macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install helmsmanlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 4940
Install helmsman with Homebrew, Nix, zypper
Helm Charts as Code tool. Version 4.0.5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsman.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsmannixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/he/helmsman/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install helmsmanopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · helmsman · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Helm Charts as Code tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- helmsman
history
Project history and usage
Helmsman is a 'Helm Charts as Code' CLI for managing Helm releases from a declarative desired state file. It plans, validates, and applies a set of chart releases, using Helm and Kubernetes tooling underneath.
Project history
The `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository was created in 2017 and early releases followed quickly, with a 0.1.0 release in November 2017 and a 1.0.0 release in March 2018. The README describes the tool as a way to automate deployment and management of Helm charts from version-controlled code.
Helmsman uses a desired state file, originally centered on TOML and also accepting YAML, to define repositories, namespaces, releases, protection settings, and execution order. Its README emphasizes plan/view/apply behavior, idempotency, namespace and release protection, priority ordering, and parallel execution.
The README records a stewardship change from Praqma, later Eficode, to the maintainers of the `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository. Later documentation distinguishes Helmsman major lines by Helm compatibility, with v1.x for Helm 2 and v4.x for Helm 3 and Helm 4.
Adoption history
Helmsman gained attention in the same era as Helmfile: Kubernetes users had many Helm charts to deploy, but wanted a declarative file and a plan step instead of shell scripts full of `helm install` commands. Its packaging through Homebrew and other distributions reflects use as a local or CI command-line deployment tool.
How it is used
Users run `helmsman -f example.toml` to plan, `helmsman --apply -f example.toml` to execute, and flags such as `--dry-run`, `--debug`, and `--target` to inspect or limit changes. A binary install expects `kubectl`, `helm`, and for many versions the `helm-diff` plugin.
The tool can run as a binary, as a container in CI, or as a container inside a Kubernetes cluster. Its value is strongest where release ordering, namespace protection, and repeated idempotent application matter.
Why package nerds care
Helmsman is part of the Helm wrapper generation that treated Kubernetes releases as package sets. For package-minded operators, its desired-state file is the manifest of packages, while Helm remains the lower-level package manager.
The explicit major-line mapping to Helm 2, Helm 3, and Helm 4 makes it a good example of a wrapper whose own packaging has to track another package manager's compatibility surface.
Timeline
- 2017: The `mkubaczyk/helmsman` repository was created and 0.1.0 was released.
- 2018: Helmsman v1.0.0 was published.
- 2025: Helmsman v4.0.0 was published with documentation for Helm 3 and Helm 4 support.
Related projects
- Helm is the chart manager Helmsman orchestrates.
- kubectl is a runtime prerequisite for binary use.
- helm-diff is listed by the README as a required plugin for Helmsman versions from 1.6.0 onward.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for helmsman. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
helmsman | 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 version4.0.5
manager updated2026-07-27
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:helmsman |
|---|---|
| Version | 4.0.5 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman |
| Repository | https://github.com/mkubaczyk/helmsman |
| Last updated | 2026-07-27T14:32:24+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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.
Nix95%
helmsman
nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsman- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Helmsman
zypper95%
helmsman 3.17.1-1.8
Helm Charts as Code
https://github.com/Praqma/helmsman
sudo zypper install helmsman- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: helmsman
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Helmsman
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