stow ☆
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Description:
Organize software neatly under a single directory tree (e.g. /usr/local)
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: System utilities
Tags: symlinks file-management gnu system-utility
Install: brew install stow
About:
GNU Stow is a symbolic link manager designed to organize packages under a single directory tree, such as /usr/local. It creates symlinks from files in a package directory to their expected locations in the target directory. This allows for clean installation, easy removal, and management of software compiled from source.
Key Features:
  • Manages symlinks to merge package directories
  • Simplifies installation and removal of software
  • Prevents file conflicts between packages
  • Integrates with standard Unix filesystem hierarchies
Use Cases:
  • Managing multiple versions of software libraries
  • Keeping /usr/local or /opt organized
  • Managing dotfiles in home directories
Alternatives:
  • Nix – Provides functional package management and dependency resolution, whereas Stow focuses purely on symlink management.
  • Homebrew – An automated package manager for macOS/Linux that handles downloads and dependencies, while Stow is used for manual package organization.
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 15, 2025 12:20pm 0 VERSION_BUMP d971f78a
Sep 10, 2024 8:23pm 0 VERSION_BUMP a6d0130f
Jul 19, 2024 5:48am 0 VERSION_BUMP c282d4d6
Jul 8, 2024 3:05pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 64496f48
Apr 8, 2024 1:03pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 8774f803
Sep 27, 2023 1:47am 0 VERSION_BUMP 3c11e3e8
Nov 19, 2022 12:11am 0 VERSION_BUMP 5c8f9aa5
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