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brew

Install apktool with Homebrew, chocolatey, apt, MacPorts, Nix, scoop

Tool for reverse engineering 3rd party, closed, binary Android apps. Version 3.0.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-15.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install apktool

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install apktool

MacPorts ports tree · java/apktool/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install apktool

Debian stable package indexes · apktool · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#apktool

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ap/apktool/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%
choco install apktool

Chocolatey community package catalog · apktool · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/apktool

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/apktool.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Tool for reverse engineering 3rd party, closed, binary Android apps

Commands and aliases

  • apktool

history

Project history and usage

Apktool is a long-running Java tool for decoding, modifying, and rebuilding Android APK files. It is one of the standard utilities in Android reverse engineering because it turns compiled resources, manifests, and smali code into a project-like tree that can be inspected and rebuilt.

Project history

Apktool's current GitHub repository was created in March 2012, but the official release blog lists releases back to 0.9.0 and 1.0.0 in 2010. The README says the project is for reverse engineering third-party, closed, binary Android apps, especially decoding resources to near-original form and rebuilding after modifications.

The official site preserves a long release line from the 0.9 and 1.x era through 2.x and into 3.x. The 2.x line became the maintenance branch, while main became the 3.x branch. The project also moved its documentation site to Docusaurus-backed pages and keeps release notes on apktool.org.

Version 3.0.0 in 2026 was a major compatibility break. Official release notes describe dropping aapt1 and 32-bit platform support, modernizing resource parsing, changing output format details, replacing some old CLI names, and adopting a new default resource-resolution model. Version 3.0.2 followed as a security and performance patch.

Adoption history

Apktool has broad package-manager adoption: the supplied metadata records Homebrew, Chocolatey, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, and Ubuntu packages. The official site also links downloads, Maven artifacts, GitHub discussions, Stack Overflow, and IRC, reflecting a tool with both distro packaging and a long-lived user support footprint.

GitHub metadata showed nearly 25k stars and thousands of forks at research time. That scale is consistent with Apktool's role as a default dependency in mobile-security, app localization, Android modding, and APK compatibility workflows.

How it is used

The basic flow is apktool d file.apk to decode, edit the generated project-like tree, and apktool b folder to rebuild. Official docs explain why simply unzipping an APK leaves binary XML and compiled resource files that are not practical to edit directly.

The CLI exposes decode, build, install-framework, and clean-frameworks command families. Framework files can be stored or read from a user-specified frame path, but the official docs do not present that as a fixed config-file location, so no config-file-location is recorded here.

Why package nerds care

Apktool is package-nerd significant because it is both a package and a package unpacker: it lets users explode Android's signed ZIP-based application format into resources, smali, framework references, and rebuild metadata. That makes it the bridge between Android binary distribution and editable source-like trees.

Its long packaging history also makes it a compatibility benchmark. When Android resource formats, smali, aapt/aapt2, Java versions, or Linux distro policies change, Apktool's releases often encode the fallout for reverse-engineering workflows.

Timeline

  • 2010: Official release blog lists Apktool 0.9.x and 1.0.0 releases.
  • 2012: Current GitHub repository was created.
  • 2015: Official blog records Apktool 2.0.0 and a Google Code shutdown migration note.
  • 2026: Apktool 3.0.0 became the major 3.x branch with CLI and resource-processing changes.
  • 2026: Apktool 3.0.2 shipped as a patch release for a security regression and disassembly performance.

Related projects

  • Apktool works in the Android reverse-engineering ecosystem alongside smali/baksmali, aapt/aapt2, dex tooling, Android framework files, and APK signing/build tools.

security posture

Risk level: red

escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal.

Risk classifier

red risk · medium confidence · escape-surveillance-offensive

Why

  • escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal

Signals

  • text:reverse engineering

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
apktoolcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version3.0.2
manager updated2026-06-15
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:apktool
Version3.0.2
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/apktool
Homepagehttps://apktool.org
Repositoryhttps://github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool
Upstream docshttps://apktool.org/
LicenseApache-2.0
Source archivehttps://github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/releases/download/v3.0.2/apktool_3.0.2.jar
Last updated2026-06-15T10:20:10-04:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciesopenjdk
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameapktool
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

apktool 2.7.0+dfsg-7

tool for reverse engineering Android apk files

https://ibotpeaches.github.io/Apktool/

sudo apt install apktool
  • Section: devel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 15 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: apktool from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

apktool

nix profile install nixpkgs#apktool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ap/apktool/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

apktool 2.7.0+dfsg-7

tool for reverse engineering Android apk files

https://ibotpeaches.github.io/Apktool/

sudo apt install apktool
  • Section: universe/devel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 15 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: apktool from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
MacPorts95%

apktool

sudo port install apktool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: java/apktool/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Chocolatey95%

apktool

choco install apktool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: apktool from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','ansicon'
Scoop95%

main/apktool

scoop install main/apktool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Apktool
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/apktool.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • openjdkRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • bundletoolShares av.db curated category or tags: android, apk, cli, developer-tools.
  • dex2jarShares av.db curated category or tags: android, cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering.
  • adb-enhancedShares av.db curated category or tags: android, cli, developer-tools.
  • capstoneShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering.
  • cfr-decompilerShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering.
  • decomposeShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment