Install proto with Homebrew, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• proto
• proto-shim

Project history

moonrepo developed proto as a modern, holistic version manager and unified toolchain. It uses Rust for the host application and WebAssembly for its pluggable tool architecture.

Its configuration model evolved to support project-local, user, and global `.prototools` files, layered resolution modes, environment-specific variants, custom backends, and optional lockfiles.

Adoption history

proto is developed within the moonrepo ecosystem and powers moon's toolchain. Official documentation emphasizes consistent behavior across macOS, Linux, and Windows and support for additional tools through WASM plugins and compatible third-party plugin ecosystems.

Distribution through Homebrew and Nix, as recorded in source_facts.package-manager, places proto alongside other developer-environment version managers used to bootstrap language toolchains.

How it is used

Pin tool versions in a `.prototools` file, install them with proto, and expose them through activation or shims on `PATH`.

Project files can be committed to keep language and package-manager versions consistent across a team. User and global files provide shared preferences and fallback versions.

Plugins extend proto to additional languages, package managers, or organization-specific tooling.

Why package nerds care

proto offers one version-management interface for languages and their package managers while retaining extensibility through plugins. Package enthusiasts care about its checksum verification, contextual version detection, shims, cross-platform configuration, and ability to replace several language-specific managers with one Rust binary.

Timeline

• Initial design: Created by moonrepo as a Rust and WebAssembly-based unified toolchain.
• Configuration evolution: Added layered local, user, and global `.prototools` locations and environment-aware resolution.
• Later development: Added backend plugins and configuration-scoped lockfile support.

Related projects

• proto powers the moon build system's toolchain.
• Its plugin model supports moonrepo-maintained tools, third-party plugins, and a large body of asdf-compatible plugins.

Sources

• Official configuration reference: https://moonrepo.dev/docs/proto/config
• Official proto overview: https://moonrepo.dev/docs/proto
• Official repository: https://github.com/moonrepo/proto