toolbox

My public toolbox.

Homebrew Backups

The brew/ directory contains Python 3 scripts for backing up and restoring Homebrew state on macOS.

Usage

Install to ~/git/toolbox and invoke directly for backup:

~/git/toolbox/brew/brew-backup.py

Integrate into a daily update shortcut called brewup inside ~/.zshrc:

function brewup() {

  # Update omzsh if there's an update, but keep it from exiting 0 and stopping the rest of the tasks.
  ZSH="${ZSH:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh}" zsh "$ZSH/tools/upgrade.sh" || true

  # Do brew updates and cleanup
  brew update && brew upgrade && brew cleanup &&

  # Back up brew installed components
  ~/git/toolbox/brew/brew-backup.py &&

  # Download (but don't automatically install) any updates to Apple components
  softwareupdate --download --all

}

Important Forking Note

This repository includes backup folders for my own Macs. If you fork or copy this repository for your own use, remove the existing brew/backups* folders first unless you intentionally want to install the Homebrew package lists from my computers.

Host-Specific Backup Folders

Backups are keyed by the short host name returned by:

hostname -s

For example, a Mac whose short host name is ramanujan stores its Homebrew snapshot in:

brew/backups.ramanujan/

The scripts intentionally use hostname -s for the short name, not hostname -a. The restore script uses the same value to choose its default Brewfile, so backup and restore stay scoped to the same host unless you pass a Brewfile path explicitly.

Back Up This Mac

Clone or keep this repository at ~/git/toolbox, then run:

brew/brew-backup.py

The backup script:

1. Uses hostname -s to choose brew/backups.<host>/.
2. Pulls the latest repo state before collecting data.
3. Writes a Brewfile and supporting Homebrew inventory files.
4. Commits and pushes changes when Homebrew state changed.
5. Pulls again at the end so the checkout is ready for the next run.

Restore This Mac

To restore from the current host's default backup folder:

brew/brew-restore.py

To restore from a specific Brewfile:

brew/brew-restore.py brew/backups.some-host/Brewfile

The restore script runs brew update, checks the Brewfile, and installs missing entries with brew bundle install --no-upgrade. It does not run cleanup automatically; it prints the cleanup command for review after restore completes.