An Alfred workflow for quick package, plugin, and component lookup across 30+ package managers.
Package Managers is an Alfred workflow for macOS that allows developers to quickly search for packages, plugins, and components across over 30 package repositories like npm, Homebrew, Docker, and PyPI. It solves the problem of switching between multiple package manager websites or CLI tools by providing a unified, keyboard-driven search interface directly within Alfred.
macOS developers who use Alfred and frequently search for packages across different programming languages and ecosystems, such as JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, and Docker users.
Developers choose this workflow because it centralizes package discovery into a single, fast tool that integrates with their existing Alfred setup, saving time and reducing context switching compared to visiting individual package manager websites or using separate CLI commands.
Package Manager Search
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Covers over 30 package managers including npm, Homebrew, and Docker, providing a unified search interface that reduces context switching, as listed in the commands section.
Implements local caching with commands like `pkgman cachedb` to update caches, speeding up common queries and minimizing network requests, as detailed in the README.
Leverages Alfred's keyboard-driven workflow with action modifiers (e.g., cmd to copy package names), enabling fast, efficient searches without leaving the desktop.
Pre-configured with PATH variables for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, ensuring it works across different hardware, as explained in the README's PATH section.
Requires users to install PHP via Homebrew and configure PATH variables manually, which can be cumbersome and error-prone, especially after macOS updates remove PHP.
Admits in the README that workflows can break when package providers change their APIs, leading to maintenance issues and potential downtime without quick fixes.
Some repositories like PyPI are slow due to poor API support, and caching may delay updates, affecting search speed and accuracy, as noted in the additional notes.