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brew

Install neatvi with Homebrew, apk

Clone of ex/vi for editing bidirectional utf-8 text. Version 19 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-18.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install neatvi

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Clone of ex/vi for editing bidirectional utf-8 text

Commands and aliases

  • neatvi

history

Project history and usage

neatvi is Ali Gholami Rudi's small ex/vi clone for editing UTF-8 text, with particular emphasis on bidirectional text. Its README says it supports syntax highlighting, multiple windows, right-to-left languages, and keymaps.

Project history

The upstream repo.or.cz summary describes neatvi as a small ex/vi editor and shows active maintenance through June 2026. The GitHub mirror/API reports the GitHub repository was created on May 28, 2015.

The project is deliberately small but not toy-like: its README documents EXINIT startup commands, `$HOME/.neatvi`, syntax color commands, keymaps, right-to-left text direction options, Arabic/Farsi shaping, buffer/window commands, tags support, and quick-access commands.

Adoption history

neatvi's adoption is niche and enthusiast-driven. It appears in Homebrew and Alpine, and the GitHub mirror showed 394 stars and 38 forks on July 1, 2026. Homebrew Formulae listed stable version 19 and 32 installs in its 365-day analytics window.

Its distinguishing adoption hook is not broad editor popularity but a rare combination: vi/ex familiarity, compact C code, UTF-8, and bidirectional/right-to-left editing support.

How it is used

Package nerds install neatvi when they want a minimal vi-like editor with Unicode and right-to-left behavior, or when they want a small C editor they can read and patch. Configuration is done through EXINIT, `$HOME/.neatvi`, and in some cases source-level changes to `conf.h` for syntax highlighting and text direction patterns.

The README also notes terminal-specific behavior for VTE-based terminals and exposes options for disabling shaping, character reordering, or highlighting when performance matters.

Why package nerds care

neatvi is useful enrichment material because it is not merely another vi clone. Its package identity is tied to bidirectional UTF-8 editing, small-source maintainability, and ex-scriptable configuration.

Timeline

  • {'date': '2015-05-28', 'event': 'aligrudi/neatvi repository creation date reported by the GitHub API.'}
  • {'date': '2026-05-17', 'event': 'repo.or.cz tag listing showed version 19 around this date.'}
  • {'date': '2026-06-28', 'event': 'repo.or.cz summary showed a last change on this date.'}
  • {'date': '2026-07-01', 'event': 'Homebrew Formulae listed stable 19 and 32 installs in the 365-day analytics window.'}

Related projects

  • vi
  • ex
  • nvi
  • OpenBSD vi

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for neatvi. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

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

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

CommandKindExposureNote
neatvicliglobal 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 version19
manager updated2026-05-18
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://repo.or.cz/neatvi

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:neatvi
Version19
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/neatvi
Homepagehttps://repo.or.cz/neatvi.git
Repositoryhttps://repo.or.cz/neatvi.git
Upstream docshttp://litcave.rudi.ir/
LicenseISC
Source archivehttps://repo.or.cz/neatvi.git
Last updated2026-05-18T16:07:28Z
Pulseupdated
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 Nameneatvi
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.

apk95%

neatvi 19-r0

Small vi/ex editor for editing UTF-8 text

https://github.com/aligrudi/neatvi

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

neatvi-doc 19-r0

Small vi/ex editor for editing UTF-8 text (documentation)

https://github.com/aligrudi/neatvi

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

neatvi-vi 19-r0

neatvi vi provider

https://github.com/aligrudi/neatvi

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

package graph

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

Same workflow

  • adShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors, vi.
  • aoeuiShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • geditShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • joveShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • leShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • mgShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.

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 package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment