hops

Manage Homebrew packages across multiple machines with a single YAML file.

Why?

Managing Homebrew packages with Brewfile is great, until you're juggling multiple machines. Hops replaces scattered, duplicated configurations with a single declarative YAML config.

• ✅ One hops.yml config for all machines
• 📦 Generates a specific Brewfile for each machine
• 🧹 Prune unused floating packages
• ⚡ Installs, upgrades, and verifies with one command
• 💻 Designed for dotfiles

brewfile: /Users/snape/Brewfile
machines:
  shared:
    taps:
      - homebrew/bundle
    formulae:
      - coreutils
    casks:
      - 1password
      - raycast
      - spotify
  personal:
    casks:
      - adobe-creative-cloud
  work:
    casks:
      - cursor
      - loom
      - slack
    cursor:
      - dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
      - github.github-vscode-theme

Install

# Install via GitHub release
curl -L https://github.com/revett/hops/releases/download/vX.Y.Z/hops_X.Y.Z_darwin_arm64.tar.gz -o hops.tar.gz
tar -xzf hops.tar.gz
xattr -c ./hops
sudo mv hops /usr/local/bin
hops -h

# Build from source (required Bun)
git clone https://github.com/revett/hops.git
cd hops
make build
sudo mv hops /usr/local/bin
hops -h

Usage

Optionally set the HOPS_CONFIG environment variable within your terminal profile:

# Defaults to ~/hops.yml if not set
export HOPS_CONFIG=/path/to/hops.yml

Initialise the configuration file:

hops init

This will create a hops.yml with a set of example packages; update these with your desired set of machines and packages. This config file is designed to sit in your dotfiles and sync across all your machines.

Apply the configuration for a specific machine:

hops generate --machine work
hops apply --machine work

Hops will take care of:

• Creating a local Brewfile made up of the correct shared and machine specific packages
• Install any missing packages
• Update any outdated packages
• Remove any floating packages that are not outlined in the Brewfile

Commands

# Initialize a new hops.yml configuration file with examples
hops init

# Generate a local Brewfile for a specific machine without installing anything
hops generate --machine work

# Generate Brewfile and apply changes via Homebrew commands (install, upgrade, cleanup)
hops apply --machine personal

# Add to .zshrc to remind every week to run apply command
hops reminder

Examples

See hops.yml in revett/dotfiles.

FAQ

Does it support Cursor extensions?

Yes, as part of the v4.5.0 release of Homebrew on 29th April 2025, the brew bundle command looks for VS Code variants, see #19545.

Project

Releases

1. Bump version in package.json and push as Bump version to X.Y.Z commit
2. git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
3. git push origin vX.Y.Z
4. make release VERSION=vX.Y.Z
5. Create release in GitHub

Local Development

# Build local binary
make build

# Debug local binary
./hops -h

# Linting/formatting
bun biome:check
bun biome:fix