# Install hck with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Sharp cut(1) clone. Version 0.11.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-15. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#hck.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:hck
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install hck
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install hck
```

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

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#hck
```

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

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S hck
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: hck from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:hck
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.11.6
- **Source summary:** Sharp cut(1) clone
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/sstadick/hck>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/sstadick/hck>
- **Last updated:** 2026-06-15T16:29:25Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- hck (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.11.6
## Project history and usage

hck is a Rust command-line text-processing tool described by its author as a sharp cut(1) clone. It keeps the familiar field-selection niche of cut while adding regex delimiters, output-column reordering, header selection, decompression support, and speed-focused packaging.

### Project history

The public GitHub repository was created in June 2021. The README explains the name as a shortening of 'hack', a rougher form of cut, and describes the tool as a near drop-in replacement for cut that fills a gap between cut and awk.

The project deliberately does not try to become a complete CSV/TSV parser like xsv. Its stated non-goal is respecting full quoting rules; it remains a line-by-line splitter in the spirit of cut.

### Adoption history

The README documents installation through Homebrew/Linuxbrew, conda-forge, MacPorts, Debian packages from GitHub releases, Cargo, and optimized release binaries. Input package facts also list Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and pacman packaging.

The README includes a Repology packaging-status badge, which signals that the maintainer expects hck to be tracked across multiple distribution ecosystems.

### How it is used

Typical use is to pipe text or process files with field selections such as hck -f2,1,3-, choose regex delimiters for whitespace or unusual separators, select columns by header literal or regex, and optionally process compressed inputs when a local decompressor exists.

### Why package nerds care

hck is the kind of package CLI enthusiasts like: a small Rust replacement for a standard Unix primitive that adds just enough practical ergonomics for messy data exploration while staying scriptable. Its value is not replacing awk or CSV parsers, but reducing common one-off pipelines.

### Timeline

- 2021: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2020s: README documents packaging through Homebrew/Linuxbrew, conda-forge, MacPorts, Debian artifacts, Cargo, and release binaries.
- 2020s: Input package facts show additional Nix and pacman packaging.

### Related projects

- cut, awk, xsv, tsv-utils, choose, ripgrep-style decompression behavior, and gzp compression are related tools or inspirations named by the README.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/sstadick/hck>
- <https://github.com/sstadick/hck>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sstadick/hck/master/README.md>


## 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 - hck: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/hc/hck/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- pacman - hck - 0.11.6-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: hck from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A drop in replacement for cut that can use a regex delimiter instead of a fixed string | https://github.com/sstadick/hck
- MacPorts - hck: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/hck/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/hck.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/hck.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