# Install bazelisk with Homebrew, chocolatey, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

User-friendly launcher for Bazel. Version 1.29.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#bazelisk.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:bazelisk
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install bazelisk
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install bazelisk
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/bazelisk/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install bazelisk
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bazelisk from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#bazelisk
```

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

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S bazelisk
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: bazelisk from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install bazel8
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: bazel8 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

### Windows

- Chocolatey (92%):

```sh
choco install bazelisk
```

  Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: bazelisk from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','azurestorageemulator'

- Scoop (92%):

```sh
scoop install main/bazelisk
```

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

- winget (92%):

```sh
winget install --id Bazel.Bazelisk -e
```

  Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Bazel.Bazelisk from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:bazelisk
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.29.0
- **Source summary:** User-friendly launcher for Bazel
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-26T10:56:32+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- bazel (alias)
- bazelisk (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.29.0
## Project history and usage

Bazelisk is the Bazel launcher and version manager that makes Bazel behave like a repo-pinned toolchain: it chooses, downloads, verifies, and runs the Bazel version requested by the current workspace.

### Project history

The bazelbuild/bazelisk repository begins in September 2018 with a Python script, and the README notes that Bazelisk was later rewritten in Go. The maintained Go version is now the documented implementation.

Bazelisk's core model is intentionally simple: it can be invoked as bazel or bazelisk, reads USE_BAZEL_VERSION, .bazeliskrc, .bazelversion, or fallback settings, downloads official Bazel releases or forked releases, then passes arguments through to the selected Bazel binary.

### Adoption history

Bazelisk became common because Bazel workspaces are sensitive to major-version changes, incompatible flags, and migration timing. A checked-in .bazelversion lets teams upgrade Bazel atomically with the source changes needed for that upgrade.

The input records Bazelisk packaging across Homebrew, Chocolatey, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Scoop, winget, and zypper, and the README also documents npm distribution for frontend developers.

### How it is used

Developers install Bazelisk as bazel on PATH, check a .bazelversion file into the repository, and let Bazelisk download and run the matching Bazel binary on laptops and CI.

Advanced workflows use .bazeliskrc and environment variables for custom release mirrors, SHA256 verification, forked Bazel releases, GitHub tokens, migration runs, bisecting Bazel versions, and wrapper scripts under tools/bazel.

### Why package nerds care

Bazelisk is package-nerd significant because it separates the package-manager-installed launcher from the project-selected compiler/build-tool version, similar in spirit to nvm-style runtime management.

It is also the practical glue that makes versioned Bazel formulas less painful: repositories can declare their expected Bazel line while users keep one stable launcher installed.

### Timeline

- 2018-09: Upstream git history starts with a Python bazelisk implementation.
- 2018-10: Early commits implement lookup of the latest Bazel release.
- 2020s: The README documents the maintained Go rewrite, .bazelversion and .bazeliskrc selection, fork support, verification, --migrate, and --bisect.
- 2020s: Package managers distribute Bazelisk as both bazelisk and bazel for drop-in Bazel launching.

### Related projects

- Bazel is the binary Bazelisk selects and executes.
- bazel@7 and bazel@8 are versioned package-manager alternatives, while Bazelisk lets a workspace choose those or newer upstream releases dynamically.
- bazel-diff and bazel-remote CI setups often benefit from Bazelisk because graph hashing and remote-cache behavior should use the workspace's intended Bazel version.

### Sources

- Upstream git history for https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk starts in September 2018.
- <https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk#readme documents Bazelisk's launcher purpose, Python-to-Go history, version selection, .bazelversion, .bazeliskrc, downloads, auth, --migrate, and --bisect.>
- source_facts.package-manager records cross-package-manager availability.


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

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


## 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

- Unix: $workspace/.bazeliskrc, $workspace/.bazelversion

## Credential files

- Unix: ~/.netrc
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - bazelisk: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ba/bazelisk/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- dnf - bazelisk - 1.29.0-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bazelisk from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A user-friendly launcher for Bazel | https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk
- pacman - bazelisk - 1.29.0-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: bazelisk from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A user-friendly launcher for Bazel. | https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazelisk
- MacPorts - bazelisk: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/bazelisk/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Chocolatey - bazelisk: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: bazelisk from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','azurestorageemulator'
- Scoop - main/bazelisk: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/bazelisk.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- winget - Bazel.Bazelisk: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Bazel.Bazelisk from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix
- MacPorts - bazel: installed executable or alias match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/bazel/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Nix - bazel: installed executable or alias match | nixpkgs package indexes: bazel from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
- pacman - bazel - 9.2.0-2: installed executable or alias match | Arch Linux sync databases: bazel from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Correct, reproducible, and fast builds for everyone | https://bazel.build/
- zypper - bazel8 - 8.4.1-1.5: installed executable or alias match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: bazel8 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Tool for the automation of building and testing of software | https://bazel.build/
- Chocolatey - bazel: installed executable or alias match | Chocolatey community package catalog: bazel from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','azurestorageemulator'
- Scoop - main/bazel: installed executable or alias match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/bazel.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- winget - Bazel.Bazel: installed executable or alias match | Windows Package Manager source index: Bazel.Bazel from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix


## Combined YAML source

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


## Sources

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