# Install bibtex-tidy with Homebrew, Nix

Cleaner and Formatter for BibTeX files. Version 1.15.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-28. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#bibtex-tidy.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:bibtex-tidy
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install bibtex-tidy
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#bibtex-tidy
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:bibtex-tidy
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.15.0
- **Source summary:** Cleaner and Formatter for BibTeX files
- **Homepage:** <https://flamingtempura.github.io/bibtex-tidy/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-28T03:32:28Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- bibtex-tidy (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.15.0
## Project history and usage

bibtex-tidy is a JavaScript/TypeScript formatter and cleaner for BibTeX files, shipped as a CLI, browser app, API, Docker image, and pre-commit hook.

### Project history

The public GitHub repository begins with an initial commit in December 2017, and the package.json describes the project as 'Tidy bibtex files' with a bibtex-tidy command-line executable.

The changelog records growth from basic cleanup into duplicate checking, multi-file operation, pre-commit integration, trailing commas, empty-field removal, wrapping, key generation, and a higher-performance parser.

### Adoption history

bibtex-tidy fits the formatter wave that made source-formatting tools common in developer workflows: the README documents browser use, CLI installation through npm, a JavaScript/TypeScript API, Docker, and pre-commit usage.

Homebrew and Nix packaging make it available to users who manage bibliography tooling alongside other command-line development utilities rather than through npm alone.

### How it is used

Typical usage is running bibtex-tidy against a .bib file to normalize indentation, field alignment, casing, URL encoding, field ordering, duplicates, and output behavior.

The v1.10 changelog previews a v2-style safer CLI where files are not overwritten by default unless --modify is specified, reflecting the package's role in automated formatting pipelines.

### Why package nerds care

bibtex-tidy is package-nerd interesting because it brings the expectations of modern code formatters to the old BibTeX file format: deterministic output, pre-commit hooks, stdin/stdout behavior, Docker packaging, and npm/Homebrew/Nix distribution.

It is especially useful for teams that store .bib files in source control and want noisy bibliography diffs reduced to stable, reviewable changes.

### Timeline

- 2017-12-02: Initial public GitHub commit.
- 2020: README media and project docs show an established browser and CLI workflow.
- 2021: v1.8.x changelog entries add a higher-performance parser, type definitions, and a new release process with tags.
- 2023: v1.9.0 adds JabRef-style key generation, Docker configuration, URL-persisted web UI configuration, and a Svelte web UI rewrite.
- 2024: v1.10.0 previews safer v2 CLI semantics for stdin/stdout and file modification.

### Related projects

- BibTeX is the bibliography format that bibtex-tidy parses and rewrites.
- JabRef is referenced by bibtex-tidy's generated-key template support.
- pre-commit is a common integration point for using bibtex-tidy in source-controlled bibliography projects.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/FlamingTempura/bibtex-tidy/commits?per_page=1&page=593>
- <https://github.com/FlamingTempura/bibtex-tidy/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md>
- <https://github.com/FlamingTempura/bibtex-tidy/blob/master/README.md>
- <https://github.com/FlamingTempura/bibtex-tidy/blob/master/package.json>


## 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 - bibtex-tidy: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bi/bibtex-tidy/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/bibtex-tidy.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/bibtex-tidy.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