# 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 ```sh sudo av install brew:helmsman ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install helmsman ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#helmsman ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helmsman/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install helmsman ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helmsman from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:helmsman - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 4.0.5 - **Source summary:** Helm Charts as Code tool - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T14:32:24+02:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - helmsman (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 4.0.5 ## 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 Notes 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. ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - helmsman: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helmsman/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper - helmsman - 3.17.1-1.8: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helmsman from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Helm Charts as Code | https://github.com/Praqma/helmsman ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/helmsman.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/helmsman.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