# Install tmpwatch with Homebrew, dnf, Nix, zypper

Find and remove files not accessed in a specified time. Version 2.11 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:tmpwatch
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install tmpwatch
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install tmpwatch
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: tmpwatch from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#tmpwatch
```

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

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install tmpwatch
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:tmpwatch
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/tmpwatch>
- **Version:** 2.11
- **Source summary:** Find and remove files not accessed in a specified time
- **Homepage:** <https://pagure.io/tmpwatch>
- **Repository:** <https://pagure.io/tmpwatch>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://pagure.io/tmpwatch/blob/master/f/tmpwatch.8>
- **License:** GPL-2.0-only
- **Source archive:** <https://releases.pagure.org/tmpwatch/tmpwatch-2.11.tar.bz2>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00

## Executables

- tmpwatch (cli)
- tmpwatch (alias)

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 2.11
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://pagure.io/tmpwatch
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
- info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.
## Project history and usage

tmpwatch is a small Red Hat-originated system administration utility for recursively deleting files that have not been accessed for a configured period. Its historical niche is simple, cron-friendly hygiene for temporary directories such as /tmp.

### Project history

The upstream man page carries Red Hat copyright years from 1997 through 2009 and lists Red Hat authors including Erik Troan, Preston Brown, Nalin Dahyabhai, and Miloslav Trmac. That places tmpwatch in the older Linux distribution tooling tradition: focused utilities shipped by distributions to solve recurring operational problems with minimal ceremony.

### Adoption history

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 technical notes still documented tmpwatch in 2011 as an updated package for RHEL 6, and Fedora package metadata describes the same temporary-directory cleanup role. In this batch input, the package is also present through Homebrew, dnf, Nix, and zypper names, showing that the utility survived outside its original Red Hat context as a portable admin tool.

### How it is used

tmpwatch is normally run against one or more directories with an age threshold, commonly from cron or equivalent scheduled maintenance. Its safety details matter to administrators: the man page documents race-condition checks, avoiding filesystem crossings, ignoring symlinks in cleaned directories, and using atime by default with options for mtime and ctime.

### Why package nerds care

For package-manager users, tmpwatch is interesting because it represents the pre-systemd era of distribution-specific housekeeping tools: tiny, scriptable, predictable, and packaged under the same name across several Unix-like ecosystems.

### Timeline

- 1997-2009: Upstream man page copyright range records Red Hat maintenance of tmpwatch.
- 2009: The upstream man page is dated 2009-10-15.
- 2011: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 technical notes documented a tmpwatch bug-fix update.

### Related projects

- cron and rm are referenced by the upstream man page as related commands in the cleanup workflow.
- Distribution package metadata positions tmpwatch as a filesystem and temporary-file maintenance tool.

### Sources

- <https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/6/html/6.2_technical_notes/tmpwatch>
- <https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/tmpwatch/tmpwatch/index.html>
- <https://pagure.io/tmpwatch/raw/master/f/tmpwatch.8>
- input.json source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** tmpwatch
- **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

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - tmpwatch: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/tm/tmpwatch/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- dnf - tmpwatch - 2.11-30.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: tmpwatch from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A utility for removing files based on when they were last accessed | https://pagure.io/tmpwatch
- zypper - tmpwatch - 2.11-7.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tmpwatch from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Watches file system activity, such as /tmp files | https://pagure.io/tmpwatch


## Related links

- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata.
- [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider.
- [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Matched curated package taxonomy and local package facts.
- [tmpreaper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tmpreaper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cleanup, cli, maintenance, system, system-maintenance.
- [mole](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mole/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cleanup, cli, maintenance, system, system-maintenance.
- [topgrade](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/topgrade/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, maintenance, system, system-maintenance.
- [rmlint](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rmlint/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cleanup, cli, filesystem, system.
- [rmrfrs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rmrfrs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cleanup, cli, filesystem, system.
- [acl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/acl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, system.
- [afuse](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/afuse/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, system.
- [agedu](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/agedu/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, system.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/tmpwatch.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/tmpwatch.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