zb install

Install one or more packages from Homebrew

Installs one or more formulas from Homebrew, with support for pre-built bottles and source builds.

Usage

zb install <FORMULAS>... [OPTIONS]

Arguments

FORMULAS · string[] · required

One or more formula names to install. Supports regular formulas and casks (prefixed with cask:).

Examples: jq, wget, git, cask:docker-desktop

Options

--no-link · boolean

Install the formula but skip linking it into the prefix directory. The formula will be installed in the store but won’t be available in your PATH.

Useful when you want to install a formula without making it immediately available.

--build-from-source · boolean

Alias: -s

Build the formula from source instead of using pre-built bottles. This compiles the package locally using Homebrew’s Ruby DSL.

Note: Source builds take significantly longer than installing bottles.

--root · path

Environment: ZEROBREW_ROOT

Override the root directory for zerobrew’s content-addressable store.

--prefix · path

Environment: ZEROBREW_PREFIX

Override the prefix directory where packages are linked.

--concurrency · number

Default: 20

Number of concurrent operations to perform during installation. Must be at least 1.

--auto-init · boolean

Alias: --yes

Environment: ZEROBREW_AUTO_INIT

Automatically initialize zerobrew if not already set up.

Examples

Install a single package

zb install jq

==> Installing jq...
==> Resolving dependencies (1 packages)...
    jq 1.7.1
==> Downloading and installing formulas...
    jq               ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   1.2MB/1.2MB   done

==> Installed 1 packages in 2.45s

Install multiple packages

zb install wget git

==> Installing wget, git...
==> Resolving dependencies (5 packages)...
    wget 1.21.4
    git 2.44.0
    openssl@3 3.2.1
    pcre2 10.43
    gettext 0.22.5
==> Downloading and installing formulas...

==> Installed 5 packages in 8.32s

Install without linking

zb install jq --no-link

The formula will be installed in the store but won’t be symlinked into your PATH. You can still run it using zbx jq.

Build from source

zb install libsodium --build-from-source

==> Installing libsodium...
==> Resolving dependencies (1 packages)...
    libsodium 1.0.19
==> Downloading and installing formulas...
    libsodium        unpacking...

==> Installed 1 packages in 45.20s

Install a cask

zb install cask:docker-desktop

Performance

zerobrew uses several optimizations to speed up installations:

• Content-addressable storage: Shared dependencies are deduplicated
• APFS clonefiles: Zero-overhead copying on compatible filesystems
• Concurrent downloads: Multiple packages downloaded in parallel
• Warm cache: Previously downloaded bottles are reused

Typical speedups compared to Homebrew:

• Cold cache (first install): 2-4x faster
• Warm cache (reinstall): 7-30x faster

Error Handling

Link conflicts

If a file already exists in the prefix directory, zerobrew will report a link conflict:

Error: The link step did not complete successfully.
The formula was installed, but is not symlinked into the prefix.

Possible conflicting files:
  /usr/local/bin/jq (symlink belonging to homebrew)

You can resolve this by:

1. Uninstalling the conflicting package with Homebrew
2. Using --no-link and running with zbx instead
3. Manually removing the conflicting symlink

Formula not found

If a formula doesn’t exist or isn’t supported:

Error: Formula 'nonexistent' not found in homebrew-core

Try using Homebrew directly:
  brew install nonexistent

Related Commands

• zb bundle - Install packages from a Brewfile
• zb uninstall - Uninstall packages
• zb list - List installed packages
• zb run - Run a package without linking it