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Install aqua with Homebrew
Declarative CLI Version manager. Version 2.62.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-08-02.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Declarative CLI Version manager
Project links
Commands and aliases
- aqua
history
Project history and usage
aqua is a declarative CLI version manager written in Go. It installs and switches command-line tools from YAML configuration, aiming at the same daily workflow space as asdf-style tool managers but with a registry, lazy install behavior, and Renovate-friendly version declarations.
Project history
The official aqua repository was created in August 2021. The repository description calls it a declarative CLI version manager with lazy install, a registry, Renovate support, and seamless command version switching.
The documentation centers on `aqua.yaml` and registry-backed package definitions. The config reference documents local and global config discovery, standard and local registries, JSON Schema support, checksum settings, and security toggles for provenance verification.
Adoption history
aqua is distributed through Homebrew, Chocolatey, Scoop, and winget in the input metadata. The official repository metadata shows active development, a four-digit star count, and topics around CLI tooling and version management.
The project explicitly documents Renovate integration, YAML language-server schemas, a standard registry, and using aqua together with other version managers such as asdf. That makes its adoption story especially package-manager-native: it is designed for repositories to declare the tools they need and let bots update those declarations.
How it is used
Users add packages such as `helm/helm@v3.7.0` or `golangci/golangci-lint@v1.42.1` to aqua configuration, pin a standard registry ref, and let aqua install or lazily install the requested executables.
Configuration discovery is intentionally repository-friendly: aqua checks `$AQUA_CONFIG`, then `.aqua.yaml`, `aqua.yaml`, `aqua/aqua.yaml`, and `.aqua/aqua.yaml` while walking up from the current directory, with `$AQUA_GLOBAL_CONFIG` for global tools.
Why package nerds care
aqua is interesting because it treats command-line tools themselves as lockable, reviewable project dependencies. The registry and Renovate conventions put CLI installation into the same maintenance loop as library dependencies, which is exactly the sort of thing package nerds care about.
Timeline
- 2021: The official aqua repository was created.
- 2021: The documentation copyright begins and the project published docs under aquaproj.github.io.
- 2023: The config reference notes aqua v1.33.0 support for keeping configuration files in `.aqua` directories.
- 2024: The config reference documents v2-era provenance and policy controls such as Cosign, SLSA, and GitHub Artifact Attestation toggles.
- 2026: The repository remains actively maintained in the 2.x release line.
Related projects
- Related projects and systems include aqua-registry, Renovate, GitHub Actions, YAML Language Server, Cosign, SLSA Provenance, GitHub Artifact Attestations, ghtkn, Keyring, and asdf.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:version manager
Install behavior
- 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
$AQUA_CONFIGaqua.yaml.aqua.yamlaqua/aqua.yaml.aqua/aqua.yaml$AQUA_GLOBAL_CONFIG
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
aqua | 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 generated2026-08-03
manager version2.62.2
manager updated2026-08-02
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:aqua |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.62.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://aquaproj.github.io/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/aquaproj/aqua |
| Last updated | 2026-08-02T06:16:19Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation