> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/lucasgelfond/zerobrew/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# zb list

> List all installed packages

Displays all packages currently installed by zerobrew, showing their names and versions.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
zb list
```

## Arguments

This command takes no arguments.

## Options

<ParamField path="--root" type="path">
  Environment: `ZEROBREW_ROOT`

  Override the root directory for zerobrew's content-addressable store.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--prefix" type="path">
  Environment: `ZEROBREW_PREFIX`

  Override the prefix directory where packages are linked.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--concurrency" type="number">
  Default: `20`

  Number of concurrent operations to perform.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--auto-init" type="boolean">
  Alias: `--yes`

  Environment: `ZEROBREW_AUTO_INIT`

  Automatically initialize zerobrew if not already set up.
</ParamField>

## Output Format

Each installed package is displayed on a single line:

```
<name> <version>
```

* **name** - The formula name (bold)
* **version** - The installed version (dimmed)

## Examples

### List installed packages

```bash theme={null}
zb list
```

```
jq 1.7.1
wget 1.21.4
git 2.44.0
openssl@3 3.2.1
pcre2 10.43
gettext 0.22.5
```

### No packages installed

If you haven't installed any packages yet:

```bash theme={null}
zb list
```

```
No formulas installed.
```

### After installing packages

```bash theme={null}
zb install jq wget
zb list
```

```
jq 1.7.1
wget 1.21.4
openssl@3 3.2.1
```

Note that dependencies (like `openssl@3`) are also shown.

## Use Cases

### Check what's installed

Quickly see all packages managed by zerobrew:

```bash theme={null}
zb list
```

### Export to Brewfile

Use `list` output to manually create a Brewfile, or use [`zb bundle dump`](/commands/bundle) to do it automatically:

```bash theme={null}
zb bundle dump
```

### Count installed packages

```bash theme={null}
zb list | wc -l
```

```
12
```

### Find specific package

```bash theme={null}
zb list | grep node
```

```
node 21.6.2
```

### Script usage

Check if a package is installed in a script:

```bash theme={null}
if zb list | grep -q "^jq "; then
  echo "jq is installed"
else
  echo "jq is not installed"
  zb install jq
fi
```

## Implementation Details

The `list` command reads from zerobrew's local installation database, which tracks:

* Formula name
* Installed version
* Store key (content-addressable hash)
* Installation timestamp
* Link status

For more detailed information about a specific package, use [`zb info`](/commands/info).

## Comparison with Homebrew

| Feature           | zerobrew            | Homebrew               |
| ----------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------- |
| List installed    | `zb list`           | `brew list`            |
| Output format     | name + version      | name only (or verbose) |
| Show dependencies | Yes                 | With `--formula`       |
| Machine-readable  | Output is parseable | Use `brew list --json` |

## Performance

The `list` command is instant, as it reads from a local SQLite database rather than scanning the filesystem:

```bash theme={null}
time zb list > /dev/null
```

```
0.01s user 0.00s system 95% cpu 0.012 total
```

## Related Commands

* [`zb info`](/commands/info) - Show detailed information about a specific package
* [`zb install`](/commands/install) - Install packages
* [`zb uninstall`](/commands/uninstall) - Uninstall packages
* [`zb bundle dump`](/commands/bundle) - Export packages to a Brewfile
* [`zb outdated`](/commands/outdated) - Show packages with available updates