# Install vimpager with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Use ViM as PAGER. Version 2.06 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#vimpager.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:vimpager
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install vimpager
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install vimpager
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/vimpager/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#vimpager
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: vimpager from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S vimpager
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: vimpager from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:vimpager
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.06
- **Source summary:** Use ViM as PAGER
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/rkitover/vimpager>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/rkitover/vimpager>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- vimcat (alias)
- vimpager (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.06
## Project history and usage

vimpager is a small Unix-style pager wrapper that uses Vim as the interactive pager. Its README and vim.org script page describe it as a pager using less.vim with support for highlighted man pages and other features on Unix-like systems, Cygwin, and MSYS.

### Project history

The project is maintained by Rafael Kitover and distributed both through its GitHub repository and the historical vim.org scripts catalog as script 1723. The vimpager script identifies itself as a shell script for using Vim as PAGER and notes that it is based on Bram Moolenaar's less.sh.

### Adoption history

vimpager belongs to the long-running pattern of making terminal tools use a preferred editor's navigation model. Its vim.org script listing shows substantial historical script-catalog usage, and its packaging in systems such as Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and pacman reflects its role as a niche but recognizable tool for Vim-oriented shell users.

### How it is used

Users set PAGER or aliases such as less to vimpager so command output, manual pages, and logs open inside a read-only Vim-driven pager. vimpager also ships vimcat, which uses Vim as a syntax-highlighting backend for cat-like output while falling back safely when output is not a terminal.

### Why package nerds care

For package nerds, vimpager is a classic composability package: it turns the shell's generic PAGER convention into a Vim interface, preserving syntax highlighting, search, movement, and familiar Vim customization in places normally handled by less.

### Related projects

- vimpager is related to Vim's less.vim, the historical less.sh script, vimcat, and other Vim-as-pager plugins such as vim-pager.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/rkitover/vimpager>
- <https://github.com/rkitover/vimpager/blob/master/markdown/vimcat.md>
- <https://github.com/rkitover/vimpager/blob/master/vimpager>
- <https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1723>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## 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

- Unix: ~/.vimpagerrc, ~/.vim/vimpagerrc
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - vimpager: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: vimpager from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
- pacman - vimpager - 2.06-7: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: vimpager from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A vim-based script to use as a PAGER. | https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1723
- MacPorts - vimpager: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/vimpager/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/vimpager.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/vimpager.yml)


## Sources

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