> ## 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# zb outdated

> List installed packages with available updates

The `zb outdated` command checks all installed packages against the latest available versions and reports which ones have updates available.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
zb outdated [OPTIONS]
```

## Options

<ParamField path="--quiet" type="flag">
  Show only package names, one per line. Cannot be used with `--verbose` or `--json`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--verbose" type="flag">
  Show detailed version information with color-coded output. Cannot be used with `--quiet` or `--json`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--json" type="flag">
  Output results as JSON array. Cannot be used with `--quiet` or `--verbose`.
</ParamField>

## Description

This command compares the installed versions of all packages against the latest versions available in the formula repository. It's useful for discovering which packages can be upgraded.

The command supports three output formats:

* **Default**: Shows package name with installed and available versions
* **Quiet** (`--quiet`): Shows only package names (useful for scripting)
* **Verbose** (`--verbose`): Shows detailed information with color highlighting
* **JSON** (`--json`): Machine-readable structured output

<Note>
  The `--quiet`, `--verbose`, and `--json` flags are mutually exclusive - you can only use one at a time.
</Note>

## Examples

Check for outdated packages with default output:

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zb outdated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

Output:

```
node (20.10.0) < 20.11.0
python (3.11.7) < 3.12.1
```

List only package names (quiet mode):

```bash theme={null}
zb outdated --quiet
```

Output:

```
node
python
```

Show detailed version information:

```bash theme={null}
zb outdated --verbose
```

Output:

```
node 20.10.0 → 20.11.0
python 3.11.7 → 3.12.1
```

Get JSON output for scripting:

```bash theme={null}
zb outdated --json
```

Output:

```json theme={null}
[
  {
    "name": "node",
    "installed_versions": ["20.10.0"],
    "current_version": "20.11.0"
  },
  {
    "name": "python",
    "installed_versions": ["3.11.7"],
    "current_version": "3.12.1"
  }
]
```

Use in a shell script to upgrade outdated packages:

```bash theme={null}
#!/bin/bash
for package in $(zb outdated --quiet); do
  zb install "$package"
done
```

## Output Formats

### Default Format

Shows package name with versions in the format: `name (installed) < available`

### Quiet Format

One package name per line, with no additional information. This format is ideal for:

* Shell scripts that need to process the list
* Piping to other commands
* Counting outdated packages with `wc -l`

### Verbose Format

Color-coded output showing:

* Package name
* Installed version (in red)
* Arrow separator
* Available version (in green)

### JSON Format

Structured JSON array where each object contains:

* `name`: Package name
* `installed_versions`: Array of installed versions (currently always contains one version)
* `current_version`: Latest available version

## When No Updates Available

When all packages are up to date:

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

Output:

```
==> All packages are up to date.
```

In quiet mode, no output is produced when everything is current.

## Related Commands

* [zb update](/commands/update) - Update formula cache before checking for outdated packages
* [zb install](/commands/install) - Install or upgrade packages
* [zb list](/commands/list) - List all installed packages