Distribution: ship bumblebee via Homebrew for easier macOS adoption

[kioie]

Problem

Bumblebee can be very useful when security and platform teams can roll it out broadly across developer Macs — not just to people who already have Go installed and are comfortable with go install.

Today, installation is documented primarily as:

go install github.com/perplexityai/bumblebee/cmd/bumblebee@latest

That works for Go developers, but it’s a meaningful barrier for everyone else on macOS:

• Non-developer Mac users (IT, security responders, team leads) often don’t have Go on their PATH and shouldn’t need to install a toolchain just to run a scanner.
• Developers who aren’t Go-native expect CLI tools to be one command away — the same way they install gh, ripgrep, or fzf.
• Fleet rollout on Mac (MDM, onboarding docs, incident runbooks) is much simpler when the install path is a standard package manager command rather than “install Go, then go install this module.”

Homebrew is a preferred way Mac users install CLI tools. brew install bumblebee lowers the friction to try bumblebee, verify it (bumblebee selftest), and adopt it across macOS endpoints and some Linux endpoints.

Status

Homebrew core — merged (2026-05-28)

Users can now install directly:

brew install bumblebee
bumblebee selftest

Merged PR: Homebrew/homebrew-core#284878

Remaining proposal

1. Official tap (optional) — create perplexityai/homebrew-tap with a formula that installs official macOS release binaries for users who prefer tap-based installs or need faster binary delivery between core formula updates:

   brew tap perplexityai/tap
   brew install bumblebee

2. Release automation — extend .goreleaser.yaml with a brews block to auto-update the tap formula on each tagged release (draft in docs: Homebrew install path and GoReleaser tap automation #26).

Why this fits bumblebee

• Single static binary, no runtime deps — ideal Homebrew packaging target on macOS.
• Releases and checksums already exist via GoReleaser.
• Built-in bumblebee selftest gives Homebrew and users a reliable post-install smoke test.
• Lower install friction on Mac directly supports the product goal: get inventory on more endpoints, faster, during supply-chain incidents.

Acceptance criteria

• Homebrew core formula merged — brew install bumblebee works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
• perplexityai/homebrew-tap exists (optional; core formula covers primary install path)
• GoReleaser updates the tap formula on release (if official tap is adopted)

Related

• Homebrew core PR (merged): bumblebee 0.1.1 (new formula) Homebrew/homebrew-core#284878
• GoReleaser/automation draft PR: docs: Homebrew install path and GoReleaser tap automation #26

[kioie]

@adel-pplx — Homebrew core is now merged (#284878), so brew install bumblebee is live.

Could you take a look at this issue and weigh in on the remaining items (optional official tap + GoReleaser automation in #26)? Happy to adjust scope if core-only is sufficient for now.