# Install lolcat with Homebrew

Rainbows and unicorns in your console! Version 100.0.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-06.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:lolcat
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install lolcat
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:lolcat
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 100.0.1
- **Source summary:** Rainbows and unicorns in your console!
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/busyloop/lolcat>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/busyloop/lolcat>
- **Last updated:** 2026-06-06T17:04:14Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- lolcat (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 100.0.1
## Project history and usage

lolcat is a small Ruby command-line program for coloring terminal output with rainbow ANSI colors. Its upstream description is intentionally playful: 'Rainbows and unicorns!'

### Project history

The official GitHub repository was created in August 2011. The README is minimal, showing the tool's visual output and installation commands for Linux and macOS rather than presenting a large manual.

The package follows the classic Unix filter pattern: install a small executable and pipe text through it to transform output. Its implementation is Ruby-only, and the repository includes a gemspec and man page alongside the `bin` and `lib` directories.

### Adoption history

lolcat has broad package-manager presence for a toy CLI. The supplied package facts list Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, and Ubuntu packages.

The official repository's star and fork counts show unusually high recognition for such a small utility, reflecting its spread through terminal screenshots, shell demos, and dotfile culture.

### How it is used

Users typically pipe command output through `lolcat` to add rainbow color, or call `lolcat` directly on text files. The Homebrew package exposes the `lolcat` executable.

Because lolcat is cosmetic and does not manage state, it has no official config file or credentials file location.

### Why package nerds care

lolcat is package-nerd significant because it is pure terminal whimsy that became a real cross-distro package. It is often installed not because it is necessary, but because it makes pipelines, demos, and shell prompts visibly fun.

### Timeline

- 2011: Official GitHub repository created.
- 2010s: lolcat spreads across common Unix-like package managers.
- 2024: Official repository activity continues on GitHub.

### Related projects

- lolcat is related to ANSI terminal color filters and shell-demo utilities, and is commonly combined with ordinary Unix commands through pipes.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/busyloop/lolcat>
- <https://github.com/busyloop/lolcat#readme>
- 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/lolcat.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/lolcat.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation