macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install neflocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 19680
Install nef with Homebrew
Steroids for Xcode Playgrounds. Version 0.7.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Steroids for Xcode Playgrounds
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nef
- nef-carbon
- nef-carbon-page
- nef-clean
- nef-jekyll
- nef-jekyll-page
- nef-markdown
- nef-markdown-page
- nef-playground
- nef-playground-book
- nefc
history
Project history and usage
nef is a Bow Swift project that turns Xcode Playgrounds into a documentation and teaching workflow. It compiles playgrounds with third-party dependencies, exports Markdown or Jekyll content, builds iPad Playground Books, and can export Carbon code snippets.
Project history
The public GitHub repository was created on 2018-12-19. The README says `nef` is short for Nefertiti and was inspired by ΛNK for Kotlin and tut for Scala, placing it in the tradition of executable documentation tools for language ecosystems.
The project documentation presents Homebrew as the preferred CLI installation route, while also allowing consumption as a Swift Package Manager library for macOS tooling. That dual shape matches its role: a developer can use `nef` directly, integrate pieces into an app, use an Xcode extension, or create iPad-friendly Swift Playgrounds.
Adoption history
nef's adoption appears niche and tightly coupled to Bow, Swift Playgrounds, and documentation workflows rather than broad Swift development. The GitHub API showed 268 stars and 6 forks on 2026-07-01, and Homebrew showed only 7 installs over 365 days, 1 over 90 days, and 0 over 30 days when checked the same day.
Those numbers suggest that nef is historically interesting as a specialized executable-documentation tool, but not a widely adopted package. Its value is clearest for teams or educators who want Swift examples that can be compiled and transformed into docs or playground books.
How it is used
Package users install `nef`, then create a playground with `nef playground`, compile playground-backed docs, generate Markdown or Jekyll output, produce a Playground Book from a Swift Package specification, or export code snippets. The common package-nerd use case is making examples more reproducible by compiling the documentation source instead of treating snippets as inert text.
The Homebrew formula requiring macOS and Xcode >= 13.1 reflects the real constraint: nef is not a general cross-platform documentation generator, it is Apple-toolchain-centered Swift playground tooling.
Why package nerds care
nef is a small but instructive package because it packages documentation as a build artifact. It belongs with literate-programming and executable-snippet tools more than with ordinary static-site generators.
Timeline
- 2018-12-19: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2026-07-01: GitHub API reported 2022-01-19 as the repository last-push timestamp.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula stable version observed as 0.7.1 with very low install counts.
Related projects
- Bow
- Xcode Playgrounds
- Swift Package Manager
- Jekyll
- Carbon
- ΛNK
- tut
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
nef | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-carbon | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-carbon-page | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-clean | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-jekyll | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-jekyll-page | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-markdown | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-markdown-page | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-playground | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nef-playground-book | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
nefc | 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 version0.7.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:nef |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.7.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://nef.bow-swift.io |
| Repository | https://github.com/bow-swift/nef |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation