# Install lnk with Homebrew

Git-native dotfiles management that doesn't suck. Version 0.9.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:lnk
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install lnk
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:lnk
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.9.1
- **Source summary:** Git-native dotfiles management that doesn't suck
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/yarlson/lnk>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/yarlson/lnk>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-26T13:41:02+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- lnk (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.9.1
## Project history and usage

lnk is a small Go-based dotfiles manager built around Git and symbolic links. Its README describes it as intentionally low-ceremony: it moves files into a Git repo, symlinks them back, and tracks managed paths in plain text.

### Project history

The yarlson/lnk GitHub repository was created in May 2025. The project presents itself as a git-native dotfiles manager with no templates and no separate config file, using a default repository location under ~/.config/lnk unless overridden by LNK_HOME or XDG_CONFIG_HOME.

### Adoption history

Official adoption evidence is still thin because lnk is young and primarily distributed through its GitHub repository, GitHub releases, Go install, an install script, and Homebrew. The repository metadata shows several hundred stars by mid-2026, suggesting interest among users who want a simpler alternative to larger dotfile frameworks.

### How it is used

The README's core workflow is init, pull, add, status, diff, push, and host-specific adds. Users keep a Git repository of dotfiles, while lnk restores files to their original paths as symlinks and can keep host-specific files under hostname-based subdirectories.

### Why package nerds care

lnk is package-nerd relevant as a deliberately minimal entrant in the crowded dotfiles-manager category. It packages a common shell-script pattern into one Homebrew-installable binary while staying close to Git and POSIX symlinks.

### Timeline

- 2025: The yarlson/lnk repository is created.
- 2025: README documents Homebrew, release binaries, and go install as installation paths.
- 2026: Repository metadata shows continued activity and package-manager availability through Homebrew.

### Related projects

- Git, GNU Stow, chezmoi, and yadm occupy related dotfiles-management territory.
- lnk distinguishes itself by using a plain Git repository and symlink restoration rather than a template-heavy configuration system.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/yarlson/lnk>
- <https://github.com/yarlson/lnk>
- source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/lnk.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/lnk.yml)


## Sources

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