macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install txt2manlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install txt2manMacPorts ports tree · textproc/txt2man/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 13084
Install txt2man with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Converts flat ASCII text to man page format. Version 1.7.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-14. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install txt2man.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add txt2manAlpine Linux edge package indexes · txt2man · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install txt2manDebian stable package indexes · txt2man · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install txt2manFedora Rawhide package metadata · txt2man · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#txt2mannixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/tx/txt2man/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S txt2manArch Linux sync databases · txt2man · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install txt2manopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · txt2man · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Converts flat ASCII text to man page format
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bookman
- src2man
- txt2man
history
Project history and usage
txt2man is a shell and GNU awk tool that converts readable flat ASCII text into standard Unix man-page macros.
Project history
The script copyright dates txt2man to 2001-2003, and its changelog starts with the 1.4.6 release in December 2002. It was designed to let authors keep documentation readable as plain text while still generating standard nroff/troff man pages.
The project expanded from the core `txt2man` converter into companion tools. The 2006 changelog records `bookman` for generating books from man pages and `src2man` for extracting man pages from source files, turning the project into a small Unix documentation toolkit.
Adoption history
txt2man has unusually broad package-manager coverage for a small script: the supplied package facts list Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE packaging. That reflects the utility of a dependency-light documentation generator in distro build scripts and upstream release processes.
The later changelog entries are mostly portability and reproducibility work: BSD/GNU date compatibility, gawk warning fixes, SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH support, and reproducible-build changes. Those are package-maintainer concerns, which helps explain why txt2man stayed relevant after its initial early-2000s release era.
How it is used
Users write a text file with recognizable sections, paragraphs, lists, cross references, and literal blocks, then pipe or pass it to `txt2man` to produce man(7) macro output. It can also preview formatted output through groff and a pager.
Why package nerds care
txt2man matters because it keeps the source of a manual page readable without hand-writing roff. For packagers, it is small, inspectable, friendly to reproducible builds, and suitable for projects that want man pages without adopting a larger documentation stack.
Timeline
- 2001: txt2man script copyright begins.
- 2002: Changelog starts at txt2man 1.4.6.
- 2006: Changelog records `bookman` and `src2man` additions.
- 2016: GitHub release metadata records txt2man 1.6.0.
- 2020: GitHub release metadata records txt2man 1.7.1.
Related projects
- bookman: companion command for compiling man pages into a book.
- src2man: companion command for extracting man pages from source files.
- groff and mandoc: output/formatting ecosystem referenced by the script help.
Sources
- https://api.github.com/repos/mvertes/txt2man/releases?per_page=20
- https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvertes/txt2man/master/Changelog
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvertes/txt2man/master/README
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvertes/txt2man/master/txt2man
- source_facts.package-manager
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
bookman | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
src2man | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
txt2man | 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 version1.7.1
manager updated2026-06-14
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:txt2man |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.7.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man |
| Last updated | 2026-06-14T15:13:53+02:00 |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
txt2man 1.7.1-5
convert flat ASCII text to manpage format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo apt install txt2man- Section: text
- Architecture: all
- 1 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
Nix95%
txt2man
nix profile install nixpkgs#txt2man- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
Ubuntu apt95%
txt2man 1.7.1-4
convert flat ASCII text to manpage format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo apt install txt2man- Section: universe/text
- Architecture: all
- 1 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
apk95%
txt2man 1.7.1-r1
Convert flat ASCII text to man page format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo apk add txt2man- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: txt2man
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
apk95%
txt2man-doc 1.7.1-r1
Convert flat ASCII text to man page format (documentation)
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo apk add txt2man-doc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: txt2man
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
dnf95%
txt2man 1.7.1-12.fc45
Convert flat ASCII text to man page format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo dnf install txt2man- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: txt2man
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
pacman95%
txt2man 1.7.1-4
Converts flat ASCII text to man page format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo pacman -S txt2man- License: GPL
- Architecture: any
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
zypper95%
txt2man 1.7.1-1.15
Convert Flat ASCII Text to man Page Format
https://github.com/mvertes/txt2man
sudo zypper install txt2man- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Development/Tools/Doc Generators
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: txt2man
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
MacPorts95%
txt2man
sudo port install txt2man- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Txt2man
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