# Install otel-cli with Homebrew, Nix Tool for sending events from shell scripts & similar environments. Version 0.4.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:otel-cli ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install otel-cli ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#otel-cli ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ot/otel-cli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:otel-cli - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.4.5 - **Source summary:** Tool for sending events from shell scripts & similar environments - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - otel-cli (cli) - otel-cli (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## 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: 0.4.5 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/equinix-labs/otel-cli - Upstream latest detected: v0.4.5 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage otel-cli is an Equinix Labs command-line tool for emitting OpenTelemetry traces from shell scripts and other environments where launching a helper process is the simplest instrumentation option. ### Project history GitHub records `equinix-labs/otel-cli` as created on 2021-01-08. The README describes the tool as a Go program for sending OpenTelemetry traces, built for shell scripts and places where executing another program is the best available way to create spans. The project follows OpenTelemetry's configuration culture: CLI flags, JSON config, and environment variables map onto OTEL-style endpoint, protocol, timeout, header, service-name, and traceparent settings. The README also documents a deliberate non-recording default when no endpoint is configured, so adding the command to a script does not break normal execution before tracing is enabled. ### Adoption history otel-cli's adoption niche is observability for glue code. OpenTelemetry SDKs cover application languages, but shell scripts, CI jobs, and one-off operational commands often need a lower-friction path. The README recommends using a localhost OpenTelemetry Collector to buffer spans and avoid per-command connection overhead. Release assets broadened installation beyond Go source builds. The README documents tar.gz, Windows zip, Alpine apk, Red Hat rpm, Debian deb, Docker images, and a Homebrew tap, while the av.db input records a Homebrew formula and Nix package. ### How it is used Users wrap commands with `otel-cli exec` to run a process inside a span, call `otel-cli span` to emit spans with explicit start and end times, pass W3C `traceparent` context through environment variables or arguments, and run `otel-cli server tui` or `otel-cli server json` for local inspection and test capture. The tool is especially useful in CI/CD and operations scripts because it can bridge command execution into an OpenTelemetry backend without rewriting the script in a language SDK. It can send to an OpenTelemetry Collector or to vendors that accept OTLP. ### Why package nerds care otel-cli is package-nerd significant because it turns an observability protocol into a packageable executable. Its release matrix, environment-variable compatibility, and package-manager availability are part of the product: a tracing tool for scripts only works if it is easy to install wherever scripts run. ### Timeline - 2021-01-08: GitHub records creation of `equinix-labs/otel-cli`. - 2021-08-18: a GitHub issue from a Jenkins OpenTelemetry plugin maintainer requested binaries to ease adoption. - 2022-02-24: GitHub release v0.0.20 shipped packaged binaries and changelog entries including `--fail` and OTLP endpoint handling fixes. - 2024-04-01: GitHub release v0.4.5 was published with multi-platform package assets. ### Related projects - OpenTelemetry defines the observability APIs, SDKs, OTLP protocol, and semantic conventions that otel-cli emits into. - The OpenTelemetry Collector is the recommended local receiver/buffer in the README. - otel-desktop-viewer is documented as a local receiver/UI option for trying spans generated by otel-cli. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** otel-cli - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - otel-cli: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ot/otel-cli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [grafana-alloy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grafana-alloy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability, opentelemetry. - [lttng-ust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lttng-ust/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability, tracing. - [zipkin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zipkin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability, tracing. - [alp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability. - [grafana](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grafana/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability. - [grafanactl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grafanactl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability. - [humanlog](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/humanlog/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability. - [newrelic-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/newrelic-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, observability. - [stern](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/stern/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, observability. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/otel-cli.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/otel-cli.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