# Install headson with Homebrew Head/tail for structured data. Version 0.17.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:headson ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install headson ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:headson - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.17.0 - **Source summary:** Head/tail for structured data - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-04T22:13:35+00:00 ## Executables - hson (cli) - hson (alias) ## Build dependencies - rust ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-04 - Package-manager version: 0.17.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/kantord/headson - Upstream latest detected: headson-v0.17.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage headson is a Rust CLI and Python library that acts like head or tail for structured data. Its executable, `hson`, previews JSON, YAML, text, and source files while respecting byte, character, or line budgets. ### Project history The GitHub repository was created in October 2025. The README frames the project as a structure-aware alternative to head and tail for JSON and YAML, later extended to text and source-code summaries. Early releases moved quickly through core CLI capabilities: multiple input files, global character limits, tail sampling, color output, YAML loading, auto format detection, grep-like inclusion, tree-style multi-file previews, and source-code heuristics. The release log shows the project settling on `headson` as the package name and `hson` as the installed command. ### Adoption history Public adoption evidence is thin because the project is young and niche. Its upstream metadata, docs.rs page, and Homebrew formula show the intended audience: CLI users, shell scripts, and AI-agent or developer-tool workflows that need small previews of large structured files. The package fills a modern command-line gap: traditional head and tail are line-oriented, while JSON and YAML often need tree-aware truncation to remain understandable after sampling. ### How it is used A common use is piping JSON to `hson -c 800` to get a compact preview under a strict byte budget. Other examples include previewing many JSON files with a global budget, rendering strict JSON, showing YAML with comments, preserving grep matches under tight budgets, and summarizing source files by indentation-aware outlines. The tool can read stdin or file paths, recurse through directories, respect git-aware ordering for multi-file summaries, and expose the same functionality as a Python library. ### Why package nerds care headson is interesting to package nerds because it is a tiny Rust CLI that wraps a very specific terminal workflow: inspect enough of a structured file without dumping the whole thing. It is especially suited to package-manager installs because users expect small inspection tools to be globally available on PATH. It also reflects a newer CLI niche shaped by large logs, machine-readable APIs, and AI-agent context budgets: budgeted previews are no longer just cosmetic, they are part of keeping command output useful. ### Timeline - 2025-10: Repository created. - 2025-10: v0.2.0 added support for multiple input files. - 2025-10: v0.3.0 added tail-oriented sampling. - 2025-10: v0.6.0 added color output. - 2025-11: v0.6.2 added YAML loading and auto format detection features. - 2025-11: v0.6.5 and v0.6.6 added line-based and Unicode character budget modes. ### Related projects - Unix head and tail are the conceptual ancestors. - jq, yq, grep, ripgrep, and tree are adjacent command-line tools whose workflows headson references or emulates. - docs.rs and crates.io are part of the Rust packaging ecosystem around the project. - Python packaging is relevant because the README documents a Python library alongside the CLI. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** headson - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://pkg.so/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://pkg.so/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://pkg.so/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://pkg.so/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [rust](https://pkg.so/brew/rust/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [yq](https://pkg.so/brew/yq/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [python-yq](https://pkg.so/brew/python-yq/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [libfyaml](https://pkg.so/brew/libfyaml/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [dasel](https://pkg.so/brew/dasel/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [yj](https://pkg.so/brew/yj/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [dyff](https://pkg.so/brew/dyff/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [spectral-cli](https://pkg.so/brew/spectral-cli/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [otree](https://pkg.so/brew/otree/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, yaml. - [jsongrep](https://pkg.so/brew/jsongrep/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, json, structured. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/headson.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/headson.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - pkgdb category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph