install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install pius

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install pius

Debian stable package indexes · pius · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#pius

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S pius

Arch Linux sync databases · pius · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

overview

Package summary

PGP individual UID signer

Project links

Commands and aliases

pius
pius-keyring-mgr
pius-party-worksheet
pius-report

history

Project history and usage

PIUS automates the secure, per-user-ID signing and distribution of OpenPGP keys after keysigning parties.

Project history

PIUS began as a collection of shell scripts written by Phil Dibowitz to automate parts of post-keysigning-party work. The scripts were consolidated into a Python utility after direct scripting around GnuPG proved fragile. Earlier versions used pexpect, but that dependency was removed from the signing workflow as GnuPG agent support became required and stable.

Adoption history

PIUS was packaged by several Unix-like distribution ecosystems, including Debian, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Nix, and Homebrew, reflecting its specialized use in the OpenPGP keysigning community.

How it is used

A typical invocation processes every key in a keysigning-party keyring, prompts the signer to verify fingerprints and select certification levels, signs individual UIDs, then exports and encrypted-emails the results. SMTP, output, temporary-directory, and signing options can be stored in `~/.pius/piusrc`.

Why package nerds care

PIUS preserves a workflow associated with in-person OpenPGP keysigning parties: verifying fingerprints, signing individual user IDs, and returning separately encrypted signed keys. It is notable as packaging for a specialized web-of-trust practice rather than a general-purpose encryption utility.

Timeline

Origins: Phil Dibowitz assembled shell scripts to automate repetitive keysigning work.
Python rewrite: the scripts were combined into PIUS and rewritten in Python.
2019: PIUS 3.0.0 was released with GnuPG 2 and GPG Agent requirements.

Related projects

PIUS operates with GnuPG and its agent. The repository also contains companion tools for keyring management, party worksheets, and reports.

Sources

https://github.com/jaymzh/pius#readme
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 1 platform targets.
Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.

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: ~/.pius/piusrc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`pius`	cli	global executable
`pius-keyring-mgr`	cli	global executable
`pius-party-worksheet`	cli	global executable
`pius-report`	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 version3.0.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv3.0.0

https://github.com/jaymzh/pius

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:pius
Version	3.0.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pius
Homepage	https://github.com/jaymzh/pius
Repository	https://github.com/jaymzh/pius
License	GPL-2.0-only
Source archive	https://github.com/jaymzh/pius/archive/refs/tags/v3.0.0.tar.gz
Dependencies	gnupg, python@3.14
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	The path to gpg is hardcoded in pius as `/usr/bin/env gpg`. You can specify a different path by editing ~/.pius: gpg-path=/path/to/gpg

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	pius
Version Scheme	0
Revision	3
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head 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.

Debian apt95%

pius 3.0.0-8

Tools to help before and after key-signing parties

https://github.com/jaymzh/pius

sudo apt install pius

Section: utils
Architecture: all
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Pius

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: pius from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

pius

nix profile install nixpkgs#pius

normalized package name match
Matched by: Pius

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

Ubuntu apt95%

pius 3.0.0-7

Tools to help before and after key-signing parties

https://www.phildev.net/pius/

sudo apt install pius

Section: universe/python
Architecture: all
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Pius

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: pius from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

pacman95%

pius 3.0.0-9

PGP Individual User Signer

https://www.phildev.net/pius/

sudo pacman -S pius

License: GPL
Architecture: any
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Pius

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: pius from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.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/pius.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
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 pius with Homebrew, apt, Nix, pacman