pub package CI License: Apache 2.0

brew_dart

Full programmatic access to Homebrew from Dart on macOS and Linux.

Wraps the brew CLI using Process.run / Process.start, relying on --json=v2 structured output wherever brew supports it, and falling back to sanitised text parsing only where JSON is unavailable.

Platform Support

Platform Status
macOS Fully supported
Linux Supported (Linuxbrew)
Windows Not supported

Features

  • CLI-first -- uses brew info --json=v2 as the stable interface, not the HTTP API
  • Strongly-typed models -- all JSON and text output parsed into immutable Dart classes via freezed
  • Stream-based output -- long-running commands (install, upgrade, update) expose Stream<ProcessOutput> for real-time progress
  • Batch operations -- multi-package install/remove/upgrade with parallel or sequential execution and per-package callbacks
  • Unified facade -- single Brew class entry point for all operations
  • Optional HTTP client -- standalone BrewApiClient for formulae.brew.sh catalog browsing (separate import, no http dependency in core)

Flutter Example App

The example/brew_catalog/ directory contains a full macOS desktop Flutter app built on top of brew_dart that demonstrates real-world usage: browsing the formula/cask catalog, viewing package details, managing taps, and reading Brewfiles.

brew_catalog Flutter example app

Installation

dependencies:
  brew_dart: ^0.2.0

Then run code generation for the freezed models:

dart pub get
dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs

Quick Start

import 'package:brew_dart/brew_dart.dart';

void main() async {
  final brew = Brew();

  if (!await brew.isInstalled()) {
    print('Homebrew is not installed.');
    return;
  }
  print('Homebrew ${await brew.version()}');

  // Search for packages
  final results = await brew.search('node');
  print('Formulae: ${results.formulae.join(', ')}');

  // Get detailed info (JSON-backed)
  final info = await brew.info('node');
  print('Latest: ${info.formula!.versions.stable}');
  print('Dependencies: ${info.formula!.dependencies.join(', ')}');

  // See what's installed
  final installed = await brew.installed();
  print('${installed.length} packages installed');
}

Usage

Package Management

// Install a single package
final result = await brew.install('ripgrep');
print('Success: ${result.success} (${result.elapsed.inSeconds}s)');

// Install a cask
await brew.install('docker', cask: true);

// Batch install with progress callback
final batch = await brew.installAll(
  ['ripgrep', 'fd', 'bat', 'eza'],
  parallel: true,
  concurrency: 2,
  onEach: (pkg, res) {
    print('${res.success ? "+" : "x"} $pkg (${res.elapsed.inSeconds}s)');
  },
);
print('Installed ${batch.succeeded}/${batch.total}');

// Stream install output in real-time
await for (final output in brew.installStream('ffmpeg')) {
  print(output.line);
}

// Uninstall
await brew.uninstall('ripgrep');

// Upgrade
await brew.upgrade('node');

// Cleanup old versions
final cleanup = await brew.cleanup(dryRun: true);
print(cleanup.output);

Querying

// Outdated packages (JSON-backed)
final outdated = await brew.outdated();
for (final pkg in outdated) {
  print('${pkg.name}: ${pkg.currentVersion} -> ${pkg.latestVersion}');
}

// Dependencies
final deps = await brew.deps('git');
print('git depends on: ${deps.join(', ')}');

// Reverse dependencies
final uses = await brew.uses('icu4c');
print('icu4c is used by: ${uses.join(', ')}');

// List installed (fast, names only)
final names = await brew.listNames();

// List installed (rich, full details via JSON)
final packages = await brew.listInstalled();

Taps

final taps = await brew.taps();
for (final t in taps) {
  print('${t.name} (${t.formulaCount ?? 0} formulae)');
}

await brew.tap('homebrew/cask-fonts');
await brew.untap('homebrew/cask-fonts');

Services

final services = await brew.services();
for (final s in services) {
  print('${s.name}: ${s.status.name}');
}

await brew.startService('postgresql@16');
await brew.stopService('postgresql@16');
await brew.restartService('redis');

System Maintenance

// Update Homebrew itself
final update = await brew.update();

// Link / unlink keg-only formulae
await brew.link('openssl@3', force: true);
await brew.unlink('openssl@3');

// Pin / unpin to prevent upgrades
await brew.pin('node');
await brew.unpin('node');
final pinned = await brew.pinned();

// Diagnostics
final report = await brew.doctor();
if (!report.healthy) {
  for (final d in report.diagnostics) {
    print('${d.severity.name}: ${d.title}');
  }
}

