brew / approval gates / rank 24

Install cmake with Homebrew

Cross-platform make. Version 4.4.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-31.

Install command Security notes

agent safety

Agent safety answer

cmake configures native builds and can run project-defined build commands.

Credential access

Reads environment variables, toolchain files, and project config.

Remote mutation

Usually local, but custom commands can call external services.

Publish/artifact risk

Can produce native release artifacts and installer packages.

Recommended control

Gate install/package targets and custom commands that use secrets.

Agent-use guidance

Allow configure/build in scanned worktrees; require approval for install, package, and secret-backed custom targets.

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cmake

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

Cross-platform make

Project links

Commands and aliases

ccmake
cmake
cpack
ctest

history

Project history and usage

CMake is Kitware's cross-platform build, test, and package tooling family. It began as infrastructure for large portable C++ scientific software and became the de facto build-system interface for much of the C and C++ open source ecosystem.

Project history

The official CMake history says CMake was created in 2000 for the National Library of Medicine's Insight Toolkit, after Bill Hoffman concluded that a new portable C++ build tool was needed. The early design goals were native build-tool support, one input file across platforms, bootstrap portability with only a C++ compiler, and code-generator support.

Adoption history

CMake moved from ITK into VTK and ParaView in 2002, then into major open source projects over time. The official timeline highlights KDE switching in 2006, LLVM removing autoconf in favor of CMake in 2016, Visual Studio adding integrated CMake project support in 2017, and Qt switching to CMake in 2019. The CMake about page claims more than two million downloads per month, and the batch input lists packages across Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Nix, MacPorts, Windows package managers, and more.

How it is used

The cmake executable generates project buildsystems, builds and installs projects, runs scripts, runs command-line helper actions, and exposes help. CMake projects begin from CMakeLists.txt files; modern workflows may also use CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json, while generated build trees contain CMakeCache.txt.

Why package nerds care

CMake is package-nerd infrastructure: it is the build-system front door for thousands of upstream projects and distro recipes. Its generator model lets package maintainers target Make, Ninja, IDE projects, and platform-native tooling from the same upstream metadata, while CTest and CPack standardize test and packaging hooks.

Timeline

2000: CMake is created for the National Library of Medicine's Insight Toolkit project.
2002: VTK and ParaView replace their build systems with CMake.
2006: KDE switches to CMake, helping drive Linux distribution availability.
2011: Ninja generator is added to CMake.
2016: LLVM switches to CMake and removes autoconf.
2017: Microsoft Visual Studio introduces integrated support for CMake projects.
2019: The Qt Group switches to CMake.
2020: CMake Presets are incorporated into Visual Studio and Ninja Multi-Config is added.
2022: CMake is publicly described as the standard build system in a C++Now talk cited by the official timeline.

Related projects

The official timeline ties CMake to ITK, VTK, ParaView, KDE, LLVM, Visual Studio, Qt, Ninja, CTest, CPack, and C++20 modules work. It is also the build dependency for projects such as cmark.

Sources

approval gates

Human review metadata for risky commands

The local approval-gate seed includes 6 rules for cmake. Covered entrypoints: cmake, cpack, ctest. Severity labels: high, medium. Coverage: partial, reviewed 2026-05-21.

Example gated actions

Execute a CMake script with -P.
Invoke the configured native build tool.
Install build outputs to a destination prefix.
Remove paths through CMake command mode.
Execute project tests.
Generate release packages or installers.

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: CMakePresets.jsonCMakeUserPresets.json<build-tree>/CMakeCache.txt

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`ccmake`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`cmake`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`cpack`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`ctest`	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 version4.4.2

manager updated2026-07-31

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cmake
Version	4.4.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://www.cmake.org/
Repository	https://github.com/Kitware/CMake
Last updated	2026-07-31T21:49:00Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

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.

combined/cmake.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
approval-gate seed metadata
curated agent safety answer
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
pkgdb category and tag curation