install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install ipapatch

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

CLI tool to patch iOS IPA files and their plugins

Project links

Commands and aliases

ipapatch

history

Project history and usage

ipapatch is a Go CLI for modifying iOS IPA packages and their plugin payloads. Its niche is the iOS sideloading and app-modification workflow, where users need a portable binary that can patch app bundles without driving Xcode.

Project history

The README presents ipapatch as a tool for fixing IPA plugin-related problems in share sheets, widgets, VPNs, and similar extension contexts. It uses zxPluginsInject by default and credits Chocolate Fluffy's original IPA patcher tweak plus blacktop's ipsw and go-macho work for making native load-command injection possible.

The release stream began in May 2025 with v1.0.0. Early releases skipped watch apps, added a `--plugins-only` flag, removed an oversized archive dependency, and tightened how modified binaries and output IPAs were handled.

Adoption history

The project has modest but visible adoption through GitHub stars and a Homebrew formula. Its packaging matters because the target workflow is highly CLI-oriented: downloading a release binary or installing through Homebrew is simpler than building a Go toolchain on every device or CI host.

The README emphasizes cross-platform goals across macOS, Linux, and iOS, with Windows described as less proven. That portability is part of the appeal for IPA patching workflows that span desktop hosts and jailbroken or development devices.

How it is used

ipapatch is used after an IPA has already been obtained: the user runs the CLI against the package to inject or adjust plugin-related Mach-O load commands and then passes the output into signing or installation tooling.

Release notes show practical polish around output compatibility, such as v2.1.0's fix for IPAs that some signing apps and tools could not extract and v2.1.3's fix for signing unusual binaries.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about ipapatch because it turns a fragile iOS app-modification workflow into a distributable command-line package. It is small, specialized, and sits at the intersection of archive formats, Mach-O editing, app extensions, and code-signing expectations.

The project also shows the value of dependency diet in CLI packaging: v2.0.0 removed the external `zip` dependency so releases could behave more like self-contained native binaries.

Timeline

2025-05-11: v1.0.0 marked the first public release.
2025-05-17: v1.1.0 reduced executable and output IPA sizes by replacing a broad archive dependency with zip-specific handling.
2025-05-17: v1.1.1 added the `--plugins-only` flag.
2025-07: v2.0.0 removed the external `zip` command dependency.
2025-08-12: v2.1.2 updated the bundled zxPluginsInject dependency to v1.0.1.
2025-08-31: v2.1.3 fixed signing for unusual binaries.

Related projects

Related projects named by the upstream README include zxPluginsInject, Chocolate Fluffy's original patch, blacktop's ipsw, and go-macho.
It belongs near other IPA tooling such as app duplication, sideload signing, and Mach-O patching utilities, but its own scope is plugin and extension patching rather than App Store download or signing.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build 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

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`ipapatch`	cli	global 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 version2.1.3

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv2.1.3

https://github.com/asdfzxcvbn/ipapatch

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:ipapatch
Version	2.1.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ipapatch
Homepage	https://github.com/asdfzxcvbn/ipapatch
Repository	https://github.com/asdfzxcvbn/ipapatch
Upstream docs	https://github.com/asdfzxcvbn/ipapatch#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/asdfzxcvbn/ipapatch/archive/refs/tags/v2.1.3.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	ipapatch
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

package graph

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

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.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/ipapatch.yml

Used sources

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

Install ipapatch with Homebrew