pkg.soopen package index

brew / rank 8733

Install symlinks with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Symbolic link maintenance utility. Version 1.4.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install symlinks.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install symlinks

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install symlinks

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/symlinks/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add symlinks

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

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install symlinks

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

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install symlinks

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · symlinks · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#symlinks

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S symlinks

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

overview

Package summary

Symbolic link maintenance utility

Commands and aliases

  • symlinks

history

Project history and usage

symlinks is a small Unix filesystem maintenance utility for scanning and fixing symbolic links. It is classic package-manager material: one C utility, one man page, no service, no config, and a job that is useful on real filesystems.

Project history

The official README says symlinks scans directories for symbolic links and identifies dangling, relative, absolute, messy, and other-filesystem links. It can also convert absolute links to relative links within a filesystem.

The project credits Mark Lord as the creator and J. Brandt Buckley as maintainer. Its changelog records incremental Unix-maintenance work such as shortening redundant paths, messy-link fixes, Fedora patches, Mac OS X compatibility, and a later LFS bug fix.

Adoption history

The input package metadata lists symlinks across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/DNF, Alpine, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, and other package managers. That breadth fits a small administrative utility: distributions can ship it with minimal policy surface and users can reach for it during filesystem cleanup.

How it is used

The README documents scanning recursively with `symlinks -r`, showing all links with `symlinks -rv`, and converting absolute links to relative links with `symlinks -rc`. It is usually used directly from a shell against a target directory.

Why package nerds care

symlinks matters to package nerds because it helps inspect the kind of filesystem state that package managers create and preserve: trees full of links, relocatable paths, broken build artifacts, and cross-filesystem references. It is also a good example of the tiny, durable Unix utilities that survive because they do one maintenance job clearly.

Timeline

  • v1.2: Added link shortening for redundant path elements.
  • v1.3: Added more messy-link fixes and an `-o` flag for other-filesystem links.
  • v1.4: Incorporated Fedora patches.
  • v1.4-1: Added Mac OS X compatibility.
  • v1.4.3: Fixed an LFS support bug affecting 32-bit systems.

Related projects

  • symlinks is adjacent to standard Unix filesystem tools such as `find`, `ln`, and package-manager link farms, but it specializes in reporting and optionally rewriting symbolic links rather than general file traversal.

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 bottle metadata was recorded.

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

CommandKindExposureNote
symlinksexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

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 generated2026-08-03
manager version1.4.3
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:symlinks
Version1.4.3
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://github.com/brandt/symlinks
Repositoryhttps://github.com/brandt/symlinks
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

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%

symlinks 1.4-5+b1

scan/change symbolic links

sudo apt install symlinks
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: symlinks
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: symlinks from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

symlinks

nix profile install nixpkgs#symlinks
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/sy/symlinks/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

symlinks 1.4-4

scan/change symbolic links

sudo apt install symlinks
  • Section: universe/utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: symlinks from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

symlinks 1.4.3-r0

Symbolic link maintenance utility

https://github.com/brandt/symlinks

sudo apk add symlinks
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: symlinks
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: symlinks from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

symlinks-doc 1.4.3-r0

Symbolic link maintenance utility (documentation)

https://github.com/brandt/symlinks

sudo apk add symlinks-doc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: symlinks
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: symlinks-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

symlinks 1.7-15.fc45

A utility which maintains a system's symbolic links

http://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/utils/file/

sudo dnf install symlinks
  • License: Symlinks
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: symlinks
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: symlinks from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

symlinks 1.4.3-4

Symbolic link maintenance utility

https://github.com/brandt/symlinks

sudo pacman -S symlinks
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: symlinks from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

symlinks

sudo port install symlinks
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Symlinks
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/symlinks/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

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.

Used sources

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