macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install git-lfsprovider-native install command
brew / rank 220
Install git-lfs with Homebrew
Git extension for versioning large files. Version 3.7.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Git extension for versioning large files
Project links
Commands and aliases
- git-lfs
history
Project history and usage
Git LFS is the reference command-line implementation and specification for storing large file contents outside ordinary Git blobs while keeping small pointer files in the repository. It became one of the standard answers for repositories that need to version art assets, datasets, media, archives, and other large binaries without making every clone carry every large object as normal Git history.
Project history
The public git-lfs repository was created in 2013, and the changelog records v0.5.0 in April 2015 as the initial public release. The official specification preserves a clue from the pre-release era by documenting legacy pointer files that used a `hawser.github.com` version URL before the `git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1` pointer URL.
Git LFS reached v1.0.0 in October 2015. Before that milestone, v0.6.0 switched the client to the Batch API by default while retaining fallback to the legacy API. The 2.x line later removed old APIs and added features such as `git lfs migrate`, which rewrites history to convert large Git blobs into LFS objects.
Adoption history
Git LFS matters because it is both a Git extension and a protocol/specification surface. The README describes pre-built binaries for macOS, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD, Homebrew installation, Debian and RPM packages, Chocolatey installation, and inclusion in Git for Windows. That distribution footprint helped make LFS available to designers, game teams, data projects, and software teams using hosted Git services.
The project also has a maintainer model around a core team and alumni, public releases with signed hashes, official command documentation, an FAQ, and implementation notes. Those are signs of infrastructure-level Git tooling rather than a one-off helper script.
How it is used
Practitioners run `git lfs install` once to configure clean and smudge filters, use `git lfs track` to add patterns to `.gitattributes`, commit that attributes file, and then add and push files as usual. Git LFS writes pointer files into Git and stores object contents under the LFS object store, uploading LFS objects before the Git push completes.
`git lfs migrate` is used when large files already exist in history and need to be moved into LFS, with the usual history-rewrite consequences. Operators also use `git lfs env`, tracing, signed release verification, and the command manpages when debugging installs or server interactions.
Why package nerds care
Git LFS is package-nerd significant because it is a CLI, a Git filter integration, and a wire-format specification in one package. It shows how a package can become part of the developer-tooling substrate: package managers distribute the binary, Git invokes it through filters and hooks, and hosting platforms implement the matching storage API.
Timeline
- 2013: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2015: v0.5.0 marked the initial public release.
- 2015: v0.6.0 used the Batch API by default.
- 2015: v1.0.0 released.
- 2017: v2.0.0 removed legacy APIs.
- 2017: v2.2.0 added `git lfs migrate`.
Related projects
- Git LFS relates to Git attributes, clean and smudge filters, Git for Windows, and hosted Git LFS server implementations. Its problem space overlaps with artifact repositories and data-versioning tools, but its distinctive feature is that ordinary Git commits retain pointer files while large object transfer is handled out of band.
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.
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
.lfsconfig.gitattributes.git/config~/.gitconfig/etc/gitconfig
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
git-lfs | 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 version3.7.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:git-lfs |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.7.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://git-lfs.com/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs |
| 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