# Install gat with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix

Cat alternative written in Go. Version 0.30.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#gat.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:gat
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install gat
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install gat
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/gat/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#gat
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ga/gat/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:gat
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.30.2
- **Source summary:** Cat alternative written in Go
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/koki-develop/gat>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/koki-develop/gat>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T14:57:48+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- gat (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.30.2
## Project history and usage

gat is a Go implementation of a modern `cat`-style terminal file viewer. It keeps the familiar single-command file display model while adding syntax highlighting, Markdown rendering, image display for Sixel-capable terminals, pretty printing, and secret masking.

### Project history

The project started publicly in March 2023 and released v0.1.0 the same day. Its official README describes it as a cat alternative written in Go and documents a steady release series through the 0.x line.

### Adoption history

The README documents installation through the author's Homebrew tap, Homebrew core, `go install`, and GitHub release binaries. That places gat in the same terminal-tool packaging niche as other enhanced `cat` replacements, but with a small Go binary distribution story.

### How it is used

Users run `gat` with one or more files and optional flags for language selection, output format, themes, Markdown rendering, nonprinting character display, and secret masking. Environment variables such as `GAT_FORMAT` and `GAT_THEME` can provide defaults for output style.

### Why package nerds care

gat is package-nerd-relevant as another entry in the long-running ecosystem of `cat` replacements, but its mix of terminal image support, Markdown rendering, and built-in token masking makes it more than a straight colorizer.

### Timeline

- 2023: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2023: v0.1.0 released.
- 2025: v0.20.x releases continued the 0.x series.

### Related projects

- gat relates to traditional Unix `cat`; the official sources describe it generically as a cat alternative rather than positioning it against a specific competing package.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/koki-develop/gat>
- <https://github.com/koki-develop/gat/releases>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - gat: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ga/gat/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- MacPorts - gat: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/gat/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

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