install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install osx-cpu-temp

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#osx-cpu-temp

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/os/osx-cpu-temp/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Outputs current CPU temperature for OSX

Project links

Commands and aliases

osx-cpu-temp

history

Project history and usage

osx-cpu-temp is a small macOS command-line utility that reads Apple SMC sensor values and prints temperatures or fan speeds. Its appeal is the Unix shape: a single executable that reports hardware telemetry in a shell-friendly format.

Project history

GitHub records `lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp` as created on 2012-05-14. The README describes the tool as an OSX CPU temperature reporter, maintained by Sébastien Lavoie, with source lineage from Apple's System Management Control tooling and inspiration from smcFanControl and its `smc-command` code.

The project reached tagged releases 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 in the GitHub releases API. The 1.1.0-era README documents a broader set of outputs than the original package description suggests: CPU, GPU, ambient temperature, fan speeds, Celsius/Fahrenheit selection, and an option to suppress units.

Adoption history

The tool became a familiar small dependency for macOS users who wanted temperature readings without a full menu-bar monitor. The input metadata records Homebrew and Nix packages, and the GitHub README also documents installation through `clib`, giving it several lightweight distribution paths.

How it is used

Users compile it with `make`, install it into `/usr/local/bin`, or install through a package manager, then run `osx-cpu-temp` to print a value such as `61.8 °C`. Its output format makes it easy to embed in shell prompts, status bars, scripts, and quick diagnostics.

Because it reads SMC-style hardware sensors, the useful behavior depends on Apple hardware exposing the expected keys. That hardware specificity is part of the package's identity: it is not a general cross-platform temperature library.

Why package nerds care

osx-cpu-temp is the sort of tiny native utility package that survives because it does one platform-specific job better than a generic cross-platform abstraction. For package databases, it is a good example of a CLI whose package-manager value is mostly discoverability and easy installation.

Timeline

2012-05-14: GitHub records creation of `lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp`.
2016-12-21: GitHub release 1.0.0 was published.
2018-09-11: GitHub release 1.1.0 was published.

Related projects

smcFanControl and its `smc-command` are listed as inspirations in the README.
Other macOS SMC utilities such as iSMC and smctemp occupy the same hardware-monitoring niche, but osx-cpu-temp's package identity remains the minimal one-command temperature reader.

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 11 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

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`osx-cpu-temp`	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 version1.1.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected1.1.0

https://github.com/lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:osx-cpu-temp
Version	1.1.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/osx-cpu-temp
Homepage	https://github.com/lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp
Repository	https://github.com/lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp
Upstream docs	https://github.com/lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp#readme
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://github.com/lavoiesl/osx-cpu-temp/archive/refs/tags/1.1.0.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	osx-cpu-temp
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Requirements	macos
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	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%

osx-cpu-temp

nix profile install nixpkgs#osx-cpu-temp

normalized package name match
Matched by: Osx Cpu Temp

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/os/osx-cpu-temp/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/osx-cpu-temp.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 osx-cpu-temp with Homebrew, Nix