install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install mdzk

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#mdzk

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

overview

Package summary

Plain text Zettelkasten based on mdBook

Project links

Commands and aliases

mdzk

history

Project history and usage

mdzk is a Rust command-line tool for plain-text Zettelkasten notes. Its official README calls it a backend for connected notes that can process Markdown folders into a directed graph.

Project history

The original 0.4 and 0.5 releases were close to the mdBook/static-site-generator world: release notes describe mdBook-oriented configuration, rendering, preprocessors, CSS customization, and generated sites. The current README says the project is under heavy development and advises users who want a usable static-site generator to use the previous-generation 0.5.2 release.

The unreleased 1.0.0 changelog marks a major pivot: static site generation is removed, regular Markdown links replace wikilinks, and mdzk becomes a CLI or library for querying note vaults for forward and backward links.

Adoption history

The official documentation lists installation through Cargo, AUR, Homebrew, Nix, and GitHub release binaries. The 0.5.2 GitHub release repeats the package-manager install commands, making mdzk unusually package-manager-friendly for a personal knowledge-base tool.

How it is used

mdzk operates on a vault, where a filesystem directory contains Markdown notes and internal links create graph edges. Documentation says mdzk recursively finds Markdown files, loads them as graph nodes, and builds relationships from links.

Why package nerds care

mdzk is interesting to package nerds because it packages a Zettelkasten graph workflow as a single CLI, with explicit support across Cargo, Homebrew, Nix, AUR, and prebuilt release assets. Its history also shows the common Rust CLI pattern of shipping a static-site feature first, then narrowing into a composable backend.

Timeline

2021: Version 0.4.0 adds precompiled x86 Linux binaries and mdzk table configuration.
2022: Version 0.5.0 expands preprocessor controls and performance improvements.
2022: Version 0.5.2 becomes the documented previous-generation static-site release.
Unreleased: Version 1.0.0 removes built-in static site generation and focuses on querying note vault links.

Related projects

mdBook, Hugo, Zola, Rust, Cargo, Zettelkasten note systems.

Sources

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 13 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.

Unix: mdzk.toml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`mdzk`	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 version0.5.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected0.5.2

https://github.com/mdzk-rs/mdzk

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:mdzk
Version	0.5.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mdzk
Homepage	https://mdzk.app/
Repository	https://github.com/mdzk-rs/mdzk
Upstream docs	https://mdzk.app/docs
License	MPL-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/mdzk-rs/mdzk/archive/refs/tags/0.5.2.tar.gz
Build dependencies	rust
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	mdzk
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
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%

mdzk

nix profile install nixpkgs#mdzk

normalized package name match
Matched by: Mdzk

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/md/mdzk/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

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

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.

combined/mdzk.yml

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

Install mdzk with Homebrew, Nix