// Configuration
final config = await brew.config();
print('Prefix: ${config.prefix}');
print('Cellar: ${config.cellar}');

Brewfile Support

// Export current state to a Brewfile
await brew.bundleDump(file: 'Brewfile', force: true);

// Parse a Brewfile
final brewfile = await brew.readBrewfile('Brewfile');
for (final entry in brewfile.entries) {
  print('${entry.type.name}: ${entry.name}');
}

// Install everything from a Brewfile
final bundleResult = await brew.bundle(file: 'Brewfile');
print('Success: ${bundleResult.success}');

// Check Brewfile against installed packages
final check = await brew.bundleCheck(file: 'Brewfile');
print('Satisfied: ${check.satisfied}');
if (!check.satisfied) {
  print('Missing: ${check.missingEntries.join(', ')}');
}

Optional HTTP API Client

For catalog browsing when brew may not be installed. Import separately -- this does not add an http dependency to the core package:

import 'package:brew_dart/remote.dart';

final client = BrewApiClient(
  httpGet: (url) async {
    // Bring your own HTTP client
    final response = await http.get(url);
    return response.body;
  },
);

final formulae = await client.allFormulae();
final detail = await client.formula('git');
final analytics = await client.installAnalytics(days: 30);

Note: The formulae.brew.sh API serves static files with no versioning. It is read-only, knows nothing about local state, and may lag behind what brew sees locally. Use for browsing/discovery only, not as a source of truth.

Architecture

lib/
├── brew_dart.dart                # main barrel export
├── remote.dart                   # optional HTTP API barrel
└── src/
    ├── brew.dart                 # unified Brew facade
    ├── exceptions.dart           # exception hierarchy
    ├── cli/
    │   ├── brew_cli.dart         # Process.run / Process.start wrapper
    │   └── brew_process_result.dart
    ├── models/                   # freezed data classes
    │   ├── formula.dart          # Formula, FormulaVersions, InstalledVersion
    │   ├── cask.dart             # Cask
    │   ├── tap.dart              # Tap
    │   ├── service.dart          # BrewService, ServiceStatus
    │   ├── brew_config.dart      # BrewConfig
    │   ├── doctor_report.dart    # DoctorReport, Diagnostic
    │   ├── outdated_package.dart # OutdatedPackage
    │   ├── batch_result.dart     # InstallResult, BatchResult, etc.
    │   ├── brewfile.dart         # Brewfile, BrewfileEntry
    │   └── ...
    ├── parsers/                  # JSON v2 + text output parsers
    └── remote/                   # optional HTTP API client

Design Principles

  1. --json=v2 wherever available -- Homebrew's recommended stable interface for third-party tools.
  2. Clean environment defaults -- every brew invocation sets HOMEBREW_NO_COLOR, HOMEBREW_NO_EMOJI, HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE, HOMEBREW_NO_ANALYTICS, HOMEBREW_NO_ENV_HINTS.
  3. Text parsing only as a fallback -- tested against golden files of real brew output.
  4. No HTTP dependency in core -- the optional BrewApiClient accepts an HttpGetFn typedef so consumers provide their own client.

Exception Handling

try {
  await brew.install('nonexistent');
} on PackageNotFoundException catch (e) {
  print('Not found: ${e.packageName}');
} on DependencyConflictException catch (e) {
  print('${e.packageName} is required by: ${e.dependents}');
} on BrewCommandException catch (e) {
  print('Command failed: ${e.command} (exit ${e.exitCode})');
} on BrewNotInstalledException {
  print('Homebrew is not installed');
} on CommandTimeoutException catch (e) {
  print('Timed out after ${e.timeout.inSeconds}s');
}

Testing

Three tiers of tests:

Tier Runs on Frequency Brew required
Unit tests Linux CI every push No (mocked)
Integration tests macOS CI weekly + releases Yes
Manual scripts local machine before releases Yes 
# Run unit tests
dart test --exclude-tags integration

# Run integration tests (requires Homebrew)
dart test --tags integration

# Capture fresh golden files from real brew output
./scripts/capture_golden_files.sh

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Run dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs after model changes
  4. Ensure dart analyze and dart test --exclude-tags integration pass
  5. Submit a pull request

License

Apache 2.0 -- see LICENSE for details.

Libraries

brew_dart
A Dart package providing full programmatic access to Homebrew.
remote
Optional HTTP API client for the formulae.brew.sh catalog.