install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install tcl-tk@8

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install tcl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · tcl · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Tool Command Language

Project links

Commands and aliases

tclsh8.6
wish8.6

history

Project history and usage

Tcl/Tk 8 is the legacy Tcl/Tk release line packaged for users and software that still need the 8.6 ABI, tools, and documentation rather than the newer Tcl/Tk 9 line.

Project history

The upstream history is the Tcl/Tk history: Tcl began as John Ousterhout's embeddable command language at Berkeley, with implementation starting in 1988, and Tk followed as a reusable GUI toolkit released publicly in 1991.

The official Tcl/Tk 8.6 page states that Tcl/Tk 8.6 was first released in 2012, that development ends in 2026, and that Tcl/Tk 9.0 became the successor release line in 2024.

Homebrew's tcl-tk@8 formula is therefore best understood as a compatibility package, not a separate upstream project.

Adoption history

Tcl/Tk's early adoption came through Unix distribution, USENIX visibility, FTP source availability, Expect among system administrators, and Tk as a lower-effort way to build Unix GUIs.

The 8.6 line stayed important because many deployed Tcl scripts, Tk applications, extensions, and embedded interpreters were written against Tcl 8 behavior and APIs before the compatibility changes introduced by Tcl/Tk 9.

How it is used

Package-manager users choose tcl-tk@8 when a dependency expects Tcl/Tk 8.6, when older Tk applications need the legacy runtime, or when versioned executables such as tclsh8.6 and wish8.6 are required.

The official 8.6 page highlights bundled packages, TclOO, coroutine support, IPv6 sockets, zlib, PNG support in Tk, and other features that made 8.6 a long-lived stable baseline.

Why package nerds care

This formula matters because versioned runtime packages are how package managers keep old build systems and GUI tools working while allowing the default formula to move to a new major release.

For dependency solvers and maintainers, Tcl/Tk 8 is the kind of legacy runtime where ABI expectations and executable names matter more than novelty.

Timeline

1988: Tcl implementation began at Berkeley.
1991: Tk first Internet release.
2012: Tcl/Tk 8.6 first released.
2024: Tcl/Tk 9.0 became the successor release line.
2026: Official 8.6 page lists Tcl/Tk 8.6.18 and says 8.6 development ends in 2026.

Related projects

The unversioned tcl-tk formula follows the current Tcl/Tk line.
Tcl/Tk 9.0 is the successor major line; Tcllib, Tklib, Expect, TclOO, Thread, and TDBC are related Tcl ecosystem projects.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for tcl-tk@8. 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
`tclsh8.6`	cli	global executable
`wish8.6`	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 generated2026-07-07

manager version8.6.18

manager updated2026-06-27

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://www.tcl-lang.org

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.tcl-lang.orgnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:tcl-tk@8
Version	8.6.18
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/tcl-tk@8
Homepage	https://www.tcl-lang.org
Repository	https://core.tcl-lang.org/tcl
Upstream docs	https://www.tcl-lang.org/doc
License	TCL
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/tcl/Tcl/8.6.18/tcl8.6.18-src.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-27T16:45:24-04:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	openssl@3
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	The sqlite3_analyzer binary is in the `sqlite-analyzer` formula.

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	tcl-tk@8
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	yes
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.

zypper92%

tcl 8.6.18-1.1

The Tcl Programming Language

http://www.tcl.tk

sudo zypper install tcl

License: TCL
Category: Development/Languages/Tcl
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: tcl
6 dependencies
12 provides
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Tclsh8 6

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tcl from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper92%

tk 8.6.18-1.1

Graphical User Interface Toolkit for Tcl

http://www.tcl.tk

sudo zypper install tk

License: TCL
Category: Development/Languages/Tcl
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: tk
10 dependencies
5 provides
installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Wish8 6

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tk from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

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/tcl-tk@8.yml

Used sources

Nucleus package database
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install tcl-tk@8 with Homebrew, zypper