macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install moreutilslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install moreutilsMacPorts ports tree · sysutils/moreutils/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install moreutils with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper, winget
Collection of tools that nobody wrote when UNIX was young. Version 0.70 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add moreutilsAlpine Linux edge package indexes · moreutils · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install moreutilsDebian stable package indexes · moreutils · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install moreutilsFedora Rawhide package metadata · moreutils · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#moreutilsnixpkgs package indexes · moreutils · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S moreutilsArch Linux sync databases · moreutils · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install chronicopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · chronic · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id xdpxi.sponge -eWindows Package Manager source index · xdpxi.sponge · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Collection of tools that nobody wrote when UNIX was young
Project links
Commands and aliases
- chronic
- combine
- errno
- ifdata
- ifne
- isutf8
- lckdo
- mispipe
- pee
- sponge
- ts
- vidir
- vipe
- zrun
history
Project history and usage
moreutils is Joey Hess's collection of small Unix tools that fill gaps left by the traditional toolbox. The project page says it began after Hess blogged about whether there was room for new general-purpose Unix tools, concluding that basic utilities could still "fall through the cracks". That origin explains the package's curatorial style: it collects commands that are small, composable, and broadly useful without trying to become a new shell or a large framework.
Project history
The package's best-known utility is sponge, which reads all standard input before writing to its output file so pipelines can safely transform a file in place. The collection also includes chronic, combine, errno, ifdata, ifne, isutf8, lckdo, mispipe, parallel, pee, ts, vidir, vipe, and zrun. Debian's package page describes moreutils as "additional Unix utilities" and lists the same commands, while the upstream page notes Debian, Ubuntu, and other distribution availability plus the git repository at joeyh.name.
How it is used
In practice, moreutils is package-manager glue for shell users. It is the kind of dependency installed because one tiny command solves an awkward pipeline problem: ts timestamps streams, vidir edits directory entries in an editor, vipe drops an editor into a pipeline, pee tees input to multiple commands, and mispipe preserves the exit status shell pipelines often obscure. Its niche overlaps with coreutils, util-linux, GNU parallel, and ad hoc shell functions, but its value is the curated set of boring commands that compose with the rest of Unix.
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 8 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
chronic | cli | global executable | |
combine | cli | global executable | |
errno | cli | global executable | |
ifdata | cli | global executable | |
ifne | cli | global executable | |
isutf8 | cli | global executable | |
lckdo | cli | global executable | |
mispipe | cli | global executable | |
pee | cli | global executable | |
sponge | cli | global executable | |
ts | cli | global executable | |
vidir | cli | global executable | |
vipe | cli | global executable | |
zrun | 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 version0.70
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:moreutils |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.70 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/moreutils |
| Homepage | https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/ |
| Repository | https://git.joeyh.name/index.cgi/moreutils.git |
| Upstream docs | https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later AND (GPL-2.0-only OR Artistic-2.0) |
| Source archive | https://git.joeyh.name/index.cgi/moreutils.git/snapshot/moreutils-0.70.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:05:32-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | docbook-xsl |
| Uses from macOS | perl |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, 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 | moreutils |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Conflicts With |
|
| 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.
Debian apt95%
moreutils 0.69-1
additional Unix utilities
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo apt install moreutils- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
Nix95%
moreutils
nix profile install nixpkgs#moreutils- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
Ubuntu apt95%
moreutils 0.69-1
additional Unix utilities
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo apt install moreutils- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
apk95%
moreutils 0.70-r1
A growing collection of the unix tools that nobody thought to write thirty years ago
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo apk add moreutils- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
apk95%
moreutils-doc 0.70-r1
A growing collection of the unix tools that nobody thought to write thirty years ago (documentation)
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo apk add moreutils-doc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
dnf95%
moreutils 0.68-6.fc44
Additional unix utilities
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo dnf install moreutils- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
dnf95%
moreutils-parallel 0.68-6.fc44
Additional unix utility - parallel command
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo dnf install moreutils-parallel- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
pacman95%
moreutils 0.70-1
A growing collection of the unix tools that nobody thought to write thirty years ago
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo pacman -S moreutils- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
zypper95%
chronic 0.70-1.5
Runs a command quietly unless it fails
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo zypper install chronic- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: moreutils
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
zypper95%
moreutils 0.70-1.5
Additional Unix Utilities
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo zypper install moreutils- License: GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND (GPL-2.0-or-later OR MIT) AND BSD-2-Clause AND SUSE-Public-Domain
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
zypper95%
moreutils-parallel 0.70-1.5
Run multiple jobs at once
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo zypper install moreutils-parallel- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: moreutils
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
zypper95%
moreutils-perl 0.70-1.5
Additional Unix Utilities — Perl scripts
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo zypper install moreutils-perl- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: moreutils
- 2 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
zypper95%
ts 0.70-1.5
Timestamp standard input
https://joeyh.name/code/moreutils/
sudo zypper install ts- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: moreutils
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
MacPorts95%
moreutils
sudo port install moreutils- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Moreutils
MacPorts94%
ts
sudo port install ts- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Ts
Nix92%
ts
nix profile install nixpkgs#ts- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Ts
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