macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install xml-coreutilslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install xml-coreutilsMacPorts ports tree · textproc/xml-coreutils/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 5049
Install xml-coreutils with Homebrew, MacPorts
Powerful interactive system for text processing. Version 0.8.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with macports: sudo port install xml-coreutils.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Powerful interactive system for text processing
Project links
Commands and aliases
- xml-awk
- xml-cat
- xml-cp
- xml-cut
- xml-echo
- xml-file
- xml-find
- xml-fixtags
- xml-fmt
- xml-grep
- xml-head
- xml-less
- xml-ls
- xml-mv
- xml-paste
- xml-printf
- xml-rm
- xml-sed
- xml-strings
- xml-unecho
- xml-wc
history
Project history and usage
xml-coreutils is a suite of Unix/POSIX-style command-line tools for operating directly on XML documents. Its premise is simple and very package-nerdy: make XML processing feel as natural to shell users as text processing with the traditional coreutils.
Project history
Laird Breyer's project pages describe xml-coreutils as an attempt to retrofit XML processing into existing shells so it can coexist with classical line-oriented tools. The project explicitly compares itself to GNU coreutils and tries to keep command names, short options, and behavior close to familiar Unix utilities where that makes sense.
The SourceForge release feed shows public tarball activity concentrated in 2010 and 2011, with versions 0.4, 0.7, 0.8, 0.8a, 0.8b, 0.8c, and 0.8.1. The homepage describes the project as early-stage and not ready for production use, but usable for simple tasks.
Adoption history
Adoption appears to have stayed niche. The official site points users to tarballs, a mailing list, manual pages, a tutorial, and information for DEB/RPM packaging, while the SourceForge code page exposes a CVS repository snapshot rather than a later Git migration.
The project's own related-tools page places it among XML shell utilities such as XMLSH, XSH, XMLStarlet, XMLTK, XMLgawk, and xml2, suggesting it was part of the late-2000s effort to make XML friendlier to command-line users.
How it is used
The suite includes XML analogues of common shell operations: xml-cat, xml-cp, xml-cut, xml-find, xml-grep, xml-head, xml-less, xml-ls, xml-mv, xml-rm, xml-sed, xml-strings, xml-wc, and others. The tutorial emphasizes using these tools like traditional Unix commands, but against XML tree structure rather than raw text lines.
It is most practical as a historical and experimental shell toolkit for XML workflows, especially for users who want command composition over writing XPath-heavy scripts or full programs.
Why package nerds care
xml-coreutils is significant less for broad adoption than for its packaging idea: turn a structured-data problem into many small Unix commands, each independently documented, scriptable, and installable.
It also captures a moment before JSON became the dominant shell-adjacent structured format, when XML was common enough that developers wanted grep/sed/coreutils-like ergonomics for it.
Timeline
- 2010-05-11: SourceForge feed lists early 0.4, 0.7, and 0.8 tarballs.
- 2010-05-16: 0.8a tarball published.
- 2010-09-13: 0.8b tarball published.
- 2011-04-10: 0.8c tarball published.
- 2011-04-16: 0.8.1 tarball published.
Related projects
- Related tools listed by the project include GNU coreutils, XMLSH, XSH, XMLStarlet, XMLTK, XMLgawk, xmltools, and xml2. Runtime/build-adjacent technologies named by the site include Expat and S-Lang.
Sources
- https://sourceforge.net/p/xml-coreutils/code/
- https://sourceforge.net/projects/xml-coreutils/rss?path=/
- https://www.lbreyer.com/xml-coreutils.html
- https://xml-coreutils.sourceforge.net/
- https://xml-coreutils.sourceforge.net/man.html
- https://xml-coreutils.sourceforge.net/related.html
- https://xml-coreutils.sourceforge.net/xml_coreutils_tutorial.html
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
xml-awk | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-cat | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-cp | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-cut | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-echo | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-file | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-find | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-fixtags | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-fmt | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-grep | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-head | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-less | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-ls | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-mv | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-paste | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-printf | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-rm | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-sed | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-strings | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-unecho | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
xml-wc | 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 version0.8.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:xml-coreutils |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.8.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://xml-coreutils.sourceforge.net/ |
| 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.
MacPorts95%
xml-coreutils
sudo port install xml-coreutils- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Xml Coreutils
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