macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install envchainlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 5325
Install envchain with Homebrew, Nix
Secure your credentials in environment variables. Version 1.1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#envchain.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#envchainnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/en/envchain/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Secure your credentials in environment variables
Project links
Commands and aliases
- envchain
history
Project history and usage
envchain is a security-focused CLI for storing secret environment variables in the macOS Keychain or a D-Bus Secret Service provider, then exposing them only for explicitly launched commands.
Project history
The README positions envchain as a response to the common practice of putting credentials such as AWS access keys in shell initialization files. Instead of writing those secrets to `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`, envchain stores them in a secure vault under namespaced entries.
The project supports macOS Keychain and Linux Secret Service backends such as GNOME Keyring and KeePassXC. Its documented platform requirements include macOS versions from the OS X era and Linux systems with readline, libsecret, and D-Bus Secret Service support.
Adoption history
envchain is a niche but established package-manager tool. Its README documents Homebrew installation, and Homebrew formula analytics showed hundreds of annual installs during this enrichment run. The input package facts also list Nix packaging.
How it is used
Users create a namespace with `envchain --set NAMESPACE ENV ...`, enter secret values interactively, and then run commands as `envchain namespace command`. The tool injects only the variables from the requested namespace into that child process.
Multiple namespaces can be combined, which supports workflows such as separating AWS credentials from chatbot or service credentials while still composing them for a particular command.
Why package nerds care
envchain is part of a family of small Unix secret-handling wrappers that try to make environment variables less dangerous without changing the tools that consume them. Its package value is in bridging native desktop secret stores with ordinary CLI workflows.
Timeline
- 2010s: envchain documents OS X Keychain support and later Linux Secret Service support.
- 2010s: Homebrew installation is documented in the upstream README.
- 2020s: The tool remains packaged as a small credential wrapper for macOS and Linux.
Related projects
- envchain relates to macOS Keychain, GNOME Keyring, KeePassXC, libsecret, and the D-Bus Secret Service specification.
- It overlaps with dotenv-style workflows, but stores values in platform secret stores rather than in project files.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
envchain | 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 version1.1.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:envchain |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/sorah/envchain |
| Repository | https://github.com/sorah/envchain |
| 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%
envchain
nix profile install nixpkgs#envchain- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Envchain
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