macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install charslocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 7991
Install chars with Homebrew, Nix
Command-line tool to display information about unicode characters. Version 0.7.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#chars.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#charsnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ch/chars/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Command-line tool to display information about unicode characters
Project links
Commands and aliases
- chars
history
Project history and usage
Cha(rs) is a command-line Unicode and ASCII character inspection tool.
Project history
The official README presents Cha(rs) as a Rust command-line tool for displaying names and codes for ASCII and Unicode characters or code points. It explicitly positions the project as inspired by classic ascii(1)-style lookup tools while extending the idea to Unicode and control-character edge cases.
Adoption history
The README documents installation from source with cargo install and points to operating-system packages including Arch Linux AUR, Homebrew, and Chocolatey. Homebrew packages version 0.7.0 and reports small but steady install counts.
How it is used
Typical usage is running chars with a literal character, a Unicode code point such as U+1F63C, or an ambiguous numeric code, then reading the printed encodings, width, quote form, and Unicode name.
Why package nerds care
Cha(rs) is package-nerd interesting because it turns Unicode database lookup into a tiny terminal utility distributed through Rust and OS package managers, filling the same quick-reference role that ascii(1) filled for older character sets.
Timeline
- 2026: Homebrew formula metadata lists chars 0.7.0 and packages Linux and macOS bottles.
- 2026: Official repository README documents Cargo, Homebrew, AUR, Chocolatey, and source install paths.
Related projects
- ascii(1)-style character lookup tools are named as inspiration in the official README.
- Rust Cargo is the source and crate installation path documented by the official README.
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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
chars | 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 version0.7.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:chars |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.7.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/boinkor-net/chars/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/boinkor-net/chars |
| 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.
Nix95%
chars
nix profile install nixpkgs#chars- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Chars
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 package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation