PulseAPK

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PulseAPK is a professional-grade, cross-platform GUI for Android reverse engineering and security analysis, built with Avalonia and .NET 8. It combines the raw power of apktool with advanced static analysis capabilities, wrapped in a high-performance, cyberpunk-inspired interface. PulseAPK streamlines the entire workflow from decompilation to analysis, rebuilding, and signing.

Overview of PulseAPK functionality

PulseAPK Patching functionality overview

PulseAPK is organized into a single-window workflow with a left sidebar for each tool: Decompile, Build APK, Patch APK, Analyser, Settings, and About. The optional Device Tools tab can be enabled from Settings when you want ADB-assisted workflows. Each section focuses on one stage of the APK lifecycle so you can move from decoding to analysis, patching, device interaction, rebuilding, and signing without leaving the app.

Screenshots

1) Decompile workflow

• Use this screen to pick an input APK and output folder, then run decompilation.
• Simple flow: select APK -> set output path -> click decompile.

2) Build workflow

• Use this screen to rebuild a decompiled project into a new APK.
• Simple flow: select project folder -> choose output name/path -> click build (and enable signing if needed).

3) Patching workflow

• Use this screen to automate APK patching actions, including Frida gadget injection.
• Simple flow: load APK/project -> choose patching options -> run patch -> verify output.

4) Static analysis results

• This view shows security findings from Smali/static analysis.
• Simple flow: decompile first -> open analysis tab/output -> review findings and export report.

Key Features

• 🛡️ Static Security Analysis: Automatically scan Smali code for vulnerabilities, including root detection, emulator checks, hardcoded credentials, and insecure SQL/HTTP usage.
• ⚙️ Dynamic Rule Engine: Fully customizable analysis rules via smali_analysis_rules.json. Modify detection patterns on the fly without restarting the application. Uses caching for optimal performance.
• 🚀 Modern UI/UX: A responsive, dark-themed interface designed for efficiency, with real-time console feedback.
• 📦 Complete Workflow: Decompile, Analyze, Patch, Recompile, and Sign APKs in one unified environment.
• 🧩 APK Patching: Automate Frida gadget injection, manifest updates, dex validation, architecture selection, and optional output signing from the patching workspace.
• 📱 Optional Device Tools: Enable ADB workflows for connected devices, including APK install, launch, app maintenance, package lookup, screenshots, screen recording, logcat presets, and custom shell/ADB commands.
• ⚡ Safe & Robust: Includes intelligent validation and crash prevention mechanisms to protect your workspace and data.
• 🔧 Fully Configurable: Manage tool paths (Java, Apktool, Uber APK Signer, ADB), language, theme, beta features, workspace settings, and analysis parameters with ease.

Advanced Capabilities

Security Analysis

PulseAPK includes a built-in static analyzer that scans decompiled code for common security indicators:

• Root Detection: Identifies checks for Magisk, SuperSU, and common root binaries.
• Emulator Detection: Finds checks for QEMU, Genymotion, and specific system properties.
• Sensitive Data: Scans for hardcoded API keys, tokens, and basic auth headers.
• Insecure Networking: Flags HTTP usage and potential data leakage points.

Rules are defined in smali_analysis_rules.json and can be customized to your specific needs.

APK Management

• Decompile: Select an APK, choose decode options (resources, sources, manifest handling), and extract to an output folder or the APK’s own folder.
• Build APK: Recompile from a project folder, set output name and location, toggle AAPT2, and optionally sign the APK in one step with Uber APK Signer.
• Patch APK: Use the dedicated patcher tab to automate APK patching workflows, including Frida setup with one-click Inject frida-gadget support, architecture-aware gadget placement, manifest updates, dex validation controls, and optional output signing.
• Analyser: Point to a decompiled project folder, run the Smali analysis, and export the report when needed.
• Settings: Configure language, dark/light theme, Apktool, Uber APK Signer, ADB path detection, and beta feature visibility. Settings are stored in the user app-data folder instead of the application directory.
• Device Tools: Optional beta tab for ADB-backed device work. When enabled in Settings, PulseAPK auto-detects ADB from the configured path, ADB_PATH, ANDROID_HOME, ANDROID_SDK_ROOT, ~/Android/Sdk/platform-tools, or PATH; then it can refresh devices, install APKs, detect package/activity metadata with aapt, launch apps/activities, force-stop, clear data, uninstall, open Android app settings, copy APKs from a device, capture screenshots, record the screen, run logcat/package presets, and execute custom shell or raw ADB arguments.

