# Install cmctl with Homebrew

Command-line tool to manage cert-manager. Version 2.5.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:cmctl
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install cmctl
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:cmctl
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.5.0
- **Source summary:** Command-line tool to manage cert-manager
- **Homepage:** <https://cert-manager.io>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/cert-manager/cmctl>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T22:04:02+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- cmctl (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.5.0
## Project history and usage

cmctl is the command-line companion for cert-manager, focused on managing cert-manager resources inside Kubernetes clusters.

### Project history

The official README states that before v2, cmctl lived in the cert-manager repository and was versioned together with cert-manager. Starting with v2, cmctl is versioned separately in its own repository.

The standalone GitHub repository was created in January 2024 and its release stream begins with v2.0.0 prereleases and v2.0.0 in March 2024.

### Adoption history

cmctl follows cert-manager into Kubernetes operator workflows: it can inspect certificates, approve or deny CertificateRequests, check cert-manager health, and assist with installation, upgrade, and uninstall tasks. The official README documents Homebrew, Go install, manual release binaries, shell completion, and distributed third-party packages.

### How it is used

Official docs describe `cmctl` as a tool for managing cert-manager resources inside a cluster. Typical usage is operational rather than general-purpose: checking API health, inspecting Certificate and CertificateRequest objects, approving or denying requests, and using experimental `cmctl x` subcommands around cert-manager installation and lifecycle tasks.

### Why package nerds care

cmctl matters to package nerds because it is a Kubernetes ecosystem CLI with multiple distribution channels: Homebrew on macOS/Linux, Go install, GitHub release binaries, shell completions, and distro packages. Its separate v2 versioning is a packaging boundary: the CLI can now release independently of the controller it manages.

### Timeline

- 2024-01: Standalone cmctl repository created.
- 2024-03: v2.0.0 released, establishing the separately versioned CLI line.
- 2024-06: v2.1.0 released.
- 2025: v2.2.0 and later releases continue the standalone series.

### Related projects

- cmctl is directly related to cert-manager and Kubernetes. The README also documents an alternate installation name, `kubectl-cert_manager`, for use as a kubectl plugin-style command.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/cert-manager/cmctl#readme>
- <https://cert-manager.io/docs/reference/cmctl/>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/cert-manager/cmctl>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/cert-manager/cmctl/releases>


## 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/cmctl.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/cmctl.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation