install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install talisman

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install talisman

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Thoughtworks.Talisman -e

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

overview

Package summary

Tool to detect and prevent secrets from getting checked in

Project links

Commands and aliases

talisman

history

Project history and usage

Talisman is a Thoughtworks-maintained secret-scanning CLI and Git-hook tool. It became package-manager relevant because it packages a common DevSecOps guardrail as a local binary that can run before code leaves a developer workstation.

Project history

The official repository was initialized on 2015-12-14 and the first observed release tag, v0.1.0, is dated 2016-04-19. Its README defines the project as a tool that scans Git changesets so likely secrets or sensitive information do not leave the developer's workstation.

Adoption history

Talisman is distributed as a standalone executable, as a repository Git hook, and as a global Git hook template. The official README documents Homebrew installation, release-page binaries, an install script, pre-commit integration, and Husky integration, which placed it in the same day-to-day tooling layer as linters and formatters.

How it is used

The standard usage is to install the `talisman` binary and invoke it from pre-commit or pre-push hooks. It checks outgoing changesets for patterns such as SSH keys, authorization tokens, and private keys; it can also run directly as a CLI utility for Git repository scanning.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about Talisman because it is a classic local-policy binary: small enough to install with Homebrew, easy to pin in hook frameworks, and useful before centralized secret-scanning infrastructure ever sees a commit. Its documented auto-update behavior from v0.4.4 also reflects the tension between reproducible pinned tooling and security tools that want to stay current.

Timeline

2015-12-14: First commits in the official Git repository.
2016-04-19: First observed release tag, v0.1.0.
2018-10-08: v0.3.1 appears in the tag history before the README-documented v0.4.4 auto-update behavior.
2025-05-02: v1.37.0 appears as the latest observed tag and Homebrew stable version.

Related projects

Talisman is commonly used with Git hooks, pre-commit, and Husky. In package-manager culture it sits beside tools such as git-secrets and detect-secrets, though this record relies only on the official Talisman sources for claims.

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 8 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.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: .talismanrc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`talisman`	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 version1.37.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.37.0

https://github.com/thoughtworks/talisman

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:talisman
Version	1.37.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/talisman
Homepage	https://thoughtworks.github.io/talisman/
Repository	https://github.com/thoughtworks/talisman
Upstream docs	https://thoughtworks.github.io/talisman/docs
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/thoughtworks/talisman/archive/refs/tags/v1.37.0.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, 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	talisman
Version Scheme	1
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.

MacPorts95%

talisman

sudo port install talisman

normalized package name match
Matched by: Talisman

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

winget95%

Thoughtworks.Talisman

winget install --id Thoughtworks.Talisman -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Talisman

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

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/talisman.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install talisman with Homebrew, MacPorts, winget