Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install topicctl with Homebrew, Nix

Declarative Kafka topic management. Version 2.0.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install topicctl

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#topicctl

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

overview

Package summary

Declarative Kafka topic management

Commands and aliases

  • topicctl

history

Project history and usage

topicctl is Segment's command-line tool for declarative Apache Kafka topic management. Its official README frames the project around applying topic changes from YAML and using a REPL to inspect brokers, topics, consumer groups, messages, offsets, partitions, ACLs, and related Kafka resources.

Project history

The project was created to make Kafka topic management more transparent and user-friendly for Segment's operational use. The README says standard Kafka tooling was tedious and error-prone for this job because it lacked a standard declarative format that could be checked into Git and required multiple commands with different interfaces to understand cluster state.

topicctl's design borrows from kubectl-style declarative operations: users keep cluster and topic definitions as YAML, run apply/check/bootstrap/rebalance style commands, and inspect cluster state interactively. The README also documents a later revamp from the v0 line to support direct cluster access without ZooKeeper and add TLS/SSL and SASL security options.

Adoption history

Its adoption niche is infrastructure teams running Kafka who want package-manager-installable tooling rather than bespoke scripts. The input package facts list both Homebrew and Nix packaging, while the official README also documents Go install, source build, and Docker image installation paths.

How it is used

Common usage is to store cluster configuration in cluster.yaml and topic definitions under topics/*.yaml, then use topicctl apply to create or update topics so the live cluster matches the desired files. The README's quick tour also shows topicctl repl for interactive exploration and commands such as get brokers, get topics, get partitions, get offsets, and tail.

For package-nerd workflows, topicctl is the kind of CLI that turns Kafka topic state into reviewable files: bootstrap can import existing topics into configs, check can validate config against cluster state, and apply/rebalance can be put into operational runbooks or CI-style review gates.

Why package nerds care

topicctl matters to package-focused operators because it packages a common Kafka administration pain point as a single Go CLI with declarative files, a REPL, and install paths that fit Homebrew, Nix, Docker, and go install workflows. It is most significant in Kafka/platform-engineering circles rather than as a general-purpose end-user tool.

Timeline

  • v0 era: Older implementation preserved on the official v0 branch for users who need to revert.
  • v1 era: README documents a revamp adding ZooKeeper-less cluster access plus TLS/SSL and SASL options.
  • 2026: GitHub releases page lists the v2.0.x line, including v2.0.0 and v2.0.2, with ongoing changes around placement strategy and bootstrapping.

Related projects

  • The README explicitly says topicctl was inspired by kubectl and points readers to Segment's data-digger as another Kafka-oriented command-line tool.

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 6 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
cluster.yamltopics/*.yaml

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
topicctlcliglobal 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 version2.0.2
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv2.0.2

https://github.com/segmentio/topicctl

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:topicctl
Version2.0.2
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/topicctl
Homepagehttps://github.com/segmentio/topicctl
Repositoryhttps://github.com/segmentio/topicctl
Upstream docshttps://github.com/segmentio/topicctl#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/segmentio/topicctl/archive/refs/tags/v2.0.2.tar.gz
Build dependenciesgo
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nametopicctl
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

topicctl

nix profile install nixpkgs#topicctl
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Topicctl
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/to/topicctl/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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.

Related tools

  • goBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • yozefuShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, kafka, streaming.
  • kteaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, kafka, streaming.
  • apache-flink-cdcShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, streaming.
  • burrowShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, kafka, streaming.
  • kaskadeShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, kafka.
  • kcatShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, kafka.

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.

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