Brewfile Management

Use Brewfiles to manage and reproduce your package installations

Brewfiles are text files that list packages to install, similar to package.json for Node.js or requirements.txt for Python. zerobrew provides commands to install packages from Brewfiles and export your installed packages to a Brewfile.

Installing from a Brewfile

Default Brewfile

To install all packages listed in a Brewfile in the current directory:

zb bundle

Or explicitly:

zb bundle install

This reads the Brewfile and installs each package sequentially:

==> Installing 5 formulas from Brewfile...
==> Installing jq...
==> Installing wget...
==> Finished installing manifest in 12.34s

Custom file location

To install from a different file:

zb bundle install -f packages.txt
zb bundle install --file ~/my-setup/Brewfile

Install without linking

To install packages without creating symlinks in the prefix:

zb bundle install --no-link

This is useful if you want to install packages but not add them to your PATH.

Brewfile Format

Brewfiles support multiple formats:

Simple format

List one package per line:

jq
wget
git
sqlite

Homebrew format

Use brew directives with quotes:

brew "jq"
brew "wget"
brew "git"
brew "sqlite"

Comments

Add comments with #:

# Development tools
brew "jq"    # JSON processor
brew "wget"  # File downloader

# Version control
brew "git"

Mixed format

Combine formats in the same file:

# Can mix and match
brew "jq"
wget
git  # inline comments work everywhere
brew "sqlite"

Tap and Cask directives

tap "homebrew/core"        # Ignored by zerobrew
brew "jq"
cask "docker"              # Prefixed as cask:docker

tap directives are ignored since zerobrew always uses homebrew-core. Cask entries are supported but functionality may be limited compared to CLI formulas.

Exporting to a Brewfile

Default export

To export all installed packages to a Brewfile in the current directory:

zb bundle dump

Output:

==> Dumped 15 packages to Brewfile

The generated Brewfile uses the brew directive format:

brew "git"
brew "jq"
brew "sqlite"
brew "wget"

Custom output file

To dump to a different file:

zb bundle dump -f my-packages.txt
zb bundle dump --file ~/backups/Brewfile.2026-02-28

Overwrite existing files

By default, dump will fail if the target file exists:

Error: file Brewfile already exists (use --force to overwrite)

To overwrite:

zb bundle dump --force
zb bundle dump -f output.txt --force

Common Workflows

1. Create a portable development environment

   Export your current setup:

   zb bundle dump -f ~/dotfiles/Brewfile
   

   Commit to version control:

   cd ~/dotfiles
   git add Brewfile
   git commit -m "Add package manifest"
   
2. Restore on a new machine

   Clone your dotfiles:

   git clone https://github.com/user/dotfiles.git
   cd dotfiles
   

   Install all packages:

   zb bundle install
   

Team development environment

Create a shared Brewfile for your project:

Brewfile

# Project dependencies
brew "jq"           # JSON parsing in scripts
brew "sqlite"       # Local database
brew "git"

# Development tools
brew "ripgrep"      # Fast code search
brew "fzf"          # Fuzzy finder

Team members can install:

zb bundle install

Update and sync

After installing new packages, update your Brewfile:

zb install ripgrep fzf
zb bundle dump --force  # Update Brewfile
git add Brewfile
git commit -m "Add ripgrep and fzf"

Brewfile Parsing Details

Duplicate handling

Duplicate entries are automatically deduplicated:

brew "jq"
brew "wget"
brew "jq"    # This duplicate is ignored

Result: Only jq and wget are installed (jq appears once).

Empty lines and whitespace

Empty lines and leading/trailing whitespace are ignored:

brew "jq"
   wget   

git

This is parsed as: jq, wget, git.

Error handling

If the Brewfile contains only comments or is empty:

Error: manifest Brewfile did not contain any formulas

If the file doesn’t exist:

Error: failed to read manifest Brewfile: No such file or directory

Command Reference

zb bundle install

zb bundle install [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -f, --file <FILE> - Path to Brewfile (default: Brewfile)
• --no-link - Install without creating symlinks

zb bundle dump

zb bundle dump [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -f, --file <FILE> - Output file path (default: Brewfile)
• --force - Overwrite existing file

Related Commands

• zb install <formula> - Install individual packages
• zb list - View all installed packages
• Migration Guide - Migrate from Homebrew and export to Brewfile