install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install jvgrep

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Grep for Japanese users of Vim

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

jvgrep

history

Project history and usage

jvgrep is a grep-like command-line search tool by Yasuhiro Matsumoto for Japanese Vim users. It searches files written in Japanese encodings and can be set as Vim's `grepprg`.

Project history

The jvgrep repository was created on 2011-08-19. Its README describes a focused problem: searching text in files written with Japanese encodings such as ISO-2022-JP, EUC-JP, Shift_JIS/CP932, UTF-8, and UTF-16.

The project has long stayed small and utilitarian. Its public releases show continued maintenance across Go toolchain eras, including v5-series releases and a v5.8.16 release on 2026-04-13.

Adoption history

jvgrep's adoption appears narrow and language-community-specific. The input package metadata lists Homebrew packaging, and the README documents `brew install jvgrep` for macOS along with Go installation commands.

Its value is strongest for Vim users and Japanese text workflows where ordinary grep behavior can be uncomfortable around legacy encodings and multibyte regular expressions.

How it is used

jvgrep is used like grep with options for recursive search, fixed-string or regular-expression matching, color, line numbers, match counts, and encoding selection. Users can set `JVGREP_ENCODINGS` and `JVGREP_OUTPUT_ENCODING` to tune input and output encoding behavior.

In Vim, adding `set grepprg=jvgrep` makes Vim's grep integration call jvgrep instead of the platform grep.

Why package nerds care

jvgrep is package-nerd interesting because it preserves a local need that generic Unix tools often flatten: Japanese encodings, Vim integration, and grep ergonomics in one small Go command.

It also reflects a common Homebrew pattern: small, durable utilities with a very specific audience can still be worth packaging because they solve one awkward workflow cleanly.

Timeline

2011-08-19: The jvgrep GitHub repository is created.
2018-04-24: jvgrep v5.6.0 is published on GitHub.
2020-06-14: jvgrep v5.8.8 is published on GitHub.
2026-04-13: jvgrep v5.8.16 is published on GitHub.

Related projects

Vim is the editor integration target documented by jvgrep.
grep is the Unix search interface that jvgrep specializes for Japanese text.
Go is the implementation and installation toolchain documented by the project.

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
`jvgrep`	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 version5.8.16

manager updated2026-07-25

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:jvgrep
Version	5.8.16
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/mattn/jvgrep
Repository	https://github.com/mattn/jvgrep
Last updated	2026-07-25T20:58:06-04:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/jvgrep.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install jvgrep with Homebrew