Prerequisites

1. Java Runtime Environment (JRE): Required for apktool. Ensure java is in your system PATH.
2. Apktool: You can download apktool.jar directly from PulseAPK by pressing the download button in Settings, or provide it manually from ibotpeaches.github.io.
3. Ubersign (Uber APK Signer): Required for signing rebuilt APKs. You can download the latest uber-apk-signer.jar automatically in Settings, or still provide it manually from the GitHub releases.
4. .NET 8.0 SDK/Runtime: Required when building or running from source with dotnet build / dotnet run. Published desktop artifacts are built as self-contained packages where the platform build supports it.
5. ADB / Android SDK platform-tools (optional): Required only for the beta Device Tools tab. PulseAPK can auto-detect adb from Settings, ADB_PATH, Android SDK environment variables, the default user SDK folder, or your system PATH. aapt from Android SDK build-tools enables APK package/activity detection.
6. macOS hosts: Release artifacts target Apple Silicon only (osx-arm64) and produce a self-contained .app bundle in a ZIP. Intel/x64 macOS builds are not produced by the release scripts. The generated bundle declares macOS 11.0 or newer as its minimum system version.

Quick Start Guide

1. Download and Build

   dotnet build
   dotnet run

   To create the macOS Apple Silicon app bundle artifact:

   RID=osx-arm64 ./scripts/build-macos-binary.sh

   The macOS build uses ad-hoc signing by default for local and test builds. For production signing, install a Developer ID Application certificate in the macOS keychain and set MACOS_CODESIGN_IDENTITY to that certificate identity before running the script. To notarize the generated ZIP and staple the notarization ticket to the .app before the final ZIP is created, also set APPLE_ID, APPLE_TEAM_ID, and APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD. GitHub Actions release builds read these values from repository secrets with the same names: MACOS_CODESIGN_IDENTITY, APPLE_ID, APPLE_TEAM_ID, and APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD.

2. Setup

   • Open Settings.
   • Link your apktool.jar and uber-apk-signer.jar paths, or use the built-in download buttons.
   • Configure ADB Path only if auto-detection does not find your Android platform-tools installation.
   • Choose language and dark/light theme preferences.
   • Enable Device Tools under Beta Features if you need connected-device workflows.
   • PulseAPK will display the Java runtime it detects from your environment variables.

3. Analyze an APK

   • Decompile your target APK using the Decompile tab.
   • Switch to the Analyser tab.
   • Select your decompiled project folder.
   • Click Analyze Smali to generate a security report.
   • Save the report from the footer action when you are ready.

4. Modify & Rebuild

   • Edit files in your project folder.
   • Use the Build tab to recompile into a new APK.
   • Toggle signing during the build step to sign the output APK.

5. Use Device Tools (optional beta)

   • Open Settings and enable Device Tools.
   • Make sure adb is available through ADB Path, ADB_PATH, ANDROID_HOME, ANDROID_SDK_ROOT, ~/Android/Sdk/platform-tools, or PATH.
   • Connect a device with USB debugging enabled, refresh the device list, and choose a workflow such as install APK, launch/manage app, copy APK from device, screenshot, screen recording, presets, or custom shell/ADB commands.

Technical Architecture

PulseAPK utilizes a clean MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) architecture:

• Core: .NET 8.0, Avalonia (cross-platform UI).
• Analysis: Custom Regex-based static analysis engine with hot-reloadable rules.
• Services: Dedicated services for Apktool interaction, patch orchestration, Android Debug Bridge integration, file system monitoring, tool downloads, and settings management.

License

This project is open-source and available under the Apache License 2.0.

Attribution and Copyright

• Licensing terms are defined by LICENSE.md (Apache-2.0).
• Contributor licensing and ownership terms are defined by CLA.md.
• Project-level copyright and attribution practices are documented in NOTICE.
• Per-file copyright/license headers are optional unless a file requires an explicit third-party notice; repository-level LICENSE.md and NOTICE remain authoritative.
• Contributors do not need to add themselves to a separate acknowledgements list in this repository; attribution is handled through Git history, pull request metadata, and signed CLA records.

❤️ Support the project

If PulseAPK is useful for you, you can support its development by pressing the "Support" button at the top

Even a small tip helps a lot.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please note that all contributors must sign our Contributor License Agreement (CLA) to ensure that their work can be legally distributed. By submitting a pull request, you agree to the terms of the CLA.