ipsw is a comprehensive command-line research framework for iOS and macOS. It provides an extensive toolkit for security researchers, reverse engineers, jailbreak developers, and iOS enthusiasts to download, parse, and analyze Apple firmware and interact with iOS devices.
- 📱 IPSW/OTA Analysis - Download, extract, and analyze iOS firmware files
- 🔍 Binary Analysis - Advanced Mach-O parsing with ARM disassembly and AI assistance
- 🧠 dyld_shared_cache - Complete shared cache analysis with ObjC/Swift class dumping
- 🔧 Kernel Analysis - Kernelcache parsing, syscall extraction, and symbolication
- 📲 Device Interaction - Comprehensive iOS device management and debugging
- 🔐 Firmware Research - IMG4, iBoot, SEP, and co-processor firmware analysis
- 🏪 App Store Connect - Full API integration for app and certificate management
- 🛠️ Developer Tools - SSH, Frida, debugging, and reverse engineering utilities
Using blacktop tap (includes extras)
brew install blacktop/tap/ipswUsing official Homebrew formula
brew install ipswsudo snap install ipswscoop bucket add blacktop https://github.com/blacktop/scoop-bucket.git
scoop install blacktop/ipswgo install github.com/blacktop/ipsw/cmd/ipsw@latest# Download latest iOS IPSW
ipsw download ipsw --device iPhone16,1 --latest
# Extract kernelcache
ipsw extract --kernel iPhone16,1_18.2_22C150_Restore.ipsw
# Analyze dyld_shared_cache
ipsw dyld info /path/to/dyld_shared_cache_arm64
# Get device information
ipsw idev list- Download Sources: Apple, AppleDB, Developer Portal, RSS feeds, GitHub, iTunes, Wikipedia
- File Types: IPSW, OTA, macOS installers, Xcode, KDKs, PCC files
- Operations: Extract, diff, mount, analyze metadata
ipsw download ipsw --device iPhone16,1 --latest
ipsw extract --kernel iPhone16,1_18.2_22C150_Restore.ipsw
ipsw diff iPhone16,1_18.1_22B83_Restore.ipsw iPhone16,1_18.2_22C150_Restore.ipsw- Mach-O Parsing: Complete binary analysis with symbol extraction
- ARM Disassembly: ARM v9-a disassembler with AI-powered analysis
- Code Signing: Verify signatures, analyze entitlements
- Binary Patching: Add, modify, or remove patches
ipsw macho info /path/to/binary
ipsw macho disass /path/to/binary --symbol _main
ipsw macho search /path/to/binary --string "password"- Cache Parsing: Extract and analyze the complete shared cache structure
- ObjC Analysis: Class dumps, method analysis, protocol parsing
- Swift Support: Swift class dumping and analysis (experimental)
- Symbol Management: Symbol extraction and address resolution
ipsw dyld info /path/to/dyld_shared_cache
ipsw dyld extract /path/to/dyld_shared_cache --dylib Foundation
ipsw dyld objc class /path/to/dyld_shared_cache --class NSString- File System: Browse and transfer files via AFC
- App Management: Install, uninstall, and analyze applications
- Backup & Restore: Complete device backup operations
- Development: Mount developer images, capture logs, packet capture
- Diagnostics: Battery info, crash logs, system diagnostics
ipsw idev list
ipsw idev afc ls /
ipsw idev apps ls
ipsw idev backup create
ipsw idev syslog- IMG4: Parse and decrypt Image4 format files
- iBoot: Bootloader analysis and research
- SEP: Secure Enclave Processor firmware analysis
- AEA: Apple Encrypted Archives decryption
- Co-processors: AOP, DCP, GPU, Camera firmware analysis
ipsw img4 dec iBoot.img4
ipsw fw sep iPhone16,1_18.2_22C150_Restore.ipsw
ipsw fw iboot iPhone16,1_18.2_22C150_Restore.ipsw- Certificate Management: iOS/macOS certificates and profiles
- Device Registration: Manage development devices
- App Management: Bundle IDs, capabilities, and reviews
- Provisioning: Complete provisioning profile lifecycle
ipsw appstore cert ls
ipsw appstore device reg --name "My Device" --udid 1234567890
ipsw appstore profile create --name "Development Profile"- Symbolication: Crash log analysis and symbol resolution
- Class Dumping: ObjC and Swift class extraction
- SSH Access: Jailbroken device SSH with debugserver
- Frida Integration: Dynamic instrumentation capabilities
- AI Powered Decompiler: Integration with Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Ollama and OpenRouter
ipsw symbolicate crash.ips --dsym /path/to/symbols
ipsw class-dump /path/to/binary
ipsw ssh debugserveripsw consists of two main components:
ipsw- Main CLI tool with complete analysis capabilitiesipswd- REST API daemon for remote operations and automation
ipsw supports YAML configuration files and environment variables:
# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/ipsw
# Copy example config
cp config.example.yml ~/.config/ipsw/config.yaml- SQLite (default) - Local storage
- PostgreSQL - Production deployments
❱ ipsw macho disass /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ApplePushService.framework/apsd --entry \
--dec --dec-model "Claude 3.7 Sonnet"
• Loading symbol cache file...
• Decompiling... 🕒int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
@autoreleasepool {
__set_user_dir_suffix(@"com.apple.apsd");
@autoreleasepool {
APSDaemon *daemon = [[APSDaemon alloc] init];
if (daemon) {
NSRunLoop *runLoop = [NSRunLoop currentRunLoop];
[runLoop run];
[runLoop release];
}
[daemon release];
}
return 0;
}
@catch (NSException *exception) {
if ([exception reason] == 1) {
id exceptionObj = [exception retain];
id logger = [APSLog daemon];
if (_os_log_type_enabled(logger, 0x11)) {
[exceptionObj logWithLogger:logger];
}
[logger release];
[exceptionObj release];
}
}
}- Vulnerability analysis and exploit development
- Firmware security assessment
- Binary reverse engineering
- Bootchain analysis and exploitation
- Kernel extension research
- System modification and patching
- App debugging and analysis
- Certificate and provisioning management
- Device testing and automation
- Device data extraction and analysis
- Timeline reconstruction
- Artifact analysis
- Go: 1.24+ (for building from source)
- Platform: macOS, Linux, Windows
- USB: libusb for device interaction
- Optional: AI API keys for enhanced analysis
- Website: https://blacktop.github.io/ipsw
- API Docs: REST API documentation available at
/docswhen runningipswd - Examples: Comprehensive usage examples in the documentation
Ask questions about the repository using AI:
Warning
AI responses may contain hallucinations - verify important information.
Pre-computed firmware differences: ipsw-diffs
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
git clone https://github.com/blacktop/ipsw.git
cd ipsw
make build- macOS IPSW Support: Some macOS firmware operations may have compatibility issues
- Testing: Comprehensive testing is challenging due to the variety of firmware versions and device types
- Resource Intensive: Some operations require significant memory and processing power
Create an issue if you encounter problems - fixes are prioritized! A comprehensive test suite is planned for future releases.
Huge thanks to:
- Jonathan Levin for his legendary tools and comprehensive iOS internals documentation
- The iOS research community for continuous innovation and knowledge sharing
- All contributors who help make this project better
MIT Copyright (c) 2018-2025 blacktop