macOS
Homebrewverified ยท 100%
brew install nethackprovider-native install command
brew / rank 2560
Install nethack with Homebrew
Single-player roguelike video game. Version 5.0.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-29.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Single-player roguelike video game
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nethack
history
Project history and usage
NetHack is one of the canonical open source roguelikes: a single-player dungeon exploration game descended from Rogue and Hack, with the official 5.0 material describing it as a direct descendant of NetHack 3.6 and a distant descendant of Rogue and Hack. The official site describes the game as portable across many computer systems, with graphical and text interfaces over the same game engine, and with an emphasis on learning dungeon details rather than simply killing every monster.
The Homebrew formula tracks the 5.0.0 source release and reported 2,205 installs in the 365-day window in its API generated on 2026-07-01. That is modest package-manager volume, but NetHack's importance is cultural and historical: the official site itself links to long-running USENET discussion, articles, academic references, and AI challenge material.
Project history
The official repository README for NetHack 5.0.0 says the release is an enhancement to the dungeon exploration game NetHack, a distant descendant of Rogue and Hack, and a direct descendant of NetHack 3.6. The official home page announced NetHack 5.0.0 on 2026-05-02, followed by updated platform binaries in May and June 2026.
The official information page preserves the old-school release culture around the project: new versions are announced on the website and USENET, and release dates are not forecast. The same page explains that the 'Net' in NetHack refers to the distributed way developers organize work, not multiplayer gameplay.
Adoption history
NetHack's adoption is deeper than raw install counters suggest. The official site still points players to rec.games.roguelike.nethack, rec.games.roguelike.announce, print references, web retrospectives, AI-related work, and public community discussion, which is exactly how a terminal game from the 1980s stayed alive across Unix, Windows, macOS, Amiga, MS-DOS, and other ports.
On Homebrew, the 2026-07-01 formula API reported stable version 5.0.0 with 195 installs in 30 days, 1,061 in 90 days, and 2,205 in 365 days. GitHub showed the official mirror with thousands of stars and a 5.0.0 release dated 2026-05-02.
How it is used
Package users install it to run the `nethack` executable, usually as a terminal roguelike with personal settings in a `.nethackrc`. Practical use is not automation or library integration; it is playing a famously deep procedural dungeon game, often with custom options, tiles or curses front ends, and community servers or local builds.
The package-nerd use case is preservation-friendly portability: build it on odd platforms, run it over SSH, test old-school terminal behavior, or keep a classic roguelike in a package collection. Its save and bones files are version-sensitive, which the official information page calls out for 5.0.0.
Why package nerds care
NetHack is a package collection staple because it is both software history and a living C codebase. A package index that lacks it looks culturally thin, even if the install count is smaller than modern developer tools.
Timeline
- 1985-2026: official site copyright range for NetHack-related code.
- 2023-02-16: NetHack 3.6.7 release notes announced a security-fix release.
- 2026-05-02: official home page announced NetHack 5.0.0.
- 2026-06-09: official home page announced updated 5.0.0 binaries for Windows, Amiga, and MS-DOS.
Related projects
- Rogue
- Hack
- NetHack Challenge
- rec.games.roguelike.nethack
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for nethack. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
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
~/.nethackrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
nethack | 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 version5.0.0
manager updated2026-07-29
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:nethack |
|---|---|
| Version | 5.0.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.nethack.org/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack |
| Last updated | 2026-07-29T08:49:47+01:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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
- Nucleus package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation