Homebrew Publish

Homebrew Publish

Overview

Create or update a Homebrew tap and formulae so users can install a project's CLI/TUI with brew install OWNER/tap/<formula>.

Workflow

1) Gather inputs

• Confirm GitHub owner, tap name, and whether the tap repo already exists.
• Collect project repo URL, release tag/version, and the source tarball URL or prebuilt asset URL(s).
• Identify build system and language (Go, Rust, Node/TypeScript, Python, or other).
• Define binary name and a minimal test do command.
• Confirm target platforms/architectures and whether bottles are desired.

2) Ensure tap repo exists (skip if already set)

• Create a tap repo using the short form OWNER/tap when possible.
• Run:
  • brew tap-new OWNER/homebrew-tap (or homebrew-<tapname>)
  • gh repo create OWNER/homebrew-tap --push --public --source "$(brew --repository OWNER/homebrew-tap)"

3) Create the formula skeleton

• Prefer stable source tarballs from release tags.
• Run:
  • brew create <url-to-tarball> --tap OWNER/homebrew-tap --set-name <formula>

4) Implement the formula

• Edit Formula/<formula>.rb and wire build/install/test.
• Pick a language template from references:
  • references/formula-go.md
  • references/formula-rust.md
  • references/formula-node.md
  • references/formula-python.md
  • references/formula-prebuilt.md
• Ensure desc, homepage, url, sha256, and license are correct.

5) Compute sha256

• Use shasum -a 256 <file> for local files.
• For remote URLs, run curl -L <url> | shasum -a 256.

6) Test locally

• Run brew install --build-from-source OWNER/tap/<formula>.
• Run brew test OWNER/tap/<formula>.
• Optionally run brew audit --strict --online OWNER/tap/<formula>.

7) Commit and push

• Commit in the tap repo and push to GitHub.

8) Update for new releases

• Update url and sha256 (and version if needed).
• Re-run tests, commit, and push.

Notes

• Prefer source builds unless a prebuilt binary is required.
• If bottles are enabled, keep the default workflows created by brew tap-new and follow their publish instructions.