# Install wren-cli with Homebrew, MacPorts Simple REPL and CLI tool for running Wren scripts. Version 0.4.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:wren-cli ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install wren-cli ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install wren-cli ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: lang/wren-cli/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:wren-cli - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.4.0 - **Source summary:** Simple REPL and CLI tool for running Wren scripts - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - wren_cli (cli) - wren_cli (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: 0.4.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/wren-lang/wren-cli - Upstream latest detected: 0.4.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage Wren CLI is the standalone command-line companion to Wren, a small embeddable scripting language created by Bob Nystrom and later maintained in the wren-lang GitHub organization. The CLI exists because the core Wren VM is deliberately minimal: it gives users a REPL and script runner, plus operating-system-facing modules such as file I/O and networking that are intentionally not bundled into the language core. In package-manager terms, wren-cli matters less as a large ecosystem tool and more as the practical executable that turns Wren from an embeddable VM into a shell-usable language runtime. It is the piece a developer installs when they want to run `.wren` scripts, experiment at a prompt, or study a small real-world embedding of the Wren VM. ### Project history The Wren language repository dates to 2013, and the language site describes Wren as a small, fast, class-based concurrent scripting language with an intentionally tiny implementation and standard library. In November 2018 Bob Nystrom announced that Sven Bergstrom, known as ruby0x1, would become Wren's lead maintainer and that the project would move under the `wren-lang` organization, preserving issues, pull requests, and project infrastructure. The Wren development blog announced the maintainer transition publicly on 4 February 2019 and emphasized continuity: Wren would evolve while staying small, simple, learnable, and hackable. The separate `wren-cli` repository was created later in 2019 as the standalone command-line tool for the language, and GitHub releases show tagged CLI releases such as 0.3.0 in June 2020 and 0.4.0 in November 2021. ### Adoption history Wren's adoption has historically centered on embedding, games, language experimentation, and small tools rather than a large package ecosystem. The Wren homepage highlights the small VM and C API, while the CLI page frames wren-cli as both a practical tool and a real-world usage example for people learning how Wren can be embedded and extended. The CLI also reflects Wren's post-2018 stewardship model: the language and supporting tools live in the shared `wren-lang` organization instead of only under the original author's account. That makes wren-cli part of the maintained Wren distribution story even though it is intentionally separate from the minimal core VM. ### How it is used Users install or build `wren_cli` to run Wren source files, start a REPL, and access the CLI-specific modules documented at `wren.io/cli`. The CLI depends on libuv for operating-system features, which lets scripts use facilities such as file I/O and networking while keeping the base Wren language small. Typical package-nerd usage is exploratory: run examples, test snippets, wire small scripts, or compare Wren's embedding model with Lua-style scripting. The CLI page is explicit that it is a work in progress and a standalone project, so users should treat it as the general-purpose executable around the language rather than as the entire Wren runtime. ### Why package nerds care wren-cli is significant because it packages the otherwise embeddable-first Wren VM into a normal Unix-style executable. That makes it indexable by Homebrew and MacPorts, scriptable from a shell, and easy to include in language-runtime inventories alongside Lua, Janet, or other compact embeddable languages. Its separation from the core language is also historically interesting: Wren's design keeps the VM and standard library small, while the CLI carries the pragmatic I/O surface that package users expect from a runnable scripting language. ### Timeline - 2013: The Wren language repository is created on GitHub. - 2018: Bob Nystrom announces a maintainer transition and move to the `wren-lang` organization. - 2019-02-04: The Wren blog announces the new maintainer era and centralized project blog. - 2019-09-18: The `wren-lang/wren-cli` repository is created. - 2020-06-05: Wren CLI 0.3.0 is published on GitHub. - 2021-11-20: Wren CLI 0.4.0 is published on GitHub. ### Related projects - Wren is the core language and VM that wren-cli runs. - libuv supplies the CLI's operating-system-facing functionality. - The wren-lang organization hosts the language, CLI, and site repositories. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** wren-cli - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - MacPorts - wren-cli: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: lang/wren-cli/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [rad](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rad/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, scripting, scripting-language. - [rune](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rune/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, scripting, scripting-language. - [ammonite-repl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ammonite-repl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl, scripting. - [chaiscript](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chaiscript/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, scripting-language. - [cpi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cpi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl, scripting. - [gosu](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gosu/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, scripting. - [jimtcl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jimtcl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, scripting-language. - [planck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/planck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl, scripting. - [yaegi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yaegi/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, language, language-runtime, repl, runtime. - [cbmbasic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cbmbasic/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, language, language-runtime, runtime, scripting. - [frege-repl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/frege-repl/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, language, language-runtime, repl, runtime. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/wren-cli.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/wren-cli.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