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blacktop/ipsw-skill

A SKILL.md for ipsw

Claude CodeEngineeringSecurityResearch

History

Review weekly changes to SKILL.md before updating. Dates mark the weeks in which we observed each version; checks apply to the recorded commits.

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ipsw/SKILL.md

Week of Nov 2, 2026 · Line counts unavailable

Before Not checked yet → After Local scripts

First observation → 1a797280aa27

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Verified commit 1a797280aa27481e646be89f334784ad04d315c6

git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw-skill.git .hotskills/blacktop-ipsw-skill && git -C .hotskills/blacktop-ipsw-skill checkout --detach 1a797280aa27481e646be89f334784ad04d315c6 # Copy each selected skill directory from .hotskills/blacktop-ipsw-skill into .claude/skills/<skill-name>/
104GitHub stars
4stars in 7 days
1skill in this repository
0commits in 30 days

Heat

3.2
  • Star growth, last 7 daysNot available
  • Star growth, last 24 hoursNot available
  • Rank movement, last 7 daysNot available
  • Commits, last 30 daysNot available
  • Accounts asking about it through MCP, last 7 daysNot available
  • Hot votes this weekNot available

Heat never changes the order by stars, and sponsorship never touches it. How heat works

Stars over time

Oct 25, 2026Nov 5, 2026104

30-day change not yet available: not enough history.

Individual skills in this repository

How it works

ipsw

When your agent uses it

Reverse-engineers Apple firmware and binaries with the ipsw CLI. Inspects IPSWs and OTAs remotely or locally; extracts kernelcaches, dyld_shared_cache, exclave, SEP, and coprocessor firmware; disassembles and cross-references DSC dylibs, KEXTs, and Mach-Os; dumps and diffs ObjC/Swift headers; decompiles and queries sandbox profiles; searches entitlements; symbolicates crashes and panics; and diffs releases. Use for iOS/macOS internals, private frameworks, kernel or firmware research, and Apple security research, even when ipsw is not named.

What it loads into context

Frontmatter

174 tokens

Always available to the agent

SKILL.md

3,812 tokens

When the skill is activated

Reference documents

17,720 tokens

Loaded on request

Token counts are estimates. Scripts run separately; they are not counted as reference context.

The playbook

  1. Working rules
  2. Choose a workflow
  3. Triage a release without downloading it
  4. Userspace: from an address to an explanation
  5. Kernel: name, find, disassemble
  6. What changed between two builds
  7. Capabilities: entitlements and sandbox
  8. Crashes and panics
  9. Pitfalls
  10. Older releases (ipsw 3.1.725 and earlier)
  11. Reference files

Files

  • ../.claude-plugin/marketplace.jsonasset380 bytes
  • ../.claude-plugin/plugin.jsonasset487 bytes
  • LICENSE.txtdoc1,070 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • SKILL.mdcore13,569 bytes
  • references/class-dump.mddoc5,497 bytes
  • references/device.mddoc2,641 bytes
  • references/diffing.mddoc3,625 bytes
  • references/download.mddoc9,981 bytes
  • references/dyld.mddoc8,695 bytes
  • references/entitlements.mddoc3,231 bytes
  • references/firmware.mddoc7,921 bytes
  • references/kernel.mddoc6,579 bytes
  • references/macho.mddoc4,637 bytes
  • references/sandbox.mddoc5,319 bytes
  • references/symbolication.mddoc4,139 bytes
Read SKILL.md

# ipsw

`ipsw` is one CLI for Apple firmware work, organized into command groups (`download`,
`extract`, `dyld`, `kernel`, `macho`, `fw`, `sb`, `ent`, `diff`, `symbolicate`, `idev`, ...).
Install it with `brew install blacktop/tap/ipsw` (other platforms: github.com/blacktop/ipsw
releases). Remote and download commands need network access; `idev` needs a USB-connected
device. This skill describes ipsw as of commit 6e0291a8f (after release 3.1.725); on 3.1.725
and earlier, apply the "Older releases" table below. Flags change between releases:
`ipsw version` shows the installed build, and `ipsw <group> <command> --help` is the source of
truth. Commands marked 🚧 in `--help` are works in progress.

