macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install xelocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install xe with Homebrew, apt, Nix
Simple xargs and apply replacement. Version 1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install xeDebian stable package indexes · xe · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#xenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/xe/xe/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Simple xargs and apply replacement
Project links
Commands and aliases
- xe
history
Project history and usage
xe is Leah Neukirchen's compact command-construction utility: a public-domain replacement-style tool that combines favored parts of xargs(1) and apply(1) for executing commands over argument lists.
Project history
The GitHub repository was created in 2015, with the first tag v0.1 following in November 2015 and v1.0 tagged in August 2023. The README presents the project plainly as a simple xargs and apply replacement, and the manpage expands the name as 'execute for every ...'.
Adoption history
xe's adoption appears modest and Unix-tool focused rather than platform-defining. It reached package managers such as Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, and Nix because it is a tiny C command with a clear niche: predictable argument splitting, replacement, dry runs, parallel execution, and pattern-based command selection.
How it is used
Users pipe newline- or NUL-separated arguments into xe, pass arguments directly on the command line, run shell snippets with -s when needed, or use -j for parallel jobs. The manpage examples include compressing files with all CPU cores, removing empty files from another listing command, and converting media with percent rules.
Why package nerds care
xe is a package-nerd kind of tool because it exists in the gap between POSIX tradition and day-to-day ergonomics. It does not try to replace the shell; it packages a sharper default behavior for the common 'run this for every thing' pattern.
Timeline
- 2015-10-24: GitHub repository is created.
- 2015-11-02: v0.1 is tagged.
- 2023-08-01: The xe manpage date records the mature command interface.
- 2023-08-05: v1.0 is tagged.
Related projects
- xargs is the standard command-construction tool xe explicitly improves on.
- apply is the older utility whose replacement model xe also borrows from.
- GNU parallel and xapply are listed in xe's SEE ALSO section.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: yellow
generalized runtime or code generation signal.
Risk classifier
yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime
Why
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
Signals
- text:repl
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 12 platform targets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
xe | 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 generated2026-07-08
manager version1.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.0
https://github.com/leahneukirchen/xe
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:xe |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/xe |
| Homepage | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/xe |
| Repository | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/xe |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/xe#readme |
| License | LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain |
| Source archive | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/xe/archive/refs/tags/v1.0.tar.gz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, 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 | xe |
| 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 |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
xe 0.11-5
simple alternative to xargs and apply
https://git.vuxu.org/xe/about/
sudo apt install xe- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Xe
Nix95%
xe
nix profile install nixpkgs#xe- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Xe
Ubuntu apt95%
xe 0.11-5
simple alternative to xargs and apply
https://git.vuxu.org/xe/about/
sudo apt install xe- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Xe
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.
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