# Install metashell with Homebrew Metaprogramming shell for C++ templates. Version 5.0.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:metashell ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install metashell ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:metashell - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 5.0.0 - **Source summary:** Metaprogramming shell for C++ templates - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - metashell (cli) - templight_metashell (cli) - metashell (alias) - templight_metashell (alias) ## Dependencies - zstd ## Build dependencies - cmake ## Uses from macOS - libedit - libxml2 ## 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: 5.0.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/metashell/metashell - Upstream latest detected: v5.0.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage Metashell is a C++ template metaprogramming REPL: its project README describes the goal as providing an interactive shell for template metaprogramming, and the project documentation frames it as the C++ template analogue of Python, Haskell, or Erlang interactive shells. Its core niche is making compile-time C++ template evaluation inspectable without forcing developers to encode every experiment as compiler diagnostics. ### Project history The tool is tied to the mid-2010s wave of C++ metaprogramming tooling around Clang and Templight. Public Templight material names Abel Sinkovics and Andras Kucsma in connection with Metashell, and a Meeting C++ 2014 talk presented an interactive metaprogramming shell based on Clang. Metashell's own documentation says it uses Clang to evaluate metaprograms, while later discussion of Metashell 2.0.0 highlighted a GDB-like template metaprogram debugger. ### How it is used In practice, Metashell is used by C++ library authors and template-heavy codebases to experiment with types, evaluate metaprograms, and debug template instantiation flows. Boost.Metaparse documentation explicitly assumes Metashell can be used while building compile-time parsers, which places it in the same ecosystem as Boost.MPL, Metaparse, Clang, and Templight rather than in general-purpose C++ build tooling. The Homebrew package exposes both metashell and templight_metashell, matching that role as a specialist command-line tool for template metaprogramming work. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** metashell - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [zstd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zstd/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cabin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cabin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [boost-bcp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/boost-bcp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [clang-include-graph](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clang-include-graph/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [clangql](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clangql/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [clazy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clazy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [conan](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/conan/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [doublecpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/doublecpp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools, programming-languages. - [etl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/etl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpp, developer-tools. - [cdecl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdecl/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, languages, programming. - [cryptol](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cryptol/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, languages, programming. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/metashell.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/metashell.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph