# Install xauth with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper X.Org Applications: xauth. Version 1.1.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:xauth ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install xauth ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install xauth ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: x11/xauth/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add xauth ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xauth from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install xauth ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: xauth from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install xorg-x11-xauth ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xorg-x11-xauth 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#xauth ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xa/xauth/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install xauth ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xauth from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:xauth - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.1.5 - **Source summary:** X.Org Applications: xauth - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT-open-group - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - xauth (cli) - xauth (alias) ## Dependencies - libx11 - libxau - libxext - libxmu ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - util-macros ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.1.5 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.x.org/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage xauth is the X.Org X authority file utility. It edits and displays the authorization records used when X clients connect to an X server, especially records stored in the user's X authority file. ### Project history The xauth manual credits Jim Fulton of the MIT X Consortium as author, placing the utility in the long-running X11 security and display-access toolchain. The current upstream project is maintained as an X.Org application under freedesktop.org, where the GitLab project describes it as the 'X authority file utility.' xauth was carried into the modular X.Org application set. X.Org's public release pages describe the post-X11R7.7 model in which individual modules are released independently, and the xauth repository follows that model with standalone tags such as xauth-1.0.3 in 2008 and later 1.1.x releases. ### Adoption history xauth became infrastructure rather than an end-user application: display managers, startx workflows, remote shells, and administrators use authority records so X clients can prove they are allowed to connect. Its persistence across X.Org releases, Unix distributions, and macOS X11 environments follows from that role. The GitLab project shows the repository under the xorg/app namespace, and the mirrored cgit page lists a long X.Org history, older XFree86-era tags, and recent xauth release tags through xauth-1.1.5 in December 2025. ### How it is used The manual describes xauth commands such as add, generate, extract, merge, list, and remove. A typical remote workflow is to extract the record for the current DISPLAY and merge it on another host, as in the manual's ssh pipeline example. xauth normally uses the file named by XAUTHORITY, falling back to $HOME/.Xauthority. It does not usually create the first authority entry itself; the program that starts the X server, such as xdm or startx, usually does that. ### Why package nerds care For package maintainers and Unix users, xauth is the tiny command that makes X11 forwarding and cross-user X sessions understandable and scriptable. It is one of those small X.Org packages whose value is disproportionate to its size because many remote-GUI workflows fail without a correct authority file. ### Timeline - MIT X Consortium era: xauth is authored as the X authority file utility by Jim Fulton. - 2008: xauth 1.0.3 is announced on xorg-announce as an individual X.Org app release. - 2012: X11R7.7 is released; X.Org later continues mostly with independent module releases. - 2018: The freedesktop.org GitLab project page records creation of the xorg/app/xauth project. - 2025: The cgit mirror lists xauth-1.1.4 and xauth-1.1.5 release tags. ### Related projects - The xauth manual points to X(7), Xsecurity(7), xhost(1), Xserver(1), xdm(1), startx(1), and Xau(3). In practice, xauth sits beside these X11 access-control and session-startup tools. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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. ## Credential files - Unix: $XAUTHORITY, ~/.Xauthority ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** xauth - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - xauth - 1:1.1.2-1.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xauth from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | X authentication utility - Nix - xauth: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xa/xauth/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - xauth - 1:1.1.2-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xauth from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | X authentication utility - apk - xauth - 1.1.5-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xauth from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X.Org authorization settings program | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - apk - xauth-doc - 1.1.5-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xauth-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | X.Org authorization settings program (documentation) | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - dnf - xorg-x11-xauth - 1.1.5-1.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xorg-x11-xauth from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | X.Org X11 X authority utilities | https://www.x.org - zypper - xauth - 1.1.5-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: xauth from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Utility to edit and display the X authorization information | https://xorg.freedesktop.org/ - MacPorts - xauth: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: x11/xauth/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## 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. - [Security and crypto packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/security-crypto-tools/) - Matched security, identity, cryptography, password, signing, or certificate metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [xinit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xinit/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [xorg-server](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xorg-server/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [font-util](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/font-util/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [libxcvt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libxcvt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [libxpm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libxpm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [mkfontscale](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mkfontscale/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xcursorgen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xcursorgen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xdpyinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xdpyinfo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xeyes](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xeyes/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. - [xinput](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xinput/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, x11, xorg. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/xauth.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/xauth.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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