reverser.id patches

One repository, one list of patch templates — like nuclei-templates, but for APKs. A template declares a target package and, per app-version, a set of find/replace rules over the apktool-decoded tree (smali + decoded res). The RevID Patcher app reads a template and applies it on-device; apply.cr is the reference runner with identical semantics.

The list

Machine-readable index: index.json.

Template format — .rid

Templates use the line-oriented .rid format: key: value metadata, variant <regex> sections, and rule blocks whose find/replace bodies are written verbatim between <<< fences — so multi-line smali pastes in exactly as apktool emits it, with no \n escaping.

id: hidemyemulator-premium
target: net.wowsoftware.hidemyemulator
name: HideMyEmulator Premium Unlock
author: reverser.id
tags: premium, license, unlock
versions: 1.3 · 1.4
source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.wowsoftware.hidemyemulator

variant ^1\.4

rule d9/b mapper -> premium
file: smali/d9/b.smali
count: 1
find <<<
\.method public static r\(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/time/ZoneId;\)Lnb/s;.*?\.end method
<<<
replace <<<
.method public static r(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/time/ZoneId;)Lnb/s;
    .locals 1
    new-instance p0, Lnb/p;
    const/4 v0, 0x0
    invoke-direct {p0, v0, v0}, Lnb/p;-><init>(Ljava/lang/Long;Ljava/lang/String;)V
    return-object p0
.end method
<<<

Key invariants (full spec in FORMAT.md):

• Matching is always DOTALL (. spans newlines). Each rule must match at least count times (default 1); the first count are replaced. Rules apply in order (later rules see earlier edits).
• Backrefs in replace: $1 / ${1}, literal $ is $$.
• file is relative to the decoded root (smali/…, res/…). On-device builds skip res/ rules (no aapt2) — keep functional edits in smali/.

Run (reference runner)

apply.cr is a single-file Crystal program. Full decode/build/sign needs Apktool 3.x (apktool.jar), Android build-tools (zipalign, apksigner), and a JDK; --check needs only a decoded tree.

crystal build --release apply.cr -o apply     # or: crystal run apply.cr -- <args>

./apply --list                                # print the list
./apply --check <decoded_dir>                 # validate rules against a decoded tree
./apply --patch <decoded_dir> --no-res        # apply in place (on-device parity: no res)
./apply app.apk --out patched.apk             # decode -> patch -> rebuild -> align -> sign

--check is the fast correctness gate: it confirms every rule still anchors the required number of times against a clean decode — run it whenever a target app updates.

In the app

RevID Patcher (Flutter, Android + desktop) embeds the same engine and runs patching in-process: decode → apply template → rebuild → sign. On Android this happens inside the app's own ART runtime via DexClassLoader (an installed app cannot spawn dalvikvm), with signing through the apksig API. The app reads this repo's list, so adding or fixing a patch needs no app update.

Authoring a new template

1. Decode a clean APK: apktool d -r app.apk -o decoded.
2. Find the gate; write each edit as a rule with file + find + replace.
3. ./apply --check decoded until every rule anchors the required count.
4. ./apply app.apk (or the app) → install → verify behavior on-device.
5. Add the .rid under templates/ and an entry in index.json.

Legal

Templates describe modifications to apps you own or are authorized to modify, for interoperability/research. You are responsible for how you use them.