install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install reattach-to-user-namespace

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#reattach-to-user-namespace

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/re/reattach-to-user-namespace/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Reattach process (e.g., tmux) to background

Project links

Commands and aliases

reattach-to-user-namespace

history

Project history and usage

reattach-to-user-namespace is a macOS command-line compatibility utility that launches a process after attaching it to the per-user bootstrap namespace.

Project history

Chris Johnsen created the tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard project to address access to the macOS pasteboard from programs running inside tmux. The repository provides reattach-to-user-namespace as the process wrapper used for that integration.

Adoption history

The utility became associated particularly with tmux configurations on macOS, where users wrapped shells or selected commands to regain access to user-session services such as the pasteboard.

How it is used

It is typically referenced from ~/.tmux.conf to start a shell or pasteboard command through reattach-to-user-namespace. Its relevance depends on the macOS and tmux versions in use.

Why package nerds care

It preserves a recognizable piece of macOS command-line history: a small compatibility shim that package managers made easy to install while tmux and macOS session behavior evolved.

Timeline

2011: The upstream repository's public history began during the Mac OS X tmux pasteboard-integration era.
Later macOS releases: Upstream documentation increasingly treated some historical workarounds as version-dependent.

Related projects

tmux is the principal companion project; the wrapper is commonly invoked from tmux configuration.

Sources

Official project README: https://github.com/ChrisJohnsen/tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard#readme
source_facts.package-manager records availability through Homebrew and Nix.

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 10 platform targets.

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.

macOS: ~/.tmux.conf

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`reattach-to-user-namespace`	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 version2.9

manager updated2026-09-13

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv2.9

https://github.com/ChrisJohnsen/tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:reattach-to-user-namespace
Version	2.9
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/reattach-to-user-namespace
Homepage	https://github.com/ChrisJohnsen/tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard
Repository	https://github.com/ChrisJohnsen/tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard
License	BSD-2-Clause
Source archive	https://github.com/ChrisJohnsen/tmux-MacOSX-pasteboard/archive/refs/tags/v2.9.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-13T05:42:28Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	reattach-to-user-namespace
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Requirements	macos
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%

reattach-to-user-namespace

nix profile install nixpkgs#reattach-to-user-namespace

normalized package name match
Matched by: Reattach To User Namespace

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/re/reattach-to-user-namespace/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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/reattach-to-user-namespace.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 reattach-to-user-namespace with Homebrew, Nix