zipget

name	zipget
description	Download and install tools from GitHub releases, URLs, or S3. Use when user needs to download binaries, install CLI tools, create tool recipes, or set up Java JAR applications.

Zipget - Tool Downloader & Installer

Downloads and installs executables from GitHub releases, URLs, and S3 with caching. See https://github.com/vivainio/zipget-rs

Commands

# Install from GitHub (auto-detects platform)
zipget install sharkdp/bat                    # Install with shim (Windows)
zipget install sharkdp/bat --no-shim          # Install directly (cross-platform)
zipget install google/go-jsonnet --exe jsonnet

# Download from GitHub
zipget github sharkdp/bat --unzip-to ./tools
zipget github BurntSushi/ripgrep --tag 14.1.0 --save-as ./rg.tar.gz

# Download and run without installing
zipget run BurntSushi/ripgrep -- --version
zipget run sharkdp/bat --exe bat -- README.md

# Process recipe file
zipget recipe tools.toml
zipget recipe tools.toml ripgrep bat          # Only specific items
zipget recipe tools.toml --upgrade            # Update to latest versions
zipget recipe tools.toml --lock               # Generate SHA-256 hashes

# Create launcher for JAR or executable
zipget shim ./plantuml.jar                    # Creates ~/.local/bin/plantuml
zipget shim ./app.jar --name myapp            # Custom launcher name
zipget shim ./app.jar --java-opts="-Xmx1g"    # With JVM options

# Fetch direct URL
zipget fetch https://example.com/tool.zip --unzip-to ./tools

# Self-update
zipget update

Recipe Format

TOML file with download items:

[vars]
tools_dir = "./tools"

[ripgrep]
github = { repo = "BurntSushi/ripgrep" }
unzip_to = "${tools_dir}"
files = "*/rg"
install_exes = ["rg"]

[bat]
github = { repo = "sharkdp/bat", tag = "v0.24.0" }
unzip_to = "${tools_dir}"
files = "*.exe"

[plantuml]
github = { repo = "plantuml/plantuml", asset = "plantuml.jar" }
save_as = "${tools_dir}/plantuml.jar"
install_exes = ["plantuml.jar"]

[internal-tool]
url = "s3://company-bucket/tool.tar.gz"
profile = "company-profile"
unzip_to = "${tools_dir}"

Recipe Fields

Field	Description
url	Direct URL (HTTP/HTTPS/S3/local path)
github	{ repo = "owner/repo", asset = "pattern", tag = "v1.0" }
unzip_to	Extract archives to this directory
save_as	Save downloaded file to this path
files	Glob pattern for selective extraction (flattens structure)
install_exes	List of executables/JARs to install to ~/.local/bin
no_shim	true to copy directly instead of creating launchers
profile	AWS profile for S3 downloads
executable	true to set executable permission (Unix)
lock	{ sha = "...", download_url = "..." } for verification

Variables

Built-in variables for recipes:

Variable	Value
${os}	linux, macos, windows
${arch}	x86_64, aarch64, etc.
${home}	User's home directory
${recipe_dir}	Directory containing the recipe
${env.VAR}	Environment variable
~/path	Expands to home directory

Common Patterns

Install multiple tools from recipe

[vars]
bin = "${home}/.local/bin"

[ripgrep]
github = { repo = "BurntSushi/ripgrep" }
unzip_to = "/tmp/rg"
files = "*/rg"
install_exes = ["rg"]
no_shim = true

[fd]
github = { repo = "sharkdp/fd" }
unzip_to = "/tmp/fd"
files = "*/fd"
install_exes = ["fd"]
no_shim = true

Java JAR application

[plantuml]
github = { repo = "plantuml/plantuml", asset = "plantuml.jar" }
save_as = "./tools/plantuml.jar"
install_exes = ["plantuml.jar"]

Creates launcher script:

#!/bin/sh
exec java -jar "/path/to/plantuml.jar" "$@"

S3 with AWS profiles

[prod-tool]
url = "s3://prod-bucket/tool.tar.gz"
profile = "production"
unzip_to = "./tools"

[dev-tool]
url = "s3://dev-bucket/tool.tar.gz"
profile = "development"
unzip_to = "./tools"

Pin versions with lock file

zipget recipe tools.toml --lock

Adds SHA-256 hashes and pins GitHub tags:

[ripgrep]
github = { repo = "BurntSushi/ripgrep", tag = "14.1.1" }
lock = { sha = "abc123...", download_url = "https://..." }

Output Locations

• Cache: /tmp/zipget-cache (Unix) or %TEMP%\zipget-cache (Windows)
• Install: ~/.local/bin
• Shims: ~/.local/bin/*.shim + *.exe (Windows)

Tips

• Use --no-shim on Unix for direct installation
• Use files = "*/binary" to extract single file from nested archive
• Use --upgrade to update all GitHub releases to latest
• JAR files in install_exes automatically get Java launchers
• Recipe URLs can be remote: zipget recipe https://example.com/tools.toml