macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install glulxelocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 12120
Install glulxe with Homebrew, apt
Portable VM like the Z-machine. Version 0.6.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install glulxe.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install glulxeDebian stable package indexes · glulxe · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Portable VM like the Z-machine
Project links
Commands and aliases
- glulxe
history
Project history and usage
Glulxe is Andrew Plotkin's reference-style interpreter for Glulx, the 32-bit virtual machine used by many interactive-fiction works. Package users install it to run `.ulx` Glulx game files from the command line or through Glk front ends.
Project history
Glulx was designed as a portable interactive-fiction virtual machine similar to the Z-machine, but with 32-bit data and addresses and native Glk I/O support. Glulxe, short for Glulx Execute, implements that VM in C and is maintained by Andrew Plotkin under the `erkyrath` GitHub account.
The Glulxe README and version history show a long, conservative evolution: profiling and acceleration work appeared in 2009, floating-point support in 2010, memory checks and Glk dispatch improvements followed, the project switched from an older ad hoc license to MIT in 2016, and later releases added debugger and autosave support for RemGlk-oriented use.
Adoption history
Glulxe's adoption is tied to the Inform and Glulx interactive-fiction ecosystem rather than to general gaming. The official Glulx page links the interpreter, the VM specification, Inform compiler support, sample game files, Quixe for browser execution, and Lectrote for desktop apps, placing Glulxe among the reference tools that keep older and newer IF works runnable.
Distribution through Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu makes Glulxe accessible outside IF Archive downloads, which helps authors, archivists, and players test Glulx story files with a standard interpreter.
How it is used
Practitioners build Glulxe against a Glk library such as CheapGlk, GlkTerm, or RemGlk, then run `glulxe filename.ulx` to execute a Glulx game file. The README also documents autosave, autorestore, single-turn operation, RNG seeding, debugger builds, and platform-specific Glk library integration.
Interactive-fiction authors use it to test Inform-generated Glulx works; preservation-minded users use it as a dependable VM runner; and UI authors pair it with Glk libraries or RemGlk to connect text-adventure execution to terminal, desktop, or web-facing interfaces.
Why package nerds care
Glulxe is package-worthy because it turns a niche literary-computing runtime into a stable command-line executable. Its significance is less about popularity metrics and more about archival durability: a small VM interpreter lets decades of Glulx IF artifacts remain executable on ordinary Unix-like systems.
Timeline
- 2009: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2009: Version 0.4.4 added profiling code and function acceleration.
- 2010: Version 0.4.6 added floating-point math support.
- 2016: Version 0.5.3 switched the project to the MIT license.
- 2022: Version 0.6.0 added Glulx spec 3.1.3 opcode support and Unix autosave support.
- 2023: Version 0.6.1 added RNG seeding and Windows configuration improvements.
Related projects
- Glk provides the I/O abstraction Glulxe depends on.
- Inform 6 and Inform 7 can produce Glulx game files.
- Quixe and Lectrote are related Glulx interpreters or wrappers for browser and desktop use.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
glulxe | 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 version0.6.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:glulxe |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.6.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.eblong.com/zarf/glulx/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/erkyrath/glulxe |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
glulxe 0.6.1-1
Interpreter for glulx interactive fiction
https://www.eblong.com/zarf/glulx/
sudo apt install glulxe- Section: games
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Glulxe
Ubuntu apt95%
glulxe 0.5.4-1.1
Interpreter for glulx interactive fiction
https://www.eblong.com/zarf/glulx/
sudo apt install glulxe- Section: universe/games
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Glulxe
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