# Install addlicense with Homebrew, Nix

Scan directories recursively to ensure source files have license headers. Version 1.2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-25. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#addlicense.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:addlicense
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install addlicense
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#addlicense
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:addlicense
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.2.0
- **Source summary:** Scan directories recursively to ensure source files have license headers
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/google/addlicense>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/google/addlicense>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-25T14:18:25-04:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- addlicense (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.2.0
## Project history and usage

addlicense is a Google-maintained Go command that recursively scans source trees and adds or checks copyright license headers. It is deliberately simple: run it over patterns, choose a supported license template or file, and optionally fail CI with -check.

### Project history

The official GitHub repository was created in June 2016. Its README describes a Go program that modifies source files in place, avoids duplicating headers that already exist, and supports Apache, BSD, MIT, and MPL-style headers plus custom license files.

The project is hosted under the google organization but explicitly says it is not an official Google product. The official tag list shows stable v1.x tags, and the README now documents Go installation, a GitHub Container Registry image, and pre-commit integration.

### Adoption history

addlicense fits the common open-source maintenance workflow where license headers are enforced in presubmit, CI, or pre-commit rather than by hand. The supplied package-manager metadata shows Homebrew and Nix packaging, while the README documents go install, Docker, and an official pre-commit hook.

### How it is used

Typical use is addlicense . or addlicense with multiple file and directory patterns. Important package-maintainer flags include -check for verification-only runs, -ignore for vendored or generated files, -l for the license family, -f for custom text, -s for SPDX identifiers, and -c/-y for copyright holder and year.

### Why package nerds care

For package and release engineers, addlicense is a boring tool in the best sense: it makes source-header policy reproducible and automatable. It is useful in repos where license conformance needs to be enforced before vendoring, releasing, or importing code into downstream packaging.

### Timeline

- 2016-06: GitHub repository created.
- v1.0.0: First stable tag appears in the official tag list.
- Current README: Go install, container, and pre-commit workflows are documented.

### Related projects

- pre-commit is documented as an official hook consumer.
- doublestar is referenced by the README for ignore-pattern semantics.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/google/addlicense>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/google/addlicense/tags?per_page=100>
- <https://github.com/google/addlicense#readme>
- source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - addlicense: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ad/addlicense/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/addlicense.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/addlicense.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph