lesspipe ☆
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Description:
Input filter for the pager less
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Productivity
Tags: pager less file-viewer archive cli utility
Install: brew install lesspipe
About:
Lesspipe is an input filter that enhances the 'less' pager by automatically decompressing archives and formatting various file types for readable display. It acts as a preprocessor, allowing users to view contents of compressed files, archives, and documents without manual extraction. This streamlines the command-line workflow by making diverse file formats accessible directly within the pager.
Key Features:
  • Automatic decompression of archives (tar, zip, rpm, etc.)
  • Pretty-printing for source code, documents, and data files
  • Seamless integration with the standard 'less' pager
  • Support for MIME type handling and binary file inspection
Use Cases:
  • Quickly inspecting the contents of compressed archives without extracting them
  • Viewing formatted source code or man pages with syntax highlighting
  • Browsing remote files via SSH or SCP with automatic decoding
Alternatives:
  • less – Native pager that lacks built-in archive handling and format decoding without filters
  • bat – Modern cat clone with syntax highlighting but focuses on file output rather than interactive paging of archives
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 12, 2025 5:50pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 2832615a
Dec 22, 2024 2:02pm 0 VERSION_BUMP dd3a7b2d
Nov 16, 2024 10:42am 0 VERSION_BUMP 7ed56c1f
Nov 16, 2024 5:23am 0 VERSION_BUMP dee7f027
Nov 10, 2024 3:40pm 0 VERSION_BUMP cea1ed7c
Oct 5, 2023 1:17pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 7716f6d9
Oct 5, 2023 12:17pm 0 VERSION_BUMP e847954a
Oct 3, 2023 5:25pm 0 VERSION_BUMP b463c169
Feb 24, 2023 11:16pm 1 VERSION_BUMP bbfdd198
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