install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install picat

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add picat

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · picat · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#picat

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

overview

Package summary

Simple, and yet powerful, logic-based multi-paradigm programming language

Project links

Commands and aliases

picat

history

Project history and usage

Picat is a logic-based, multi-paradigm programming language designed for general programming, constraint solving, planning, and scripting. It combines rule-based pattern matching with familiar imperative constructs and specialized search facilities.

Project history

Neng-Fa Zhou and collaborators designed Picat as a scalable logic-based, multi-paradigm language. The initial design was published in December 2012, and the first alpha release appeared in May 2013.

The implementation is based on the B-Prolog engine. Over time the language added and refined constraint, planning, tabling, scripting, and Prolog-compatible facilities; version 3.0 added Prolog-style Horn clauses and definite-clause grammars.

Adoption history

The project’s guide credits early community review and hundreds of Picat programs written from May 2013 onward as important to the language’s rapid maturation. Picat later developed a presence in constraint-programming education, programming contests, and solver competitions.

The official site records first-place performance in the 2021 LP/CP programming contest and competitive results in later XCSP and MiniZinc challenges. It is distributed through several Unix package ecosystems, including Homebrew, Alpine Linux, and Nix.

How it is used

Users can start an interactive Picat session with the picat command, load and debug programs, or execute a .pi program directly when it defines main/0 or main/1. Common application areas include constraint models, combinatorial search, planning, contest problems, and scripts.

Why package nerds care

Picat interests language-package enthusiasts because it packages a comparatively uncommon blend of Prolog-like relations, imperative assignments and loops, tabling, constraint solving, planning, and scripting in one standalone interpreter.

Its implementation lineage through the B-Prolog engine and its interfaces to SAT, SMT, and mathematical-optimization solvers make it a compact gateway into several declarative-programming traditions.

Timeline

2012: Initial Picat design published.
2013: First alpha version released in May.
2021: Picat team won the LP/CP programming contest.
2022: Version 3.3 released.
2023: Versions 3.4 and 3.5 released.
2024: Versions 3.6 and 3.7 released.
2025: Versions 3.8 and 3.9 released.
2026: Version 3.9#11 released on July 16.

Related projects

Picat is implemented on the B-Prolog engine and is conceptually related to Prolog, constraint-programming systems, and modeling languages. Its official guide documents interfaces to Kissat, Gurobi, CBC, GLPK, SCIP, and Z3.

Sources

Official Picat User’s Guide: https://picat-lang.org/download/picat_guide_html/picat_guide.html
Official Picat homepage: https://picat-lang.org/index.html
Official releases page: https://picat-lang.org/download.html

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:programming language

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 5 platform targets.

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
`picat`	cli	global executable

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 generated2026-09-19

manager version3.9.12

manager updated2026-09-11

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://picat-lang.org/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://picat-lang.org/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:picat
Version	3.9.12
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/picat
Homepage	https://picat-lang.org/
Upstream docs	https://picat-lang.org/
License	MPL-2.0
Source archive	https://picat-lang.org/download/picat39_12_src.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-11T12:53:08Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	picat
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

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%

picat

nix profile install nixpkgs#picat

normalized package name match
Matched by: Picat

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/pi/picat/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

apk95%

picat 3.9.12-r0

Logic-based multi-paradigm programming language

https://picat-lang.org/

sudo apk add picat

License: MPL-2.0
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: picat
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Picat

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: picat from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

picat-doc 3.9.12-r0

Logic-based multi-paradigm programming language (documentation)

https://picat-lang.org/

sudo apk add picat-doc

License: MPL-2.0
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: picat
normalized package name match
Matched by: Picat

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: picat-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

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.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/picat.yml

Used sources

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

Install picat with Homebrew, apk, Nix

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: yellow

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources