# purcell/exec-path-from-shell

Make Emacs use the $PATH set up by the user's shell

Repository: https://github.com/purcell/exec-path-from-shell
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/exec-path-from-shell
Language: Emacs Lisp
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-06-19T12:00:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 72/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 88, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5102, "days_push": 75, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1573, forks 86 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:05.635271+00:00)

## What it is
A GNU Emacs library that copies environment variables like $PATH from the user's shell into Emacs, so GUI or daemon-launched Emacs sessions match the terminal environment. It supports zsh, bash, tcsh, fish, and nu shells.

## Use cases
- fix commands that work in terminal but not in Emacs
- make GUI Emacs on macOS use my shell PATH
- sync environment variables into Emacs daemon started by systemd
- import custom env vars from zsh into Emacs
- make exec-path match my fish shell setup

## When to choose
- you run Emacs as a GUI app on macOS or Linux and shell commands fail inside Emacs
- you start Emacs as a daemon from systemd or launchd and need your shell environment
- you want PATH, MANPATH, or other variables consistent between terminal and Emacs

## When to avoid
- you only run Emacs inside a terminal, where it already inherits your shell environment
- you need PowerShell support - use the companion exec-path-from-powershell package instead

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: developer-tools, configuration-management
- domain: developer-tools, text-editors, cross-platform
- platform: -
- tags: emacs, elisp, environment-variables, path, shell, melpa, macos, linux, emacs-lisp, desktop

## Member repositories
- purcell/exec-path-from-shell (main) score 72

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:05.635271+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:58:03.979114+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/purcell/exec-path-from-shell (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:05.635271+00:00, sha 99adcf30913b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.