install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install karn

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Manage multiple Git identities

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

karn

history

Project history and usage

karn is a small Git identity helper for developers who use different user.name and user.email values across personal, work, and open-source repositories.

Project history

The project began as a Go command-line tool in March 2015. Its README describes the core behavior: karn checks a directory tree, compares it with a user configuration, and updates only a repository's local Git identity rather than the global Git configuration.

The release series stayed intentionally narrow. The v0.0.1 release was tagged from the initial implementation, and v0.1.0 in February 2021 added support for GPG signing keys.

Adoption history

karn reached package-manager visibility through Homebrew and the Arch User Repository, which fits its audience: developers who want a shell-friendly way to keep Git identities separated without remembering per-repository commands.

How it is used

Typical use is to keep identity rules in ~/.karn.yml, then run karn manually or wrap Git commands so karn update runs before Git operations.

Why package nerds care

karn is a tidy example of a package-manager-sized developer convenience: a tiny binary, a dotfile, and a focused fix for a workflow footgun that Git itself leaves to local config discipline.

Timeline

2015-03-28: Initial commit for the Go implementation
2015-03-29: v0.0.1 release
2021-02-12: v0.1.0 release work added GPG signing-key support

Related projects

Git local configuration, shell Git wrappers, and other per-repository identity helpers solve adjacent problems.

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.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.karn.yml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`karn`	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 version0.1.0

manager updated2026-07-27

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:karn
Version	0.1.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/prydonius/karn
Repository	https://github.com/prydonius/karn
Last updated	2026-07-27T21:58:37+02:00
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/karn.yml

Used sources

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

Install karn with Homebrew