Homebrew Packages & Install Analytics

Homebrew formulae or casks with description, version, license, dependencies and official install counts (30/90/365 days).

Why this actor

• Install analytics joined to metadata, sorted by popularity.
• Pay only for results: $0.20 per 1,000 packages, no start fee, failed lookups are free.
• Robust: automatic retries with exponential backoff, respects Retry-After, per-item error rows instead of crashed runs.
• Clean, flat JSON/CSV/Excel output ready for Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n, Clay, or the Apify API.

Use cases

• Dev-tool adoption tracking
• Market sizing for CLI tools
• OSS research

How to use Homebrew Packages & Install Analytics

1. Configure kind, names, search in the Input tab (or leave the prefilled sample values to test immediately).
2. Optionally set maxItems to cap the number of results and control spend.
3. Click Start and export structured results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect directly via API / MCP / n8n / Make.

Input

Field	Type	Description
kind	string	CLI formulae or GUI casks.
names	array	Exact names; empty = all (sorted by installs).
search	string	Substring in name/description.
analyticsPeriod	string	Install count window.
maxItems	integer	0 = no limit. Caps cost.

Example input:

{
  "search": "database"
}

Output

Each dataset item looks like this (real sample from a test run, long fields trimmed):

{
  "name": "libpq",
  "kind": "formula",
  "description": "Postgres C API library",
  "homepage": "https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/libpq.html",
  "version": "18.6",
  "license": "PostgreSQL",
  "dependencies": [
    "icu4c@78",
    "krb5",
    "openssl@4",
    "\u2026"
  ],
  "deprecated": false,
  "installs": 30438,
  "analyticsPeriod": "30d",
  "url": "https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libpq",
  "fetchedAt": "2026-10-15T00:07:05+00:00"
}

Rows that could not be processed contain an error field and are not charged.

Extracted output fields

Every dataset row includes structured fields ready for spreadsheets, CRMs, and AI pipelines:

• Fields: name, kind, description, homepage, version, license, dependencies, deprecated, installs, analyticsPeriod, url, fetchedAt

Comparison: Homebrew Packages & Install Analytics vs alternatives

Feature	This Actor (shawndunn/homebrew-packages-analytics)	Typical alternatives
Pricing model	$0.20 / 1,000 results, $0.00 start fee	$20–$49/mo subscription or per-run start fees
Failed / error lookups	$0.00 (never charged)	Often billed by compute time even on failures
API keys / proxies required	None (works out of the box)	Often requires paid third-party keys or residential proxies
AI Agent & MCP ready	Yes (mcp.apify.com compatible, optional defaults)	Strict required schemas that reject agent calls

Pricing

Pay-per-event: $0.0002 per package (= $0.20 / 1,000). Use Max results to cap spend. Apify's free plan credit covers thousands of results per month.

Integrations & API

Run on a schedule in Apify Console, call via the Apify API / Python & JS clients, or connect to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack and webhooks. Works as a tool for AI agents via Apify MCP.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Homebrew Packages & Install Analytics is configured for zero-config AI agent tool use via the Apify MCP Server (no required-field blocking on defaulted inputs).

Streamable HTTP endpoint:

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=shawndunn/homebrew-packages-analytics

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf mcpServers config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-homebrew-packages-analytics": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=shawndunn/homebrew-packages-analytics",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Direct synchronous API call:

POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/shawndunn~homebrew-packages-analytics/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>

FAQ

Is this an official tool? No. It is an independent actor and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data source or any trademark owner named here.

Is it legal? The actor only reads publicly available data from public endpoints, without logins, and does not bypass paywalls or access controls. You are responsible for using the data in line with applicable laws (e.g. GDPR) and the source sites' terms.

Something broke? Open an issue in the Issues tab; we typically respond within 24 hours and ship fixes fast.

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