install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install tailwindcss

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#tailwindcss

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/tailwindcss

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

overview

Package summary

Utility-first CSS framework

Project links

Commands and aliases

tailwindcss

history

Project history and usage

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework and command-line build tool for generating CSS from utility classes found in project source files. Tailwind Labs describes it as fast, flexible, reliable, and zero-runtime, with official docs centered on Vite, PostCSS, the Tailwind CLI, framework guides, and Play CDN usage.

Project history

Tailwind CSS grew out of the utility-first CSS movement and reached a stable 1.0 milestone before the 2.0 release. The official Tailwind CSS v2.0 announcement says v1.0 had been released almost exactly 18 months earlier and describes v2.0 as the framework's first major update, adding a new color palette, dark mode support, wider breakpoints, form styles, and other utility expansions.

Tailwind CSS v2.1 brought the Just-in-Time engine into core as an opt-in feature after the separate JIT preview, changing Tailwind from a mostly ahead-of-time utility generator into a faster on-demand compiler. Tailwind CSS v2.2 followed with a rewritten high-performance CLI, making the command-line package itself a first-class workflow.

Tailwind CSS v4.0 was announced as a ground-up rewrite optimized for performance and modern CSS. The v4 docs and blog emphasize CSS-first configuration with `@theme`, automatic content detection, built-in import handling, and first-party integration through `@tailwindcss/cli` and `@tailwindcss/vite`.

Adoption history

Tailwind's adoption is visible in its packaging surface: npm is primary, but Homebrew, Nix, and Scoop package the CLI for users who want a system-level executable. The official README points users to tailwindcss.com for documentation and to GitHub Discussions for community support, while the docs provide framework-specific installation paths.

The framework also developed an ecosystem around editor support, Headless UI, Heroicons, Tailwind Plus, and Tailwind Play. For package-manager users, that ecosystem matters because Tailwind is often installed both as a project dependency and as an editor or CLI tool.

How it is used

Official CLI documentation installs `tailwindcss` and `@tailwindcss/cli`, imports `@import "tailwindcss";` in a CSS file, and runs `npx @tailwindcss/cli -i ./src/input.css -o ./src/output.css --watch`. Tailwind then scans templates for class names and generates the corresponding static CSS.

Current v4 customization is primarily CSS-driven through theme variables and directives. Legacy JavaScript configuration can still be loaded with `@config`, but the docs mark that path as compatibility for Tailwind CSS v3.x projects and note unsupported v4 options.

Why package nerds care

Tailwind CSS is package-nerd significant because it sits at the intersection of frontend build tooling, package-manager workflows, and editor tooling. It is commonly pulled through npm in projects but also packaged as a standalone CLI for Homebrew and other managers, making it a frequent test case for how JavaScript build tools are wrapped for system package ecosystems.

Its evolution from configuration-heavy JavaScript files toward CSS-first configuration and standalone CLI packages also tracks a broader packaging concern: reducing required toolchain assumptions while keeping fast incremental builds and framework integration.

Timeline

2019: Tailwind CSS v1.0 stability milestone, referenced by the v2.0 announcement as almost exactly 18 months before v2.0.
2020: Tailwind CSS v2.0 released as the first major update.
2021: Tailwind CSS v2.1 merged the JIT engine into core.
2021: Tailwind CSS v2.2 introduced a rewritten high-performance CLI.
2025: Tailwind CSS v4.0 released as a ground-up rewrite with CSS-first configuration and modern web-platform features.

Related projects

Related first-party projects include Tailwind CSS IntelliSense, Headless UI, Heroicons, Tailwind Play, and Tailwind Plus. The language server and IntelliSense extension are especially relevant to CLI/package culture because they package Tailwind's class knowledge for editors.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for tailwindcss. 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.
Installs with 1 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	Note
`tailwindcss`	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 version4.3.2

manager updated2026-07-01

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://tailwindcss.com

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://tailwindcss.comnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:tailwindcss
Version	4.3.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/tailwindcss
Homepage	https://tailwindcss.com
Repository	https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss
Upstream docs	https://tailwindcss.com/docs
License	MIT
Source archive	https://registry.npmjs.org/@tailwindcss/cli/-/cli-4.3.2.tgz
Last updated	2026-07-01T04:28:24Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	node
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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	tailwindcss
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
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%

tailwindcss

nix profile install nixpkgs#tailwindcss

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tailwindcss

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ta/tailwindcss/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/tailwindcss

scoop install main/tailwindcss

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tailwindcss

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/tailwindcss.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/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/tailwindcss.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 tailwindcss with Homebrew, Nix, scoop