homebrew

name	homebrew
description	Manage Homebrew packages on macOS - install, update, search, cleanup
user-invocable	true
os	["darwin"]
navig-commands	["navig run \"brew list\"","navig run \"brew install {package}\"","navig run \"brew update && brew upgrade\"","navig run \"brew search {query}\"","navig run \"brew info {package}\""]
examples	["Install htop with brew","Update all brew packages","What brew packages are installed?","Search for a package","Clean up old brew versions"]

Homebrew Package Management (macOS)

Manage Homebrew packages on macOS — local machine or remote Mac servers.

How to Use

• Local Mac: Run brew commands directly
• Remote Mac server: Use navig run "brew ..."

Common Tasks

Update Homebrew & Upgrade All

User says: "Update my brew packages"

brew update && brew upgrade

Response format:

🍺 Homebrew Update:

Updated Homebrew core tap
Upgraded 5 packages:
• node 20.11 → 21.5
• python 3.11.7 → 3.12.1
• git 2.43 → 2.44
• wget 1.21 → 1.24
• openssl 3.2.0 → 3.2.1

✅ Everything up to date!

Install a Package

brew install {package}

Response:

🍺 Installed {package} ✅

Version: x.y.z
Binaries: {package} → /opt/homebrew/bin/{package}

Install a GUI App (Cask)

brew install --cask {app}

Common casks: visual-studio-code, docker, iterm2, firefox, discord

Search for Packages

brew search {query}

Show Package Info

brew info {package}

List Installed Packages

brew list --formula    # CLI tools
brew list --cask       # GUI apps

Response format:

🍺 Installed Packages:

CLI Tools (32):
  git, node, python, wget, curl, htop, tmux, jq, gh, ...

GUI Apps (8):
  Docker, iTerm2, Visual Studio Code, Firefox, ...

Remove a Package

brew uninstall {package}

Clean Up Old Versions

brew cleanup --prune=7

Response:

🧹 Cleanup:

Removed 12 old versions
Freed: 1.2GB disk space

✅ Homebrew is clean!

Check for Issues

brew doctor

Homebrew Services

Manage background services (databases, servers) via Homebrew:

List Services

brew services list

Response format:

🍺 Homebrew Services:

✅ postgresql@16 - running (pid: 1234)
✅ redis - running (pid: 5678)
⏹️ mysql - stopped
⏹️ nginx - stopped

Start/Stop/Restart Service

brew services start {service}
brew services stop {service}
brew services restart {service}

Common Packages for Dev

Package	Description	Install
git	Version control	brew install git
node	Node.js runtime	brew install node
python	Python 3	brew install python
gh	GitHub CLI	brew install gh
jq	JSON processor	brew install jq
htop	Process viewer	brew install htop
tmux	Terminal multiplexer	brew install tmux
wget	File downloader	brew install wget
postgresql@16	PostgreSQL database	brew install postgresql@16
redis	Redis cache	brew install redis

Proactive Suggestions

• Outdated packages: "📦 8 packages can be upgraded. Run brew upgrade?"
• Large cleanup: "🧹 2.5GB of old versions can be cleaned. Run brew cleanup?"
• Doctor warnings: "⚠️ brew doctor found issues. Want me to show them?"

Error Handling

• Brew not installed: "Install Homebrew: /bin/bash -c \"$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)\""
• Package not found: "Package '{name}' not found. Try brew search {name}"
• Permission issues: "Permission denied. Don't use sudo with brew. Fix ownership: sudo chown -R $(whoami) /opt/homebrew"