macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install trylocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 7695
Install try with Homebrew, Nix
Quickly manage and navigate project directories for experiments. Version 1.9.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-06. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#try.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#trynixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/tr/try/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Quickly manage and navigate project directories for experiments
Project links
Commands and aliases
- try
history
Project history and usage
try is a small Ruby command-line tool for creating, finding, and entering fresh directories for short-lived experiments. The README frames it as a one-file script for developers who keep making test directories and want those experiments organized instead of lost in /tmp or scattered across a filesystem.
Project history
The project is maintained in Tobi Lutke's GitHub account and centers on the phrase 'Your experiments deserve a home.' Its implementation and documentation emphasize zero configuration, no runtime dependencies beyond Ruby, and a shell integration that lets the command change the caller's working directory.
Adoption history
try became visible well beyond a private dotfile script: GitHub shows thousands of stars, the repository includes Homebrew formula material, and the README recommends RubyGems installation as try-cli. It also has a later Rust descendant, try-rs, whose README names this project as the inspiration.
How it is used
A typical user installs the gem or downloads the script, evaluates the shell init output, and then types partial experiment names. try fuzzy-matches existing experiment directories, ranks recent ones highly, and creates dated directories when no existing match is selected.
Why package nerds care
The project is a package-nerd artifact because it turns a personal shell habit into a packaged CLI with RubyGems and Homebrew paths. It is intentionally small, but it influenced the later try-rs rewrite and sits in the lineage of tiny tools that formalize local development rituals.
Timeline
- 2026: GitHub release v1.9.0 added terminal title behavior for the TUI.
- 2026: The README documents RubyGems as the recommended installation path and manual shell setup as a fallback.
Related projects
- try-rs is the direct Rust port and re-imagining of try.
- The tool is related to fuzzy directory switchers and shell workspace managers, but focuses specifically on experiment directories.
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 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
try | executable | indexed executable | Discovered 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 version1.9.3
manager updated2026-06-06
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:try |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.9.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/tobi/try |
| Repository | https://github.com/tobi/try |
| Last updated | 2026-06-06T20:23:54-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none 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.
Nix95%
try
nix profile install nixpkgs#try- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Try
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
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation