cask / rank 1002

Install p4 with Homebrew Cask

Use it to gain instant access to operations and complete control over the system. Version 2026.1,3089746 via Homebrew Cask; verified 2026-10-27. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#p4.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrew Caskverified · 100%

brew install --cask p4

local Homebrew cask metadata

overview

Package summary

Use it to gain instant access to operations and complete control over the system

Project links

Commands and aliases

p4
bin.macosx12arm64

history

Project history and usage

P4 CLI is the command-line client for Perforce P4, the centralized version-control platform formerly branded Helix Core. It connects local workspaces to P4 Server and exposes both everyday versioning operations and lower-level administrative capabilities.

Project history

Christopher Seiwald started Perforce in 1995 around a version-control system originally called Perforce and commonly abbreviated P4. The product was renamed Helix Core in 2016 as Perforce expanded into a broader software portfolio.

In 2025, Perforce announced that Helix Core would again use the P4 name. Long-established command names such as p4 sync and p4 submit made the change a return to terminology already familiar to users.

Adoption history

P4 became associated with centralized version-control deployments that must handle large repositories and binary assets. Perforce presents the wider P4 platform as serving demanding game, semiconductor, media, and enterprise engineering workflows.

How it is used

Users configure a server address, identity, and client workspace, then run commands such as p4 sync, p4 edit, p4 submit, and p4 reconcile. Authentication tickets obtained through p4 login are kept in the P4TICKETS file.

Teams with several workspaces commonly set P4CONFIG to a filename such as .p4config. P4 searches the working directory and its parents for that file, allowing settings to follow each workspace.

Why package nerds care

The p4 executable is the canonical automation interface to P4 Server. It matters to package users because a small command-line client unlocks workspace synchronization, changelists, shelving, branching, merging, administration, and scripted CI access to an otherwise server-centered commercial ecosystem.

Its P4CONFIG search behavior is especially useful in developer environments: repository-local or parent-directory settings can automatically select the correct server, user, and workspace as the shell moves between projects.

Timeline

1995: Christopher Seiwald founded Perforce around the version-control system commonly called P4.
2016: The original Perforce version-control product was renamed Helix Core.
2025: Perforce announced the return from the Helix Core product name to P4.

Related projects

P4 Server is the service operated by the client.
P4V provides a graphical client for the same server and workspace model.
P4Merge, P4 Admin, and P4 Code Review cover comparison, administration, and review workflows around P4.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for p4. Package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

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: P4CONFIG-named file in the current working directorya parent directory, for example .p4config.txt
Windows: P4CONFIG-named file in the current working directorya parent directory, for example .p4config.txtPerforce settings stored by p4 set in the Windows registry

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.p4tickets
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\p4tickets.txtP4PASSWD in the Windows registry when set with p4 setP4V

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`bin.macosx12arm64`	binary	Homebrew cask binary	bin.macosx12arm64
`p4`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

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 generated2026-11-04

manager version2026.1,3089746

manager updated2026-10-27

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://www.perforce.com/products/helix-core-apps/command-line-client

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.perforce.com/products/helix-core-apps/command-line-clientnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	cask:p4
Version	2026.1,3089746
Package manager	Homebrew Cask
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/p4
Homepage	https://www.perforce.com/products/helix-core-apps/command-line-client
Upstream docs	https://www.perforce.com/products/helix-core-apps/command-line-client
Source archive	https://filehost.perforce.com/perforce/r26.1/bin.macosx12arm64/p4
Last updated	2026-10-27T23:35:00+11:00
Pulse	updated
SHA-256	no_check
Download URL	https://filehost.perforce.com/perforce/r26.1/bin.macosx12arm64/p4
Bottle	not recorded
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew cask API
Tap	homebrew/cask
Full Token	p4
Names	Perforce Helix Command-Line Client (P4)
Conflicts With	Cask perforce
Artifacts	Binary 1 Target 1 Zap 1
Container	Type naked
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no

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%

p4

nix profile install nixpkgs#p4

normalized package name match
Matched by: P4

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/p4/p4/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Chocolatey95%

p4

choco install p4

normalized package name match
Matched by: P4

Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: p4 from https://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','origin'

Scoop95%

main/p4

scoop install main/p4

normalized package name match
Matched by: P4

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/p4.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

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/p4.yml

Used sources

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