How Brewlert Finds New Formulae and Casks
Brewlert is built around Homebrew’s public contribution trail. It does not guess which packages are new: it follows reviewed pull requests, preserves their source links, and enriches each accepted addition with official package metadata.
1. Find merged additions
Brewlert searches Homebrew/homebrew-core for merged pull requests labeled new formula and Homebrew/homebrew-cask for merged pull requests labeled new cask. Each result retains the original pull-request URL and merge timestamp.
2. Use a fixed weekly window
Every issue covers the previous Sunday through Saturday in UTC. A fixed boundary keeps the email, archive page, and source queries aligned and prevents an addition from drifting between issues.
3. Enrich from committed and official data
Brewlert first reads the package description and homepage from the definition committed by the accepted pull request. It also queries the matching Homebrew Formulae JSON endpoint for the display name, version, and fallback metadata.
This approach keeps the entry tied to the reviewed contribution while using Homebrew’s public API to fill in useful display details.
4. Publish useful installation context
Each entry includes its package type, description, version when available, upstream homepage, Homebrew page, source pull request, and the appropriate install command. Subscribers can choose formulae, casks, or both.
- Formula install command: brew install <name>
- Cask install command: brew install --cask <name>
- Source links remain available for independent verification.
Limits and attribution
Brewlert reports packages accepted into Homebrew during the weekly window. It does not independently audit each upstream project, certify package security, or represent Homebrew. Package descriptions and metadata remain attributable to their linked upstream and Homebrew sources.