macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install pinentrylocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install pinentryMacPorts ports tree · security/pinentry/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 170
Install pinentry with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, pacman, zypper, apt
Passphrase entry dialog utilizing the Assuan protocol. Version 1.3.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-10. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install pinentry-curses.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add pinentryAlpine Linux edge package indexes · pinentry · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install pinentryFedora Rawhide package metadata · pinentry · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S pinentryArch Linux sync databases · pinentry · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install pinentryopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · pinentry · source: download.opensuse.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install pinentry-cursesDebian stable package indexes · pinentry-curses · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Passphrase entry dialog utilizing the Assuan protocol
Project links
Commands and aliases
- pinentry
- pinentry-curses
- pinentry-tty
history
Project history and usage
pinentry is the GnuPG Project's family of dialog programs for securely obtaining passphrases and PINs through graphical or terminal interfaces.
Project history
The GnuPG Project maintains pinentry as a collection of secure passphrase and PIN-entry dialogs. It supports common GTK and Qt environments as well as curses-based terminal interaction and communicates through the Assuan protocol.
Adoption history
The input records pinentry packages across Homebrew, Alpine, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora-family, Arch, openSUSE, and MacPorts. Distributions commonly split or select frontends such as curses, TTY, GTK, or Qt according to the target environment.
How it is used
Applications normally invoke pinentry through gpg-agent rather than asking users to run it directly. Install or select the frontend appropriate to the session—graphical, curses, or TTY—so GnuPG can request secrets without reading them through its ordinary command interface.
Why package nerds care
pinentry separates secret entry from applications such as GnuPG and gpg-agent. That separation—and the choice among graphical, curses, and plain-terminal frontends—makes pinentry a small but conspicuous integration point in desktop, headless, SSH, smart-card, and package-signing setups.
Timeline
- Established within the GnuPG software family as the dedicated secure-entry component.
- Ongoing development: Maintained in the GnuPG Project's official Pinentry Git repository.
Related projects
- GnuPG and gpg-agent invoke pinentry for protected secret input.
- Assuan is the interprocess protocol used by the GnuPG ecosystem for this interaction.
- GTK, Qt, curses, and TTY implementations provide environment-specific frontends.
Sources
- https://dev.gnupg.org/source/pinentry.git
- https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/index.html
- source_facts.package-manager
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 post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
pinentry | cli | global executable | |
pinentry-curses | cli | global executable | |
pinentry-tty | 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 version1.3.3
manager updated2026-09-10
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:pinentry |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.3.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pinentry |
| Homepage | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/ |
| Upstream docs | https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://www.gnupg.org/ftp/gcrypt/pinentry/pinentry-1.3.3.tar.bz2 |
| Last updated | 2026-09-10T12:27:24Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | libassuan, libgpg-error |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | ncurses |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | pinentry |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
pinentry-curses 1.3.1-2
curses-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-curses- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-doc 1.3.1-2
documentation for pinentry packages
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: pinentry
- 5 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-fltk 1.3.1-2
FLTK-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-fltk- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-gnome3 1.3.1-2
GNOME 3 PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-gnome3- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 9 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-gtk2 1.3.1-2
GTK+-2-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-gtk2- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-qt 1.3.1-2
Qt-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-qt- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 12 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Debian apt95%
pinentry-tty 1.3.1-2
minimal dumb-terminal PIN or pass-phrase entry for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-tty- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-curses 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
curses-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-curses- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-doc 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
documentation for pinentry packages
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-doc- Section: utils
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: pinentry
- 5 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-fltk 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
FLTK-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-fltk- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-gnome3 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
GNOME 3 PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-gnome3- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 9 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-gtk2 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
GTK+-2-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-gtk2- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-qt 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
Qt-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-qt- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 11 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
Ubuntu apt95%
pinentry-tty 1.2.1-3ubuntu5
minimal dumb-terminal PIN or pass-phrase entry for GnuPG
https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/pinentry/
sudo apt install pinentry-tty- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
apk95%
pinentry 1.3.2-r0
Collection of simple PIN or passphrase entry dialogs which utilize the Assuan protocol
https://www.gnupg.org/aegypten2/
sudo apk add pinentry- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
apk95%
pinentry-curses-ss 1.3.2-r0
Curses-based PIN or pass-phrase entry dialog for GnuPG with Secret Service support
https://www.gnupg.org/aegypten2/
sudo apk add pinentry-curses-ss- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pinentry
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pinentry
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
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation