avail

Check tool name availability and uniqueness.

avail checks tool names across package registries, operating system package indexes, and repositories.

Installation

% cargo install avail-cli --locked

Or install a prebuilt binary from GitHub Releases:

% curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/knu/avail/releases/latest/download/avail-cli-installer.sh | sh

If you use cargo-binstall:

% cargo binstall avail-cli

On Windows:

> powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/knu/avail/releases/latest/download/avail-cli-installer.ps1 | iex"

Usage

% avail <name>

Limit the search to specific providers:

% avail -p cargo -p npm my-name

Limit matches per provider:

% avail --limit 10 my-name

Print JSON output:

% avail --json my-name

Available providers:

• cargo
• npm
• pypi
• gem
• debian
• freebsd-base
• freebsd-ports
• homebrew
• github
• arch
• aur
• alpine
• nuget
• nixpkgs
• gitlab
• winget
• mise

GitHub search requires the gh command to be installed and authenticated. Homebrew search uses brew when available, then falls back to the Homebrew API. GitLab searches public projects on GitLab.com.

Nixpkgs search requires nix with the nix-command and flakes features enabled and searches the nixpkgs flake for the current system. It may download and evaluate Nixpkgs on first use; the search times out after 30 seconds. mise search uses mise registry --json, including registry aliases such as rg. It checks registry shorthands, rather than every identifier supported by mise backends or personal tool aliases.

WinGet search requires winget and checks exact package IDs, display names, monikers, and declared commands in the winget source. Matches are case-sensitive, as defined by winget --exact. It does not search for similar names. Source agreements must already be accepted. Alpine searches the edge branch for x86_64 packages and commands in /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, and /usr/sbin. Arch and AUR check package names.

Missing commands, timeouts, and failed requests produce unknown, rather than available.

Match kinds

Each result identifies what matched:

• package: package name or identifier.
• command: an executable path, a command manual page, or a declared WinGet command.
• repository: repository name, independent of its owner or namespace.
• manual-page: a FreeBSD base manual page outside command sections 1, 6, and 8.
• tool-alias: a mise registry shorthand or alias, or a WinGet moniker.

An :exact suffix marks exact matches, for example [command:exact]. Similar matches have a kind label without that suffix. The provider's taken line lists all exact match kinds found, even when --limit 0 hides the individual results. Exact matches appear first.

taken means the name is already in use within the searched scope. A repository match does not prevent creating a repository under another owner. available means no exact match was found within that provider's scope; it does not reserve a name or guarantee trademark availability.

JSON retains status, detail, and matches, and adds matched_kinds to each provider result and kind and exact to each match.

Author

Copyright (c) 2026 Akinori Musha.

Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE for details.

Visit the GitHub Repository for the latest information.