macOS
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brew install frotzprovider-native install command
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Install frotz with Homebrew
Infocom-style interactive fiction player. Version 2.55 via Homebrew; verified 2026-08-02.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Infocom-style interactive fiction player
Project links
Commands and aliases
- dfrotz
- frotz
- sfrotz
history
Project history and usage
Frotz is an interpreter for Infocom and other Z-machine interactive fiction games. The current Unix Frotz README describes it as compliant with the Z-Machine Standard 1.1 and able to play Z-code games through curses, dumb-terminal, and SDL interfaces.
Project history
Frotz was originally written by Stefan Jokisch in 1995-1997 and later ported to Unix by Galen Hazelwood. The reference code and Unix port are currently maintained by David Griffith in the GitLab repository.
The broader platform history comes from Infocom's Z-machine: Infocom built an imaginary machine for its interactive fiction games, the format was reverse-engineered in the early to mid-1990s, and Inform enabled new Z-code games after Infocom's commercial era.
Adoption history
Frotz became a standard way to play Infocom-style interactive fiction on Unix-like systems and other platforms. The README lists support for common Unix flavors including macOS, DOS and FreeDOS, TOPS20 on PDP-10 systems, and portability to other operating systems and hardware.
The project points users to the Interactive Fiction Archive for releases and game material, tying Frotz to the long-running freeware and preservation infrastructure around Z-code games.
How it is used
The main commands include `frotz`, `dfrotz`, and `sfrotz`. Users run Frotz with a Z-code or Blorb file, then interact with the story through natural-language commands such as movement, inventory, save, restore, transcript, and look commands.
The Unix line includes config files, user-configurable error checking, sound support through libao, SDL graphics, and multiple front ends for different terminal or graphical needs.
Why package nerds care
Frotz is package-nerd significant because it is the canonical small interpreter package for a preserved game platform. It packages decades of interactive-fiction compatibility into a few command-line front ends, and it is useful on old, unusual, and modern systems alike.
It is also a neat packaging artifact because the program is not the game content: package managers ship the interpreter, while users bring Z-code or Blorb story files from archives, personal collections, or newly authored Inform games.
Timeline
- Late 1970s-1980s: Infocom develops interactive fiction games for the Z-machine.
- Early to mid-1990s: The Z-machine is reverse-engineered and Inform enables new Z-code games.
- 1995-1997: Stefan Jokisch writes the original Frotz.
- 2019: Frotz 2.50 modernizes the Unix line with UTF-8 input/output, sound, Blorb handling, portability fixes, and safer code changes.
- 2025: Frotz 2.55 is released with bug fixes, manual updates, Z-machine save-restore prompt support, and related enhancements.
Related projects
- Related projects and artifacts include Infocom, Zork, the Z-machine standards, Inform, Blorb, Quetzal save files, the Interactive Fiction Archive, and other Z-machine interpreters.
- Frotz's platform ports and interfaces relate it to curses, SDL, libao, DOS, TOPS20, and Unix terminal packaging.
Sources
- https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/frotz/-/raw/master/ChangeLog
- https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/frotz/-/raw/master/HOW_TO_PLAY
- https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/frotz/-/raw/master/README.md
- https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/frotz/-/raw/master/doc/frotz.6
- https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/DavidGriffith%2Ffrotz/releases
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.
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
~/.frotzrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
dfrotz | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
frotz | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
sfrotz | 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 version2.55
manager updated2026-08-02
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:frotz |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.55 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://661.org/proj/if/frotz/ |
| Last updated | 2026-08-02T16:35:33+09:00 |
| 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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation