Install gpg-tui with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository

Commands and aliases

• gpg-tui

Project history

The project was introduced publicly by Orhun Parmaksiz in May 2021 as a terminal interface for managing GnuPG keys. Its changelog records 0.1.0 on 2021-05-28, followed immediately by packaging and documentation work.

The README defines a deliberately bounded scope: ease listing, exporting, signing, editing, importing, sending, generating, deleting, and refreshing keys, without trying to cover every GnuPG feature.

Adoption history

gpg-tui spread through Rust and Unix package channels rather than through GnuPG itself. The README documents installation through Cargo, Arch, Alpine, Gentoo overlays, Homebrew, Docker, FreeBSD, and NetBSD.

Its packaging story was part of the project from the first week: the changelog records Arch instructions on 2021-05-29 and Homebrew, FreeBSD, and NetBSD instructions on 2021-06-02.

How it is used

The TUI is used by pointing it at a GnuPG home directory or running it against the user's normal keyring. The README example includes launching against `/etc/pacman.d/gnupg`, which shows the tool's usefulness for inspecting package-manager keyrings as well as personal keys.

The project depends on GnuPG, GPGME, libgpg-error, and Rust. It uses GPGME where that API fits and executes `gpg` for cases such as refresh operations or menu-driven behavior.

Why package nerds care

For package-oriented users, gpg-tui sits in a useful gap between raw `gpg --list-keys` output and full graphical frontends. It makes trust, signing, import, export, and key inspection easier inside SSH sessions, recovery shells, and minimal desktops.

It also shows the Rust TUI wave entering security tooling: a modern terminal UI layered on top of conservative cryptographic plumbing instead of replacing the underlying OpenPGP implementation.

Timeline

• 2021-05-28: 0.1.0 initial release recorded in the changelog.
• 2021-05-29: Arch Linux installation instructions added.
• 2021-06-02: Homebrew, FreeBSD, and NetBSD installation instructions added.
• 2022-05-27: 0.9.0 added custom key bindings.
• 2024-03-17: 0.11.0 added a log view pane.
• 2026-04-23: 0.11.2 updated dependencies and minimum supported Rust version.

Related projects

• Related tools include GnuPG itself, GPGME, pinentry, GPA, Kleopatra, and other terminal UI tools used to manage cryptographic workflows.

Sources

• https://blog.orhun.dev/introducing-gpg-tui/
• https://github.com/orhun/gpg-tui
• https://github.com/orhun/gpg-tui/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md