install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install dmenu

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install dmenu

MacPorts ports tree · x11/dmenu/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add dmenu

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dmenu · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install dmenu

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dmenu · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#dmenu

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/dm/dmenu/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S dmenu

Arch Linux sync databases · dmenu · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install dmenu

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · dmenu · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Dynamic menu for X11

Project links

Commands and aliases

dmenu
dmenu_path
dmenu_run
stest

history

Project history and usage

dmenu is suckless.org's efficient dynamic menu for X, originally designed for dwm and commonly used as a keyboard-driven launcher or scriptable selector.

Project history

The official suckless page describes dmenu as a dynamic menu for X that was originally designed for dwm and manages large numbers of user-defined menu items efficiently. The official git refs show public tagged releases beginning at 0.1 in August 2006 and continuing through the 5.x series.

Adoption history

dmenu became a standard suckless tool because it composes through stdin and stdout: scripts can pass newline-separated choices in, and dmenu prints the selected item out. Its official manual also documents dmenu_run, the script used by dwm to list programs in PATH and run the selected command.

How it is used

In everyday package use, dmenu reads newline-separated items from stdin, narrows matches as the user types, and prints the chosen item on Return. Options cover bottom placement, case-insensitive matching, vertical lists, monitor selection, prompts, fonts, colors, and embedding into another X window.

Why package nerds care

dmenu is significant because it is tiny, source-customizable X11 infrastructure rather than a full desktop launcher. It appears in package managers as a small dependency-free-ish building block for window-manager users, shell scripts, and Unix workflows that prefer composition over integrated desktop services.

Timeline

2006-08: dmenu 0.1 tag appeared in the official git refs.
2009-02: dmenu 4.0 was tagged.
2020-09: dmenu 5.0 was tagged.
2025-08: dmenu 5.4 was released.

Related projects

The official page ties dmenu to dwm, and the man page cross-references dwm and stest.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
Installs with 4 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

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.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: source tree: config.h (generated from config.def.h)source tree: config.mk

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`dmenu`	cli	global executable
`dmenu_path`	cli	global executable
`dmenu_run`	cli	global executable
`stest`	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 generated2026-09-19

manager version5.4

manager updated2026-09-11

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:dmenu
Version	5.4
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dmenu
Homepage	https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/
Upstream docs	https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/
License	MIT
Source archive	https://dl.suckless.org/tools/dmenu-5.4.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-11T01:23:17Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	fontconfig, libx11, libxft, libxinerama
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, 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	dmenu
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	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

dmenu

nix profile install nixpkgs#dmenu

normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/dm/dmenu/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

apk95%

dmenu 5.4-r0

Dynamic menu for X

https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/

sudo apk add dmenu

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dmenu
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dmenu from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

dmenu-doc 5.4-r0

Dynamic menu for X (documentation)

https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/

sudo apk add dmenu-doc

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dmenu
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: dmenu-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

dnf95%

dmenu 5.4-4.fc45

Generic menu for X

http://tools.suckless.org/dmenu

sudo dnf install dmenu

License: MIT
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dmenu
7 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: dmenu from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/652278618dec9c023176a80c435a32a2c8154869fb0eb662c267a54df28d77d9-primary.xml.zst

pacman95%

dmenu 5.4-1

Generic menu for X

https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/

sudo pacman -S dmenu

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
9 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: dmenu from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

zypper95%

dmenu 5.4-1.4

A generic and efficient menu for X

https://tools.suckless.org/dmenu/

sudo zypper install dmenu

License: MIT
Category: System/GUI/Other
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: dmenu
6 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: dmenu from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst

MacPorts95%

dmenu

sudo port install dmenu

normalized package name match
Matched by: Dmenu

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: x11/dmenu/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/dmenu.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install dmenu with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: green

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Configuration and credential file locations

Configuration files

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Related tools

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources