Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install mcfly with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Fly through your shell history. Version 0.9.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mcfly

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install mcfly

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/mcfly/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add mcfly

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · mcfly · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mcfly

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/mc/mcfly/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S mcfly

Arch Linux sync databases · mcfly · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install mcfly

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · mcfly · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/mcfly

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/mcfly.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id AndrewCantino.McFly -e

Windows Package Manager source index · AndrewCantino.McFly · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Fly through your shell history

Commands and aliases

  • mcfly

history

Project history and usage

McFly is a shell-history replacement for reverse search, designed to make Ctrl-R results context-aware instead of purely chronological. The project describes itself as an upgraded Ctrl-R that considers the current directory, command exit status, timestamps, and prior shell history.

Project history

The official GitHub repository was created in July 2018, and the first listed GitHub release, v0.1.0, was published on 2018-10-12. It is written in Rust and integrates with Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell rather than replacing the shell itself.

McFly's README emphasizes reversibility: it augments shell history in a SQLite database while maintaining the normal shell history file, so users can stop using McFly without losing the conventional history path. That design choice helped it fit into conservative shell setups.

Adoption history

The supplied package-manager facts list McFly across Homebrew, MacPorts, Alpine, Arch, Nix, Scoop, WinGet, and openSUSE/Zypper, showing broad packaging across Unix-like and Windows-adjacent ecosystems.

The README documents Homebrew, MacPorts, WinGet, install-script, manual release, source, and Zinit installation paths. It also includes release-process notes for Homebrew, reflecting long-running package-manager maintenance rather than a one-off binary upload.

How it is used

Typical use is rebinding Ctrl-R in a shell startup file so McFly opens a full-screen history search UI. The tool stores enhanced history metadata in an OS-specific SQLite database and can dump history to stdout for scripting or inspection.

McFly's settings are mostly environment-variable based, with color settings stored in a config.toml under the McFly data directory. The README documents the macOS application-support path, Linux XDG data path, and a legacy ~/.mcfly fallback.

Why package nerds care

McFly is package-nerd interesting because it modernized an old shell muscle-memory path without requiring a new shell or large framework. It is a Rust CLI with many package-manager entries, a small executable surface, and visible cross-shell integration details.

Its use of SQLite for enriched history also makes it part of the broader trend of CLIs turning plain-text shell workflows into indexed local databases while preserving escape hatches back to ordinary files.

Timeline

  • 2018-07: GitHub repository created.
  • 2018-10: v0.1.0 published on GitHub releases.
  • 2023-2025: Continued 0.8 and 0.9 release series.
  • 2025-12: v0.9.4 published on GitHub releases.

Related projects

  • Related shell-history tools include fzf-based Ctrl-R bindings, atuin, hstr, and shell-native history search. McFly's official positioning is specifically an intelligent replacement for Ctrl-R rather than a full shell environment.

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

  • generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

  • text:shell

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 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.

local files

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

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Linux
$XDG_DATA_DIR/mcfly/config.toml~/.local/share/mcfly/config.toml~/.mcfly/config.toml
macOS
~/Library/Application Support/McFly/config.toml~/.mcfly/config.toml

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
mcflycliglobal 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 generated2026-07-07
manager version0.9.4
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv0.9.4

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:mcfly
Version0.9.4
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mcfly
Homepagehttps://github.com/cantino/mcfly
Repositoryhttps://github.com/cantino/mcfly
Upstream docshttps://github.com/cantino/mcfly#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/cantino/mcfly/archive/refs/tags/v0.9.4.tar.gz
Build dependenciesrust
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namemcfly
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

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%

mcfly

nix profile install nixpkgs#mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mc/mcfly/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
apk95%

mcfly 0.9.4-r0

Fly through your shell history

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo apk add mcfly
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcfly
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mcfly from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

mcfly-bash-completion 0.9.4-r0

Bash completions for mcfly

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo apk add mcfly-bash-completion
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mcfly-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

mcfly-fish-completion 0.9.4-r0

Fish completions for mcfly

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo apk add mcfly-fish-completion
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mcfly-fish-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

mcfly-zsh-completion 0.9.4-r0

Zsh completions for mcfly

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo apk add mcfly-zsh-completion
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mcfly-zsh-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
pacman95%

mcfly 0.9.4-2

Fly through your shell history

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo pacman -S mcfly
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 4 dependencies
  • 2 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: mcfly from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

mcfly 0.9.4-1.3

Shell history helper

https://github.com/cantino/mcfly

sudo zypper install mcfly
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Development/Tools/Other
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcfly
  • 3 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mcfly from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

mcfly

sudo port install mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/mcfly/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Scoop95%

main/mcfly

scoop install main/mcfly
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/mcfly.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
winget95%

AndrewCantino.McFly

winget install --id AndrewCantino.McFly -e
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcfly
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: AndrewCantino.McFly from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • rustBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • sheldonShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, shell, zsh.
  • fizshShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, history-search, shell, zsh.
  • powerline-goShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, shell, zsh.
  • shellcheckShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, shell.
  • shfmtShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, shell.
  • shmlShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, shell.

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.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment