install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kubetrim

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kubetrim

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ku/kubetrim/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install kubetrim

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · kubetrim · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Trim your KUBECONFIG automatically

Project links

Commands and aliases

kubetrim

history

Project history and usage

kubetrim is a small Alex Ellis utility for pruning stale Kubernetes contexts and clusters from a kubeconfig. It is a deliberately narrow CLI: load a kubeconfig, test contexts, and write back the entries that still work.

Project history

The project appeared as a compact Go repository with a README centered on one job: tidying old and broken cluster and context entries. Its own Q&A compares the tool to doing the work manually with kubectl config commands and notes that kubectx removes contexts but leaves additional cleanup steps.

Adoption history

kubetrim is niche but package-manager friendly: the batch input records Homebrew, Nix, and zypper packaging, and the README documents arkade and release downloads. That footprint is typical for Alex Ellis utilities that solve a recurring operator annoyance with a small binary.

How it is used

Users run kubetrim against the kubeconfig selected by KUBECONFIG, optionally use --write=false for a dry run, and can keep unreachable contexts by listing them in ~/.local/kubetrim/keep.txt. The README also suggests cron or shell startup usage for people who accumulate short-lived clusters.

Why package nerds care

kubetrim matters less as a broad Kubernetes platform and more as a tiny example of packageable operational hygiene. It wraps a manual, error-prone kubectl config cleanup routine into a single command with conservative behavior when every cluster appears unreachable.

Timeline

2024: The repository copyright and release series show the tool as an Alex Ellis Go CLI.
2024: v0.0.1 added the keep-file mechanism for unreachable clusters that should not be deleted.
2024: v0.0.2 added a timeout when checking cluster contexts.

Related projects

Related tools include kubectl config, kubectx, arkade, k3sup, and other small Kubernetes operator utilities. kubetrim complements kubectx by cleaning both context and cluster entries after connectivity checks.

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 post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

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: ~/.local/kubetrim/keep.txt

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`kubetrim`	cli	global executable

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 generated2026-09-19

manager version0.0.2

manager updated2026-09-11

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.0.2

https://github.com/alexellis/kubetrim

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kubetrim
Version	0.0.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kubetrim
Homepage	https://github.com/alexellis/kubetrim
Repository	https://github.com/alexellis/kubetrim
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/alexellis/kubetrim/archive/refs/tags/v0.0.2.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-11T17:22:54Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	kubetrim
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

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%

kubetrim

nix profile install nixpkgs#kubetrim

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kubetrim

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

zypper95%

kubetrim 0.0.1-1.9

Trim your KUBECONFIG automatically

https://github.com/alexellis/kubetrim

sudo zypper install kubetrim

License: MIT
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: kubetrim
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Kubetrim

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: kubetrim from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst

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/kubetrim.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install kubetrim with Homebrew, Nix, zypper