install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install try

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#try

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

overview

Package summary

Quickly manage and navigate project directories for experiments

Project links

Commands and aliases

try

history

Project history and usage

try is a small Ruby command-line tool for creating, finding, and entering fresh directories for short-lived experiments. The README frames it as a one-file script for developers who keep making test directories and want those experiments organized instead of lost in /tmp or scattered across a filesystem.

Project history

The project is maintained in Tobi Lutke's GitHub account and centers on the phrase 'Your experiments deserve a home.' Its implementation and documentation emphasize zero configuration, no runtime dependencies beyond Ruby, and a shell integration that lets the command change the caller's working directory.

Adoption history

try became visible well beyond a private dotfile script: GitHub shows thousands of stars, the repository includes Homebrew formula material, and the README recommends RubyGems installation as try-cli. It also has a later Rust descendant, try-rs, whose README names this project as the inspiration.

How it is used

A typical user installs the gem or downloads the script, evaluates the shell init output, and then types partial experiment names. try fuzzy-matches existing experiment directories, ranks recent ones highly, and creates dated directories when no existing match is selected.

Why package nerds care

The project is a package-nerd artifact because it turns a personal shell habit into a packaged CLI with RubyGems and Homebrew paths. It is intentionally small, but it influenced the later try-rs rewrite and sits in the lineage of tiny tools that formalize local development rituals.

Timeline

2026: GitHub release v1.9.0 added terminal title behavior for the TUI.
2026: The README documents RubyGems as the recommended installation path and manual shell setup as a fallback.

Related projects

try-rs is the direct Rust port and re-imagining of try.
The tool is related to fuzzy directory switchers and shell workspace managers, but focuses specifically on experiment directories.

Sources

https://github.com/tassiovirginio/try-rs#readme
https://github.com/tobi/try#readme
https://github.com/tobi/try/releases
source_facts.package-manager

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.
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
`try`	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 generated2026-07-25

manager version1.9.3

manager updated2026-06-06

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.9.3

https://github.com/tobi/try

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:try
Version	1.9.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/try
Homepage	https://github.com/tobi/try
Repository	https://github.com/tobi/try
Upstream docs	https://github.com/tobi/try#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/tobi/try/archive/refs/tags/v1.9.3.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-06T20:23:54-04:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	ruby
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	try
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%

try

nix profile install nixpkgs#try

normalized package name match
Matched by: Try

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/tr/try/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.

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/try.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 try with Homebrew, Nix