install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install sic

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install sic

MacPorts ports tree · irc/sic/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add sic

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

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install sic

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

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#sic

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Oire.Sic -e

Windows Package Manager source index · Oire.Sic · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Minimal multiplexing IRC client

Project links

Commands and aliases

sic

history

Project history and usage

sic is an extremely small terminal IRC client from suckless. It reads commands from standard input, writes server traffic to standard output, and multiplexes channel traffic into one stream.

Project history

sic was created within the suckless community as the smaller sibling of the earlier `irc` client. The official repository records its initial commit in 2005 and continues to present a compact C implementation of roughly 250 lines.

Adoption history

sic is distributed from the suckless project site and is packaged across several ecosystems. The supplied metadata lists APK, Homebrew, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and WinGet, indicating adoption well beyond source-only installation.

How it is used

Users start sic with an IRC host, port, nickname, and optional password, then enter commands through standard input. Because all traffic is emitted on standard output, sessions can be logged, filtered, or driven with standard shell tools.

Why package nerds care

sic is a characteristic suckless package: tiny, source-oriented, terminal-native, and deliberately short on interface layers. Its single multiplexed stream makes it useful both as an IRC client and as a component that can be combined with ordinary Unix text tools.

Timeline

2005: Initial source commit.
2021: Upstream portability and correctness fixes landed in the repository.
2022: sic 1.3 was released.

Related projects

irc is described by suckless as sic's older sibling.
ii is another minimalist, filesystem-oriented IRC client from suckless.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:client

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 12 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
`sic`	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

manager updated2026-09-13

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://tools.suckless.org/sic/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://tools.suckless.org/sic/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:sic
Version	1.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sic
Homepage	https://tools.suckless.org/sic/
Upstream docs	https://tools.suckless.org/sic/
License	MIT
Source archive	https://dl.suckless.org/tools/sic-1.3.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-13T09:03:27Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, 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	sic
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
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%

sic 1.1-5+b1

simple irc client (sic)

http://tools.suckless.org/sic/

sudo apt install sic

Section: net
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: sic
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

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

Nix95%

sic

nix profile install nixpkgs#sic

normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

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

Ubuntu apt95%

sic 1.1-5build1

simple irc client (sic)

http://tools.suckless.org/sic/

sudo apt install sic

Section: universe/net
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

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

apk95%

sic 1.3-r0

an extremely simple IRC client

https://tools.suckless.org/sic

sudo apk add sic

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: sic
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

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

apk95%

sic-doc 1.3-r0

an extremely simple IRC client (documentation)

https://tools.suckless.org/sic

sudo apk add sic-doc

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: sic
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

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

MacPorts95%

sic

sudo port install sic

normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: irc/sic/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

Oire.Sic

winget install --id Oire.Sic -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Sic

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: Oire.Sic from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

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/sic.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 sic with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, winget