Brewfile Mode: Curated Package Collections & Remote URL Support

2025-12-29 By Valkyrie00

Brewfile Mode: Curated Package Collections & Remote URL Support

We're excited to announce a major new capability in Bold Brew: Brewfile Mode with full support for remote Brewfiles via HTTPS URLs. This feature transforms how teams and individuals manage their Homebrew package collections.

🎯 What is Brewfile Mode?

Brewfile Mode allows you to launch Bold Brew with a curated list of packages instead of the full Homebrew catalog. This is perfect for:

  • Themed installers (IDE tools, AI/ML packages, DevOps tools)
  • Team onboarding (share your team's essential tools)
  • Project-specific setups (install only what a project needs)
  • Personal collections (your favorite tools in one place)

How It Works

# Local Brewfile
bbrew -f ~/Brewfile

# Remote Brewfile (NEW!)
bbrew -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-org/configs/main/dev-tools.Brewfile

When you launch in Brewfile mode, Bold Brew shows only the packages defined in that Brewfile. You get the full Bold Brew experience—search, filters, install/remove—but focused on your curated selection.

🌐 Remote Brewfiles via HTTPS

The latest update adds support for loading Brewfiles directly from URLs. This opens up exciting possibilities:

Share Team Configurations

# Everyone on the team uses the same dev tools
bbrew -f https://github.com/acme-corp/dotfiles/raw/main/Brewfile

Create Themed Installers

# AI/ML development environment
bbrew -f https://example.com/brewfiles/ai-ml-toolkit.Brewfile

# Kubernetes tools collection
bbrew -f https://example.com/brewfiles/k8s-essentials.Brewfile

# Frontend development stack
bbrew -f https://example.com/brewfiles/frontend-dev.Brewfile

Quick Setup for New Machines

Share a single URL with colleagues or include it in your README:

## Development Setup

Install our recommended tools:
\`\`\`bash
brew install Valkyrie00/homebrew-bbrew/bbrew
bbrew -f https://our-company.com/dev-setup.Brewfile
\`\`\`

📦 Third-Party Tap Support

Brewfile Mode also includes full support for third-party taps. Your Brewfile can include packages from any Homebrew tap:

# Brewfile example
tap "homebrew/cask-fonts"
tap "ublue-os/homebrew-tap"

# Core tools
brew "git"
brew "gh"
brew "jq"

# Fonts
cask "font-fira-code"
cask "font-jetbrains-mono"

# From third-party tap
cask "some-custom-package"

Bold Brew automatically:

  1. Installs missing taps at startup
  2. Caches tap package info for faster subsequent loads
  3. Shows real-time progress during tap installation

🔒 Security First

Remote Brewfiles are loaded securely:

  • HTTPS only — HTTP URLs are rejected for security
  • Temporary storage — Downloaded files are automatically cleaned up
  • No persistence — Remote content isn't cached between sessions

🎨 Use Cases

1. IDE Chooser for Teams

Create a Brewfile with all supported IDEs and let developers pick:

# ide-chooser.Brewfile
cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "sublime-text"
cask "jetbrains-toolbox"
cask "zed"
cask "cursor"

bbrew -f https://team.example.com/ide-chooser.Brewfile

2. Project Onboarding

Include a Brewfile in your project repo:

# project/.Brewfile
brew "node"
brew "pnpm"
brew "docker"
cask "docker"

New contributors run one command to get all dependencies.

3. Personal Dotfiles

Keep your Brewfile in your dotfiles repo and access it from anywhere:

bbrew -f https://github.com/username/dotfiles/raw/main/Brewfile

📋 Example Brewfiles

Bold Brew includes example Brewfiles in the examples/ directory:

  • all.brewfile — Comprehensive package collection
  • ide.Brewfile — Popular IDEs and editors

Check them out for inspiration!

🚀 Getting Started

  1. Update Bold Brew to the latest version:

    brew upgrade bbrew

  2. Try a local Brewfile:

    bbrew -f ~/path/to/Brewfile

  3. Try a remote Brewfile:

    bbrew -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Valkyrie00/bold-brew/main/examples/all.brewfile

🎹 Brewfile Mode Shortcuts

When running in Brewfile mode, you get additional keyboard shortcuts:

Key Action
Ctrl+A Install all packages from Brewfile
Ctrl+R Remove all packages from Brewfile

All standard shortcuts (search, filters, individual install/remove) work exactly as expected.

💡 Tips & Best Practices

  1. Version your Brewfiles — Keep them in git for change tracking
  2. Use comments — Document why each package is included
  3. Organize by category — Group related packages together
  4. Test before sharing — Verify packages exist and install correctly

🔗 Resources

Happy brewing with curated collections! 🍺

The Bold Brew Team