brew-tap

List installed Homebrew taps

$ brew tap

$ brew tap [github_username]/[github_repository_name]

$ brew tap [username]/[repository_name] [git_clone_url]

$ brew tap [username]/[repository_name] https://gitlab.com/[username]/[repository_name].git

$ brew tap [[-h|--help]]

brew tap [options] [user[/repo] [URL]

--custom-remote
    Use specified Git remote instead of default

--dry-run
    Show what would be done without executing

--force
    Force tap even if already exists

--help
    Display this help message

--no-git
    Don't fetch remote repository

--repair
    Repair tap issues like missing refs

--shallow
    Create shallow clone for faster setup

--verbose
    Print verbose output during operation

The brew tap command enables users to add third-party repositories, known as 'taps', to Homebrew, the popular package manager for macOS and Linux. Taps are Git repositories containing additional formulae (package recipes) and casks (GUI apps). By default, Homebrew uses the core tap at Homebrew/homebrew-core, but tapping others expands available software.

Running brew tap user/repo clones the repository into $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/Library/Taps and links its formulae. This allows installing packages from that tap via brew install. Common taps include homebrew/cask for macOS apps or homebrew/science for scientific software.

Taps enhance Homebrew's extensibility without modifying core. Users can list taps with brew tap, untap with brew untap, or pin frequently used ones. On Linux (Linuxbrew), taps work similarly but may require additional dependencies like glibc. Always verify tap trustworthiness to avoid malicious code.

Requires Git; on Linux, ensure $HOMEBREW_PREFIX is set. Taps add formulae but may introduce conflicts or unmaintained packages.

brew tap homebrew/cask
brew tap-new myorg/mytap
brew tap --repair

Introduced in Homebrew 0.5 (2011) by Max Howell to support multi-repo architecture. Evolved with Linux support via Linuxbrew (2014, now integrated). Key for ecosystem growth, now over 8,000 taps.

brew(1), git(1), homebrew(7)