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The zb outdated command checks all installed packages against the latest available versions and reports which ones have updates available.

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Usage

zb outdated [OPTIONS]

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Options

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--quiet
flag
Show only package names, one per line. Cannot be used with --verbose or --json.
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--verbose
flag
Show detailed version information with color-coded output. Cannot be used with --quiet or --json.
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--json
flag
Output results as JSON array. Cannot be used with --quiet or --verbose.

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Description

This command compares the installed versions of all packages against the latest versions available in the formula repository. It’s useful for discovering which packages can be upgraded. The command supports three output formats:
  • Default: Shows package name with installed and available versions
  • Quiet (--quiet): Shows only package names (useful for scripting)
  • Verbose (--verbose): Shows detailed information with color highlighting
  • JSON (--json): Machine-readable structured output
The --quiet, --verbose, and --json flags are mutually exclusive - you can only use one at a time.

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Examples

Check for outdated packages with default output: 
zb outdated
Output: 
node (20.10.0) < 20.11.0
python (3.11.7) < 3.12.1
List only package names (quiet mode): 
zb outdated --quiet
Output: 
node
python
Show detailed version information: 
zb outdated --verbose
Output: 
node 20.10.0 → 20.11.0
python 3.11.7 → 3.12.1
Get JSON output for scripting: 
zb outdated --json
Output: 
[
  {
    "name": "node",
    "installed_versions": ["20.10.0"],
    "current_version": "20.11.0"
  },
  {
    "name": "python",
    "installed_versions": ["3.11.7"],
    "current_version": "3.12.1"
  }
]
Use in a shell script to upgrade outdated packages: 
#!/bin/bash
for package in $(zb outdated --quiet); do
  zb install "$package"
done

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Output Formats

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Default Format

Shows package name with versions in the format: name (installed) < available

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Quiet Format

One package name per line, with no additional information. This format is ideal for:
  • Shell scripts that need to process the list
  • Piping to other commands
  • Counting outdated packages with wc -l

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Verbose Format

Color-coded output showing:
  • Package name
  • Installed version (in red)
  • Arrow separator
  • Available version (in green)

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JSON Format

Structured JSON array where each object contains:
  • name: Package name
  • installed_versions: Array of installed versions (currently always contains one version)
  • current_version: Latest available version

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When No Updates Available

When all packages are up to date: 
zb outdated
Output: 
==> All packages are up to date.
In quiet mode, no output is produced when everything is current.
  • zb update - Update formula cache before checking for outdated packages
  • zb install - Install or upgrade packages
  • zb list - List all installed packages

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