install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install nu

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install nu

MacPorts ports tree · devel/nu/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install nushell

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · nushell · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#nufmt

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/nu

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/nu.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Nushell.Nushell -e

Windows Package Manager source index · Nushell.Nushell · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Object-oriented, Lisp-like programming language

Project links

Commands and aliases

nubake
nudoc
nufmt
nuke
nush
nutemplate
nutest
nutmbundle

history

Project history and usage

brew:nu is Nu, the Objective-C/Lisp language from programming-nu, not Nushell. It is an interpreted Lisp designed around the Objective-C runtime and Foundation framework.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created on 2008-03-05. The README says Tim Burks created Nu because he wanted Lisp-like flexibility while still working closely with C libraries and high-performance C subsystems; Objective-C supplied the runtime structure that made that integration tractable.

Nu describes its design as 'C over lambda': Lisp syntax and scripting-language flexibility, but with tight Objective-C and Foundation integration instead of the heavier glue code common around Python, Ruby, or Lua C extensions.

Adoption history

Nu's strongest adoption window was the Mac OS X and Objective-C era before Swift became the default Apple-platform language. Its package history is therefore more niche and historical than active-mainstream: Homebrew, MacPorts, and source builds preserved it for people interested in Objective-C runtime scripting, old examples, and build tools such as `nush` and `nuke`.

The upstream README still documents Macintosh and Ubuntu builds, with older notes for Debian, OpenSolaris, and FreeBSD marked obsolete.

How it is used

Package users run `nush` for the shell/interpreter, `nuke` for Nu build tasks, and companion tools such as `nufmt`, `nudoc`, and `nutest`. The package is mostly of interest when exploring dynamic Objective-C programming, old Cocoa-era experiments, or Nu projects that predate Swift.

Why package nerds care

Nu is significant as an Apple-runtime language artifact: a compact example of the period when Objective-C's dynamic runtime invited alternate languages and DSLs before Swift consolidated most new Apple-platform language energy.

Timeline

2008-03-05: GitHub repository created.
Mac OS X 10.5 era: upstream README documented Mac support and possible Linux/iPhone builds.
2023-07-11: GitHub API reported the last push date for the repository snapshot queried.

Related projects

Objective-C
Foundation framework
nush
nuke

Sources

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:programming language

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 7 platform targets.
Installs with 2 runtime 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
`nubake`	cli	global executable
`nudoc`	cli	global executable
`nufmt`	cli	global executable
`nuke`	cli	global executable
`nush`	cli	global executable
`nutemplate`	cli	global executable
`nutest`	cli	global executable
`nutmbundle`	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 version2.3.0

manager updated2026-06-14

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv2.3.0

https://github.com/programming-nu/nu

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:nu
Version	2.3.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nu
Homepage	https://programming.nu/
Repository	https://github.com/programming-nu/nu
Upstream docs	https://programming-nu.github.io/about
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/programming-nu/nu/archive/refs/tags/v2.3.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-14T14:47:58+02:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	libffi, pcre
Uses from macOS	libffi
Bottle	available (on arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	Nu.framework was installed to: $HOMEBREW_CELLAR/nu/2.3.0_4/Frameworks/Nu.framework You may want to symlink this Framework to a standard macOS location, such as: ln -s "$HOMEBREW_CELLAR/nu/2.3.0_4/Frameworks/Nu.framework" /Library/Frameworks

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	nu
Version Scheme	0
Revision	4
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	yes
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.

dnf95%

nushell 0.99.1-4.fc45

A new type of shell

https://www.nushell.sh/

sudo dnf install nushell

License: MIT AND (Apache-2.0 OR MIT) AND BSD-3-Clause AND AND Unicode-3.0 AND Unicode-DFS-2016 AND (0BSD OR MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Apache-2.0 AND (Apache-2.0 OR
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: nushell
9 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Nu

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nushell from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

MacPorts95%

nu

sudo port install nu

normalized package name match
Matched by: Nu

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: devel/nu/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/nu

scoop install main/nu

normalized package name match
Matched by: Nu

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/nu.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

Nushell.Nushell

winget install --id Nushell.Nushell -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Nu

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: Nushell.Nushell from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

Nix92%

nufmt

nix profile install nixpkgs#nufmt

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Nufmt

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nu/nufmt/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/nu.yml

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

Install nu with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts, scoop, winget, Nix