ahoy
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Description:
Creates self documenting CLI programs from commands in YAML files
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 2.5.0@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: cli developer-tools productivity automation yaml
Install: brew install ahoy
About:
Ahoy is a developer tool that transforms any set of shell commands into a structured, self-documenting command-line interface. By defining commands in a simple YAML file, it provides consistent help text and usage examples for complex workflows. This reduces the learning curve for project-specific scripts and standardizes command execution across teams.
Key Features:
  • YAML-based configuration for easy command definition
  • Automatic generation of help text and documentation
  • Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows)
  • Nested command support for complex tool hierarchies
  • Low-overhead, single-binary implementation
Use Cases:
  • Standardizing complex local development environments across a team
  • Creating a unified interface for project-specific deployment scripts
  • Documenting and simplifying common Docker or Makefile workflows
Alternatives:
  • Make – Make is file-based and focused on build dependencies, while Ahoy focuses on creating a user-friendly CLI for any set of commands.
  • Just – Just is a more feature-rich command runner with its own syntax, whereas Ahoy uses YAML for simpler configuration and emphasizes self-documentation.
License: MIT
Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 13, 2025 10:20am 0 VERSION_BUMP 31a8708c
Dec 28, 2024 12:09pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 1c0fd520
Dec 28, 2024 2:42am 0 VERSION_BUMP f9290941