add lyAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ly · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install lyFedora Rawhide package metadata · ly · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#lynixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ly/ly/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S lyArch Linux sync databases · ly · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Parse, manipulate or create documents in LilyPond format
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ly
- ly-server
history
Project history and usage
python-ly is a Python library and command-line tool for parsing, manipulating, formatting, and creating documents in LilyPond notation format. The packaged executable is named `ly`.
Project history
The project is written by the Frescobaldi developers, with Wilbert Berendsen named as the main author, and is used extensively by the Frescobaldi music-notation editor. Its Git history starts in December 2010 with tokenizer and highlighter work, while the public tag history includes v0.7 in January 2015 and later v0.9.x releases.
The documentation was built with Sphinx and published on Read the Docs. It describes both the `ly` command and the `ly` Python module, which includes lexers, document/token structures, pitch and indentation helpers, LilyPond data extraction, and related tooling for music-notation processing.
Adoption history
python-ly has adoption through its role in Frescobaldi and through packaging as the `ly` CLI in multiple package managers. The batch metadata lists Alpine, Homebrew, Fedora/DNF, Nix, and Arch packages, giving it a broader footprint than a one-project helper library would normally have.
How it is used
The README documents `ly` for reformatting or reindenting LilyPond files, transposing music, translating pitch names, converting LilyPond to syntax-colored HTML, and experimentally converting LilyPond to MusicXML. A representative use is `ly "indent; transpose c d" -o output.ly file.ly`.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, `ly` is a good example of a domain-specific CLI that ships from a Python library but matters in desktop publishing and music-engraving workflows. It connects command-line pipelines, Python APIs, Frescobaldi, and GNU LilyPond's plain-text score format.
Timeline
- 2010: Public Git history begins with tokenizer/highlighter work.
- 2015: Sphinx documentation is initialized and early v0.7-v0.9 tags are published.
- 2020: v0.9.6 and v0.9.7 are tagged after a long-running 0.9 series.
- 2026: v0.9.10 appears in the official tag history.
Related projects
- Frescobaldi uses python-ly extensively.
- GNU LilyPond is the plain-text music typesetter whose document format python-ly parses and manipulates.
Sources
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:server
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ly | cli | global executable | |
ly-server | 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 version0.9.10
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/frescobaldi/python-ly
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/frescobaldi/python-lynone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ly |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.9.10 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ly |
| Homepage | https://github.com/frescobaldi/python-ly |
| Repository | https://github.com/frescobaldi/python-ly |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/frescobaldi/python-ly#readme |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/94/a2/c21c90a3790612521feca435e1019eae6edc6a15084aab91b13b47a7486c/python_ly-0.9.10.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | python@3.14 |
| 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 | ly |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| 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.
Nix95%
ly
nix profile install nixpkgs#ly- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
apk95%
ly 1.4.1-r0
Lightweight TUI (ncurses-like) display manager
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo apk add ly- License: WTFPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ly
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
apk95%
ly-doc 1.4.1-r0
Lightweight TUI (ncurses-like) display manager (documentation)
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo apk add ly-doc- License: WTFPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ly
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
apk95%
ly-lang 1.4.1-r0
Languages for package ly
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo apk add ly-lang- License: WTFPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ly
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
apk95%
ly-openrc 1.4.1-r0
Lightweight TUI (ncurses-like) display manager (OpenRC init scripts)
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo apk add ly-openrc- License: WTFPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ly
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
dnf95%
ly 1.4.0-2.fc45
Lightweight TUI display manager
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo dnf install ly- License: WTFPL AND MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ly
- 5 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
pacman95%
ly 1.4.1-1
TUI display manager
https://codeberg.org/fairyglade/ly
sudo pacman -S ly- License: WTFPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 3 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ly
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