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Install nyan with Homebrew, Nix

Colorizing cat command with syntax highlighting. Version 1.2.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#nyan.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install nyan

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#nyan

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

overview

Package summary

Colorizing cat command with syntax highlighting

Commands and aliases

  • nyan

history

Project history and usage

nyan is a Go command-line replacement for the narrow use case of running cat on source files while keeping terminal syntax highlighting. Its upstream README describes it as a colorizing cat command, with language selection, line numbers, and selectable themes such as monokai, dracula, pygments, and solarized variants.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created on 2019-07-08 by toshimaru. The README explicitly ties the name to Nyan Cat, but the tool's implementation niche is practical rather than novelty: plain file output with optional syntax coloring instead of a pager-first workflow.

Adoption history

nyan started as a small Homebrew-tap style developer utility and the README notes that version 1.2.0 was merged into homebrew-core. The Homebrew formula API reported stable version 1.2.6 and 610 installs over the 365-day analytics window queried on 2026-07-01, which fits a modest but real CLI-tool audience.

How it is used

Package nerds use nyan where bat is more UI than they want: quick terminal inspection of files with colors, sometimes with --language to force highlighting, --theme to match a terminal theme, --number for line numbers, and --list-themes to preview palettes.

Why package nerds care

nyan sits in the tiny ecosystem of colorizing cat clones such as ccat and bat. Its significance is mostly packaging shape: a small Go single-command utility that graduated into homebrew-core because it cleanly solves one terminal habit.

Timeline

  • 2019-07-08: GitHub repository created.
  • v1.2.0: upstream README says nyan was merged into homebrew-core.
  • 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported stable version 1.2.6.

Related projects

  • bat
  • ccat
  • Nyan Cat

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

CommandKindExposureNote
nyanexecutableindexed executableDiscovered 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 version1.2.6
manager updated2026-07-26
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:nyan
Version1.2.6
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://github.com/toshimaru/nyan
Repositoryhttps://github.com/toshimaru/nyan
Last updated2026-07-26T19:43:17+02:00
Pulseupdated
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

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%

nyan

nix profile install nixpkgs#nyan
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Nyan
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ny/nyan/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

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.

Used sources

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