install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install oak

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#oak

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

overview

Package summary

Expressive, simple, dynamic programming language

Project links

Commands and aliases

oak

history

Project history and usage

Oak is Linus Lee's small dynamically typed programming language, distributed as a single oak command that includes an interpreter, formatter, bundler, JavaScript compiler path, test runner, documentation tooling, and standard library.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created on 2021-07-09. The Oak website says Lee had been building Oak since early July 2021 and frames it as a sequel to Ink: not an Ink 2.0 upgrade, but a different language meant to keep Ink's small-language feel while fixing shortcomings that appeared after using Ink for personal productivity tools, compilers, ray tracers, and other projects.

Adoption history

Oak is intentionally niche. Its website says it was designed for Lee's hobby projects and had become his main language for simple scripts, side projects, and personal knowledge tools since late 2021. Homebrew reported stable version 0.3 with 68 installs over the 365-day analytics window queried on 2026-07-01.

How it is used

Users run oak as a REPL, pass .oak files to execute scripts, use oak fmt for formatting, and use oak build to bundle programs or cross-compile Oak bundles to JavaScript for browser, Node.js, or Deno environments. The examples emphasize functional-style code, pattern-matching if expressions, callback-oriented asynchronous I/O, and a built-in HTTP server/router in the standard library.

Why package nerds care

Oak matters less as a mainstream language and more as a well-packaged personal language runtime: Go implementation, single executable, Homebrew availability, self-hosted standard-library examples, and a public website documenting the design tradeoffs of a solo language project.

Timeline

2021-07-09: GitHub repository created.
Late 2021: Oak website says it became the author's main language for simple scripts, side projects, and personal knowledge tools.
2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported stable version 0.3.

Related projects

Ink
September
oaklang GitHub topic

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 13 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
`oak`	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 version0.3

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.3

https://github.com/thesephist/oak

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:oak
Version	0.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/oak
Homepage	https://oaklang.org/
Repository	https://github.com/thesephist/oak
Upstream docs	https://oaklang.org/
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/thesephist/oak/archive/refs/tags/v0.3.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, 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	oak
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Conflicts With	oakc
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
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.

Nix95%

oak

nix profile install nixpkgs#oak

normalized package name match
Matched by: Oak

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/oa/oak/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/oak.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 oak with Homebrew, Nix