🍺 Using Homebrew on TunaOS

Homebrew is baked into every TunaOS image — no installation needed. Just open a terminal and run brew. This guide covers day-to-day Homebrew usage on TunaOS, from installing CLI tools to managing graphical apps with Tavern.

Quick Start

# Update the package index
brew update

# Install a CLI tool
brew install htop neovim jq ripgrep

# Install a graphical app (cask)
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

# See what's installed
brew list

# Clean up old versions
brew cleanup

What's Pre-Installed

TunaOS images ship with Homebrew and a curated set of CLI tools already available:

Tool	Purpose	Command
eza	Modern ls replacement	eza --icons --long
bat	cat with syntax highlighting	bat file.rs
ripgrep	Ultra-fast grep	rg pattern
fd	Fast find	fd '.md'
zoxide	Smarter cd	z tunaos
atuin	Synced shell history	atuin search
starship	Cross-shell prompt	starship preset nerd-font-symbols

Installing Developer Tools

Languages and Runtimes

# Python version management
brew install pyenv
pyenv install 3.12

# Node.js
brew install node

# Go
brew install go

# Rust
brew install rustup-init # no-verify: Homebrew availability varies by host architecture
rustup default stable

# JDK
brew install openjdk

Containers

# Podman is pre-installed, but you can also install Docker CLI
brew install docker docker-compose

Database Clients

brew install postgresql-client mysql-client redis # no-verify: postgresql-client is an optional external tap package

Managing with Tavern (GUI)

For a graphical experience, use Tavern — TunaOS's native GTK4 Homebrew client:

# Install Tavern via Flatpak
flatpak remote-add --user --if-not-exists tuna-os https://tunaos.org/flatpak/tuna-os.flatpakrepo
flatpak install --user tuna-os org.tunaos.tavern

Tavern provides:

• Browse — discover popular formulae and casks
• Search — instant search across 6,000+ packages
• Install/Remove — one-click package management
• Brewfile support — bulk-install entire environments
• Dark mode — native Libadwaita theme

Using Brewfiles

Brewfiles let you declare your entire dev environment in a file:

# ~/Brewfile
tap "homebrew/bundle"
tap "homebrew/cask"

# CLI tools
brew "htop"
brew "neovim"
brew "jq"
brew "ripgrep"

# Apps
cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "docker"

# Fonts
cask "font-fira-code-nerd-font"

Install everything at once:

brew bundle install --file ~/Brewfile

Fonts

Install Nerd Fonts for terminal icons and programming ligatures:

# Search available fonts
brew search font

# Install Fira Code Nerd Font
brew install --cask font-fira-code-nerd-font

# Install multiple at once
brew install --cask font-jetbrains-mono-nerd-font font-noto-sans-nerd-font # no-verify: cask availability varies by host architecture

Updating Everything

# Update Homebrew itself and formulae list
brew update

# Upgrade all installed packages
brew upgrade

# Upgrade a specific package
brew upgrade neovim

# Clean up
brew cleanup --prune=all

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
brew: command not found	Homebrew should be pre-installed. Run brew help. If missing, run the installer: /bin/bash -c \"\$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)\"
Permission denied	Homebrew is installed in your home directory and doesn't need sudo. Ensure brew doctor passes.
Formula not found	Run brew update first to refresh the package index
Cask won't install	Some casks are macOS-only. Tavern filters these automatically on Linux
Slow brew update	This is normal on first run. Subsequent updates use incremental fetching

See Also

• Tavern — graphical Homebrew client for TunaOS
• Bluefin CLI — CLI tool for shell config and bundle installation
• Homebrew Documentation — official docs