install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install ponysay

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#ponysay

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S ponysay

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

overview

Package summary

Cowsay but with ponies

Project links

Commands and aliases

ponysay
ponysay-tool
ponythink

history

Project history and usage

ponysay prints colored terminal ponies with speech or thought balloons, accepting a message as arguments or from standard input.

Project history

Mattias Andrée and contributors developed ponysay as a pony-themed counterpart to cowsay. The official manual is copyrighted from 2012 and describes how the early wrapper evolved into an independent cowsay reimplementation with version 2.1.

Adoption history

The program has been packaged by Homebrew, Nix, and Arch-oriented ecosystems, giving the pony-themed utility a life beyond source checkouts and fandom-specific installations.

How it is used

Users run `ponysay` with a message, pipe text into it, request character quotations, or add it to shell startup files for a random greeting. `ponythink` produces thought balloons, while `ponysay-tool` manages supporting pony data and caches.

Why package nerds care

ponysay belongs to the long Unix tradition of small programs that decorate pipelines and login shells. Its appeal to package enthusiasts comes from combining cowsay-style composability with Unicode, ANSI-color handling, extensible character files, and unusually extensive documentation for a terminal joke.

Timeline

2012: The official manual's copyright period begins.
Version 1.2: ponyquotes4ponysay became included by default.
Version 2.1: ponysay became an independent reimplementation rather than a cowsay wrapper.

Related projects

cowsay supplied the original speech-balloon concept and command conventions.
ponythink parallels cowsay's cowthink command.
ponyquotes4ponysay supplies character quotations and has been included by default since version 1.2.

Sources

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 2 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.

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: ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/ponysay/ponysayrc~/.config/ponysay/ponysayrc~/.ponysayrc/etc/ponysayrc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`ponysay`	cli	global executable
`ponysay-tool`	cli	global executable
`ponythink`	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 version3.0.3

manager updated2026-09-13

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected3.0.3

https://github.com/erkin/ponysay

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:ponysay
Version	3.0.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ponysay
Homepage	https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/
Repository	https://github.com/erkin/ponysay
Upstream docs	https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/
License	GPL-3.0-or-later
Source archive	https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/archive/refs/tags/3.0.3.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-13T12:04:28Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	coreutils, python@3.14
Build dependencies	gzip, texinfo
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	ponysay
Version Scheme	0
Revision	7
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.

Nix95%

ponysay

nix profile install nixpkgs#ponysay

normalized package name match
Matched by: Ponysay

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

pacman95%

ponysay 3.0.3-7

cowsay reimplemention for ponies

https://github.com/erkin/ponysay

sudo pacman -S ponysay

License: GPL-3.0-only
Architecture: any
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ponysay

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: ponysay 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/ponysay.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 ponysay with Homebrew, Nix, pacman