# Install msc-generator with Homebrew, apt Draws signalling charts from textual description. Version 8.6.4 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:msc-generator ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install msc-generator ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install msc-generator ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: msc-generator from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:msc-generator - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 8.6.4 - **Source summary:** Draws signalling charts from textual description - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** AGPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:05:33-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - msc-gen (cli) - msc-gen (alias) ## Dependencies - cairo - fontconfig - gcc - glpk - graphviz - libpng - sdl2-compat - tinyxml2 ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake - bison - gnu-sed - help2man - make - pkgconf ## 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: 8.6.4 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Msc-generator grew out of the same text-to-diagram tradition as mscgen. Its own manual describes the signalling-chart engine as a heavily extended and completely rewritten version of Michael C. McTernan's mscgen 0.08, with the focus shifted from interprocess communication toward networking. It kept command-line compatibility with mscgen so tools wired to mscgen, including Doxygen workflows, could use Msc-generator as a drop-in renderer, and version 4.5 added a dedicated mscgen compatibility mode. ### How it is used The project expanded beyond classic Message Sequence Charts. The README records a Windows GUI with OLE embedding in version 2.2, a new drawing engine in version 3.0, Graphviz DOT graph support in version 5.0, a block-diagram language in version 6.0, a Linux and macOS GUI launched with `msc-gen --gui` in version 7.0, and a new Office-document embedding method in version 8.0. In practice, users write chart descriptions as text and render signalling charts, Graphviz-style graphs, or block diagrams through `msc-gen` or the GUI, with output suitable for documentation and Office documents. Its package niche is the richer successor to mscgen: heavier than the small original tool, but broader in chart types, GUI support, and document embedding. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** msc-generator - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - msc-generator - 8.6.2-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: msc-generator from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Draws signalling charts from textual description | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - Debian apt - msc-generator-doc - 8.6.2-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: msc-generator-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Documentation for msc-generator | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - Debian apt - msc-generator-nox - 8.6.2-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: msc-generator-nox from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Draws signalling charts from textual description (no-X version) | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - Ubuntu apt - msc-generator - 8.5-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: msc-generator from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Draws signalling charts from textual description | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - Ubuntu apt - msc-generator-doc - 8.5-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: msc-generator-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Documentation for msc-generator | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator - Ubuntu apt - msc-generator-nox - 8.5-1ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: msc-generator-nox from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Draws signalling charts from textual description (no-X version) | https://gitlab.com/msc-generator/msc-generator ## Related links - [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. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [cairo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cairo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fontconfig](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fontconfig/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gcc/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glpk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glpk/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [graphviz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/graphviz/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [sdl2-compat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sdl2-compat/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bison](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bison/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gnu-sed](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-sed/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [clang-uml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clang-uml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming. - [diagram](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diagram/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming. - [dpic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dpic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming. - [graphviz2drawio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/graphviz2drawio/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming, graphviz. - [likec4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/likec4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming. - [mscgen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mscgen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming, message-sequence-chart. - [plantuml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/plantuml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming, text-to-diagram. - [sdedit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sdedit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diagramming. - [patchpal](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/patchpal/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cairo, cli, developer, developer-tools. - [html2text](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/html2text/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, text. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/msc-generator.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/msc-generator.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 - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph