brew / rank 7535

Install twtxt with Homebrew, apk, Nix

Decentralised, minimalist microblogging service for hackers. Version 1.3.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-10. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#twtxt.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install twtxt

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add twtxt

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

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#twtxt

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

overview

Package summary

Decentralised, minimalist microblogging service for hackers

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

twtxt

history

Project history and usage

twtxt is both a CLI client and a minimalist text-file format for decentralized microblogging. Its basic model is that a public URL to a plain text feed acts as a user's identity.

Project history

The official documentation frames twtxt as microblogging for people who would rather publish a readable file than join a closed platform. The client tracks public twtxt files like a feed reader and builds a timeline from followed URLs.

The project reached 1.0.0 in the GitHub release metadata in February 2016, then settled into maintenance-style releases. ReadTheDocs identifies the maintained documentation as 1.3.2-dev, and GitHub release metadata records 1.3.1 in 2022.

Adoption history

twtxt's adoption is visible less as a large centralized network and more as a small ecosystem. The official README lists directories, registries, alternate clients in Perl, C, Tcl/Tk, Emacs, and other languages, bridges from Twitter and WordPress, and related Yarn.social user lists.

The installation documentation points to pip, pipx, virtualenv use, Arch AUR, and Homebrew, while the supplied package facts also show Alpine and Nix packaging. That is the classic small-tool distribution pattern: easy to install from a language package index, then picked up by Unix-oriented package managers.

How it is used

A user creates a local twtxt file, publishes it somewhere reachable by URL, follows other feed URLs, and uses the CLI to post, follow, unfollow, view timelines, and edit configuration. The documentation highlights shell integration, including direct appends using standard tools such as `date` and `echo`.

Why package nerds care

twtxt is significant to package nerds because it turns microblogging into a file format plus a CLI. It rewards simple hosting, text processing, scp hooks, feed readers, registries, and small alternate implementations rather than a single service dependency.

Timeline

2016: GitHub release metadata records twtxt 1.0.0.
2017: ReadTheDocs footer and release metadata show the 1.2.x documentation era.
2022: GitHub release metadata records twtxt 1.3.1.

Related projects

Yarn.social: listed by the README as maintaining a curated list of active twtxt users.
htwtxt: listed as a web-based twtxt feed hoster.
txtnix and txtnish: Perl clients listed by the official README.
getwtxt-ng and rustwtxt: registry/server and parsing projects listed by the official README.

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.

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.

Linux: ~/.config/twtxt/config
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/twtxt/config

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`twtxt`	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 version1.3.1

manager updated2026-07-10

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:twtxt
Version	1.3.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://github.com/buckket/twtxt
Last updated	2026-07-10T10:41:25-04:00
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%

twtxt

nix profile install nixpkgs#twtxt

normalized package name match
Matched by: Twtxt

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

apk95%

twtxt 1.3.1-r4

Decentralised, minimalist microblogging service for hackers

https://github.com/buckket/twtxt

sudo apk add twtxt

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

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