Examples use these shell variables (POSIX sh/bash/zsh syntax):

```bash
View the complete source on GitHub

Skills included

  • ipsw

Repository facts

License
MIT
Created
Dec 24, 2025
Last pushed
Sep 27, 2026
Forks
12
Open issues
0
Project activity
Active

Before you install

Local scripts

Automated signals, not a guarantee

Checked Nov 5, 2026

Not fully analyzed: some files were too long, unreadable or missing. This never lowers the level.

Show 8 notes
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
  • ipsw/SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
Show all 16 signals by file

.claude-plugin/plugin.json

  • Network accessline 5
    "author": {     "name": "blacktop",     "url": "https://github.com/blacktop"
  • Network accessline 6
    "name": "blacktop",     "url": "https://github.com/blacktop"   },
  • Network accessline 7
    "url": "https://github.com/blacktop"
  • Network accessline 8
    },   "homepage": "https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw-skill",   "repository": "https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw-skill",
  • Network accessline 9
    "homepage": "https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw-skill",
  • Network accessline 10
    "repository": "https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw-skill",

ipsw/SKILL.md

  • Network accessline 24
    IPSW=./iPhone18,1_26.4_23E246_Restore.ipsw   # local IPSW or OTA URL=https://updates.cdn-apple.com/...          # remote IPSW or OTA (see "Triage a release")
  • Network accessline 25
    URL=https://updates.cdn-apple.com/...          # remote IPSW or OTA (see "Triage a release")
  • Network accessline 124
    Signatures come from `git clone https://github.com/blacktop/symbolicator`; without

ipsw/references/kernel.md

  • Network accessline 38
    `kernel symbolicate` recovers names. On its own it names syscalls, Mach traps, MIG routines, and C++ methods (~12,800 symbols on iOS 26, about 4 seconds); signatures from [blacktop/symbolicator](https://github.com/blacktop/symbolicator) add
  • Network accessline 40
    [blacktop/symbolicator](https://github.com/blacktop/symbolicator) add most other functions:
  • Network accessline 45
    git clone https://github.com/blacktop/symbolicator

ipsw/references/macho.md

  • Dangerous shell operationline 121
    ipsw macho patch rm "$BIN" LC_RPATH @executable_path/Frameworks -o patched_binary
  • Access to secretsline 126
    [Credential-related source omitted]

ipsw/references/symbolication.md

  • Network accessline 56
    ipsw symbolicate --server http://localhost:3993 panic.ips
  • Network accessline 57
    [Credential-related source omitted]

How the signals fit together

Facts from a static read of the files at the pinned commit. They describe what the code does, not why.

Some files could not be read; the facts below still hold.

Signal confidence: 10 facts

Works with

Agent compatibility, from the files in this repository
AgentStatusEvidenceInstall to
Claude CodeNativeManifest .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.claude/skills/<skill-name>/
CodexCompatibleStandard SKILL.md ipsw/SKILL.md.agents/skills/<skill-name>/
CursorCompatibleStandard SKILL.md ipsw/SKILL.md.cursor/skills/<skill-name>/
Gemini CLICompatibleStandard SKILL.md ipsw/SKILL.md.gemini/skills/<skill-name>/
GitHub CopilotCompatibleStandard SKILL.md ipsw/SKILL.md.github/skills/<skill-name>/
OpenCodeCompatibleStandard SKILL.md ipsw/SKILL.md.opencode/skills/<skill-name>/
  • Native The repository ships a manifest, folder or frontmatter field for this agent.
  • Compatible A standard SKILL.md that this agent can read.
  • Unknown No evidence either way.

Derived automatically from paths, manifests and frontmatter. Not tested on each agent.

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