Skill: homebrew

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks to:

• Install software, a tool, an app, or a package on macOS
• Install a programming language, database, or dev tool (e.g. node, python, redis, postgres, go, rust)
• Install a GUI/desktop application via brew install --cask (e.g. Chrome, Slack, Docker, VS Code)
• Search for available packages or check if something is installable via Homebrew
• List installed packages or check what's currently on the system
• Update Homebrew or upgrade installed packages
• Uninstall / remove a package
• Diagnose or fix Homebrew issues (brew doctor)
• Tap a new Homebrew repository
• Check info or version of an installed package

Prerequisites

• macOS only — Homebrew is a macOS package manager (also works on Linux but this skill targets Mac)
• Homebrew must be installed. If not, install it first:

  /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
  

Available Tool

The brew tool is registered as a core tool. Use it directly:

Action	Tool Input	Description
install	{"action": "install", "packages": ["node", "redis"]}	Install one or more formulae
install_cask	{"action": "install_cask", "packages": ["google-chrome"]}	Install GUI apps via cask
uninstall	{"action": "uninstall", "packages": ["node"]}	Remove installed packages
search	{"action": "search", "query": "python"}	Search for available packages
info	{"action": "info", "packages": ["node"]}	Get detailed info about a package
list	{"action": "list"}	List all installed formulae
list_casks	{"action": "list_casks"}	List all installed cask apps
update	{"action": "update"}	Update Homebrew itself
upgrade	{"action": "upgrade"}	Upgrade all outdated packages
upgrade	{"action": "upgrade", "packages": ["node"]}	Upgrade specific packages
doctor	{"action": "doctor"}	Diagnose Homebrew issues
tap	{"action": "tap", "tap_name": "homebrew/cask-fonts"}	Add a third-party repo
outdated	{"action": "outdated"}	Show packages with updates available

Procedure

1. Check Homebrew is available: The brew tool will automatically verify Homebrew is installed before running any action. If not found, it will return instructions to install it.
2. Determine what to install: Extract the package name(s) from the user's request. If unclear, use ask_user to clarify.
3. Choose formulae vs cask: CLI tools use install, GUI apps (Chrome, Slack, Docker Desktop, etc.) use install_cask.
4. Execute: Call the brew tool with the appropriate action and parameters.
5. Report results: Confirm what was installed/updated/removed with version info where available.

Common Package Examples

CLI Tools & Languages (formulae)

Request	Package Name
"install node"	node
"install Python"	python@3.12 or python
"install PHP"	php
"install Go"	go
"install Rust"	rust
"install Redis"	redis
"install PostgreSQL"	postgresql@16 or postgresql
"install MySQL"	mysql
"install Git"	git
"install FFmpeg"	ffmpeg
"install wget"	wget
"install jq"	jq
"install ripgrep"	ripgrep
"install Docker CLI"	docker

GUI Apps (casks)

Request	Cask Name
"install Chrome"	google-chrome
"install VS Code"	visual-studio-code
"install Slack"	slack
"install Docker Desktop"	docker (cask)
"install Spotify"	spotify
"install Figma"	figma
"install iTerm"	iterm2
"install Rectangle"	rectangle
"install 1Password"	1password
"install Cursor"	cursor

Example

Example requests that trigger this skill:

install node and redis on my mac
I need ffmpeg installed
install google chrome
what packages do I have installed?
search for a markdown editor
update all my brew packages
is postgres installed?
install docker desktop