# Install btparse with Homebrew BibTeX utility libraries. Version 0.35 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:btparse ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install btparse ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:btparse - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 0.35 - **Source summary:** BibTeX utility libraries - **Homepage:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - bibparse (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 0.35 ## Project history and usage btparse is the C parsing library bundled with the Text-BibTeX distribution, exposed to Homebrew users as BibTeX utility libraries. It matters mostly as infrastructure: a small, old, specialized parser that keeps bibliographic tooling from having to reimplement BibTeX syntax. ### Project history Text-BibTeX first appeared on CPAN in March 1997 under Greg Ward's PAUSE account. The distribution wrapped a C library, btparse, for parsing and processing BibTeX data and provided a Perl interface through Text::BibTeX. The btparse manual describes a lexical scanner, LR parser, AST traversal API, name splitting, TeX string handling, and BibTeX-compatible string manipulation. Later releases moved maintenance to the AMBS PAUSE account and point MetaCPAN users at the GitHub repository. ### Adoption history Adoption is strongest in the Perl and bibliography-tooling ecosystem, where CPAN distribution history gives Text-BibTeX a long tail. Homebrew's btparse formula packages the native library side for users who need the parser outside a pure CPAN installation. The package is niche but durable: its public release history spans from 1997 to a latest MetaCPAN release in 2025, which is unusually long-lived for a tiny parser library. ### How it is used btparse is used to parse BibTeX entries into an abstract syntax tree, iterate entries and fields, split author-name lists, and apply BibTeX-style string transformations. The Homebrew formula exposes the bibparse executable as the user-facing command. It is not a credentialed service and does not have an official config file; it is library and command-line parsing infrastructure. ### Why package nerds care btparse is package-nerd archaeology: a C library from the late-1990s Perl/TeX toolchain that still ships through modern package managers because bibliographic formats are sticky and exact parser behavior matters. It also shows how Homebrew sometimes packages a subcomponent by its native library name even when the canonical upstream distribution identity is a language package, Text-BibTeX. ### Timeline - 1997: Text-BibTeX 0.1 appears on CPAN under GWARD. - 1999: Text-BibTeX 0.30-era releases include FAQ and btparse/Text::BibTeX documentation. - 2025: Text-BibTeX 0.91 is published on MetaCPAN under AMBS with a GitHub repository resource. ### Related projects - Text::BibTeX is the Perl API built around the btparse parser. - BibTeX is the original bibliography format and tool whose data language btparse targets. - MetaCPAN and CPAN are the distribution history surfaces for Text-BibTeX releases. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/btparse.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/btparse.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - cross-ecosystem install command graph