# Install cypher-shell with Homebrew, apk

Command-line shell where you can execute Cypher against Neo4j. Version 2026.06.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-08. Also installable with apk: sudo apk add cypher-shell.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:cypher-shell
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install cypher-shell
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add cypher-shell
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cypher-shell from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:cypher-shell
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2026.06.0
- **Source summary:** Command-line shell where you can execute Cypher against Neo4j
- **Homepage:** <https://neo4j.com>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-08T13:00:15Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- cypher-shell (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2026.06.0
## Project history and usage

Cypher Shell is Neo4j's command-line interface for running Cypher queries and administrative commands against a Neo4j database. It is the package-manager-friendly way to script graph database sessions without opening Neo4j Browser.

### Project history

Neo4j kept Cypher Shell in a standalone neo4j/cypher-shell repository for the 1.1 era; that repository's README says newer versions moved into the main neo4j/neo4j repository under community/cypher-shell. The standalone repository is now archived, while the active source lives with Neo4j itself.

The old README documents a build system that produced runnable scripts, zip packages, Debian packages, and RPM packages, which shows Cypher Shell was treated early as a separately distributable command-line tool even though it was tightly coupled to Neo4j.

### Adoption history

Official Neo4j operations documentation presents Cypher Shell as a supported administrative and query tool. It can be installed separately from Neo4j and connected to a live DBMS, which is why it appears naturally in package managers and automation environments.

### How it is used

Users run cypher-shell interactively, pass a Cypher string, pipe files, or execute files containing Cypher statements. The current manual documents connection options for address, username, password, database, access mode, logging, output format, parameters, transactions, and scripting behavior.

### Why package nerds care

Cypher Shell matters to package nerds because it decouples graph-database operations from the server install. A Homebrew or distro package can give developers a lightweight client for local scripts, CI jobs, and remote Neo4j administration.

### Timeline

- 2016: neo4j/cypher-shell standalone repository created.
- 2018: Standalone repository tag history includes Neo4j 3.3 and 3.4 era tags.
- 2023: Archived standalone README points users to community/cypher-shell inside neo4j/neo4j.
- 2026: Current Neo4j Operations Manual documents Cypher Shell as part of Neo4j DBMS tooling.

### Related projects

- Neo4j is the graph database Cypher Shell connects to.
- Cypher is the query language executed by Cypher Shell.
- Neo4j Browser is the graphical counterpart for interactive query work.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j>
- <https://github.com/neo4j/cypher-shell>
- <https://github.com/neo4j/cypher-shell#readme>
- <https://neo4j.com/docs/operations-manual/current/cypher-shell/>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/neo4j/neo4j>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/neo4j/cypher-shell>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

- **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium
- generalized runtime or code generation signal

## Other Package-Manager Records

- apk - cypher-shell - 4.4.41-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: cypher-shell from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Cypher Shell - CLI for Neo4j | https://neo4j.com


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/cypher-shell.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/cypher-shell.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph