# Install desk with Homebrew

Lightweight workspace manager for the shell. Version 0.6.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:desk
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install desk
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:desk
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.6.0
- **Source summary:** Lightweight workspace manager for the shell
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/jamesob/desk>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/jamesob/desk>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- desk (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.6.0
## Project history and usage

desk is a lightweight workspace manager for shells. It associates a named project context with a shell script, then starts a shell where that context has been loaded.

### Project history

desk's first GitHub release was v0.1.0 in October 2015. The README frames it as deliberately simple: a shell script that sources another shell script in a new shell, but with enough structure to document aliases, functions, environment variables, and project directories.

### Adoption history

The project documented Homebrew installation, direct curl installation, git installation, shell completions for bash, zsh, and fish, and zsh plugin-manager integration through tools such as oh-my-zsh, Antigen, and zgen. That made it easy to adopt in dotfile-heavy developer environments.

### How it is used

Users create deskfiles under ~/.desk/desks or add a Deskfile to a project directory, then run desk commands to activate, list, edit, or run commands inside those environments. Deskfiles are normal shell scripts with comments used as descriptions and inline command documentation.

### Why package nerds care

desk is package-nerd interesting because it is intentionally small shell infrastructure: it competes more with dotfiles, aliases, and shell plugin managers than with large workspace systems, and packages as a single command with no dependency beyond bash.

### Timeline

- 2015: v0.1.0 initial release.
- 2015: v0.4.0 added formatting and desk run work.
- 2016: v0.5.0 added Deskfile work and fish fixes.
- 2016: v0.6.0 changed shell startup to use exec.

### Related projects

- The README names godesk as a related fuzzy-filtering launcher for desk.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/jamesob/desk#readme>
- <https://github.com/jamesob/desk/releases/tag/v0.1.0>
- <https://github.com/jamesob/desk/releases/tag/v0.6.0>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

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


## 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

- Unix: ~/.desk, ~/.desk/desks/*.sh, ./Deskfile

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/desk.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/desk.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation