install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install zsign

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#zsign

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

overview

Package summary

Cross-platform codesigning tool for iOS apps

Project links

Commands and aliases

zsign

history

Project history and usage

zsign is a fast cross-platform command-line code-signing tool for iOS apps. It focuses on signing IPA/app bundles with certificates, provisioning profiles, entitlements, and embedded frameworks outside Apple's Xcode GUI workflow.

Project history

The public GitHub repository was created on 2019-09-19. Its README presents zsign as a fast cross-platform iOS code-signing tool and documents command-line signing examples for `.ipa`, `.app`, `.dylib`, and `.framework` targets.

zsign appeared in a tooling niche created by Apple's signing model: iOS apps require valid signatures and provisioning data, but developers, CI systems, jailbreak-adjacent workflows, and enterprise resigning flows often need a scriptable tool rather than a full Xcode-driven build.

Adoption history

Adoption has been practical and tooling-driven. The repository has substantial GitHub interest for a small native utility, and Homebrew/Nix packaging makes it easier to install on developer machines and CI runners that need repeatable resigning commands.

Because iOS signing is platform-sensitive and operationally finicky, zsign's appeal is not broad consumer usage; it is operators and developers who already have certificates and provisioning profiles and need a concise command-line path.

How it is used

Typical usage passes a certificate, mobile provisioning profile, entitlements, and an input IPA or app bundle to `zsign`, producing a resigned output artifact. The README also documents signing embedded dynamic libraries and frameworks, which matters because iOS bundles contain nested code that must be signed consistently.

Package users should treat it as a signing automation tool, not a credential manager. Certificates, private keys, and provisioning profiles remain external inputs supplied by the user or CI environment.

Why package nerds care

zsign is package-nerd significant because it packages a piece of mobile-release infrastructure as a small Unix-style CLI. It turns a GUI-heavy Apple platform operation into something package managers can install and scripts can call.

It also sits at an interesting boundary between legitimate CI/app-distribution workflows and more informal IPA resigning ecosystems, so clear package metadata and source provenance matter.

Timeline

2019-09-19: The zhlynn/zsign GitHub repository is created.
2020s: zsign becomes available through package managers such as Homebrew and Nix for command-line iOS signing workflows.
2026: The GitHub repository remains active, with recent pushes in 2026 according to GitHub metadata.

Related projects

Related projects include Apple's codesign, Xcode signing tools, ldid, fastlane sigh/gym, ios-deploy, AltStore-related signing workflows, and mobile provisioning-profile tooling.

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.
Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
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
`zsign`	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 version1.0.8

manager updated2026-07-08

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.0.8

https://github.com/zhlynn/zsign

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:zsign
Version	1.0.8
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/zsign
Homepage	https://github.com/zhlynn/zsign
Repository	https://github.com/zhlynn/zsign
Upstream docs	https://github.com/zhlynn/zsign#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/zhlynn/zsign/archive/refs/tags/v1.0.8.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-07-08T11:12:02Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	minizip-ng, openssl@4
Build dependencies	pkgconf
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	zsign
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

source database matches

Other package-manager records

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

Nix95%

zsign

nix profile install nixpkgs#zsign

normalized package name match
Matched by: Zsign

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/zs/zsign/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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.

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/zsign.yml

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

Install zsign with Homebrew, Nix