macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install casklocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install caskMacPorts ports tree · devel/cask/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 1022
Install cask with Homebrew, MacPorts
Emacs dependency management. Version 0.9.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with macports: sudo port install cask.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Emacs dependency management
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cask
history
Project history and usage
Cask is an Emacs Lisp project-management and dependency tool centered on a project-local `Cask` file. It helped Emacs package authors declare dependencies, run commands in an isolated package environment, and build packages from the command line.
Project history
The public repository was created in 2012 and later moved under the cask GitHub organization. Official documentation describes Cask as dependency management for Emacs and documents a small domain-specific language for package metadata and dependencies.
Adoption history
Cask became part of the Emacs package-author toolchain during the period when package.el, MELPA, and CI workflows were becoming common. Its presence in Homebrew and MacPorts made it easy for package maintainers to install the same command-line tool used in project automation.
Homebrew analytics show continued use despite the project's age, with 27,894 stable installs in the last 365 days in the formula API.
How it is used
A project declares dependencies in a file named `Cask`; users then run commands such as `cask install`, `cask exec`, `cask emacs`, `cask build`, and `cask package`. The DSL reference covers package metadata and dependency declarations.
Why package nerds care
Cask matters to package nerds because it brought Bundler-style dependency declarations and repeatable command execution to Emacs Lisp projects, making Emacs packages easier to test and publish from CI and shell scripts.
Timeline
- 2012: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2010s: Cask documented as an Emacs dependency-management CLI with a project-local DSL.
- 2026: Homebrew packages v0.9.1 and reports continuing install activity.
Related projects
- Emacs package.el and MELPA are the broader package ecosystem that Cask projects usually target.
- Homebrew and MacPorts distribute the Cask command-line tool on macOS.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
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
Cask
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cask | 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 version0.9.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cask |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.9.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://cask.readthedocs.io/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/cask/cask |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
MacPorts95%
cask
sudo port install cask- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cask
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation