A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes Apktool functionality for Android APK analysis and reverse engineering. Integrates seamlessly with Gemini CLI to provide AI-powered APK security analysis, privacy auditing, and reverse engineering guidance through natural language commands.
- Decompile APKs to extract resources, manifest, and smali code
- Analyze permissions and app components for security assessment
- Extract string resources and detect hardcoded secrets
- Search smali code for specific patterns and security vulnerabilities
- Recompile modified APKs after making changes
- Natural language commands for complex APK analysis tasks
- Automated security audits with AI-generated insights
- Privacy compliance checking and GDPR/CCPA analysis
- Step-by-step reverse engineering guidance
- Intelligent vulnerability detection and risk assessment
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
decode_apk |
Decompile APK files to extract all components |
build_apk |
Recompile APK from modified source directory |
install_framework |
Install system frameworks for system app analysis |
analyze_manifest |
Parse AndroidManifest.xml for permissions and components |
extract_strings |
Extract string resources with locale support |
list_permissions |
Enumerate all requested permissions |
find_smali_references |
Search for patterns in decompiled smali code |
get_apk_info |
Get basic APK metadata and information |
- Security Analysis: Comprehensive vulnerability assessment
- Privacy Audit: Data collection and compliance analysis
- Reverse Engineering Guide: Step-by-step analysis workflows
1. Java JDK 8+ (Required by Apktool)
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install default-jdk
# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install openjdk
# Verify installation
java -version2. Apktool (Core dependency)
# Option 1: Package manager (recommended)
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install apktool
# macOS
brew install apktool
# Option 2: Manual installation
# Download from https://ibotpeaches.github.io/Apktool/install/
# Verify installation
apktool --version3. Python 3.10+
python3 --version # Should be 3.10 or higher1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/SecFathy/APktool-MCP.git
cd APktool-MCP2. Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Linux/macOS
# or
venv\Scripts\activate # Windows3. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt4. Test the installation
python3 apktool_server.py
# Should start the MCP server successfully1. Install Gemini CLI
# Follow instructions at https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli2. Configure MCP Server
Edit your Gemini CLI configuration file:
- Linux/macOS:
~/.config/gemini-cli/config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\gemini-cli\config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apktool": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/apktool_server.py"],
"env": {
"APKTOOL_WORK_DIR": "/path/to/workspace"
}
}
}
}Edit Claude Desktop configuration:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json - Linux:
~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apktool": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/apktool_server.py"],
"env": {
"APKTOOL_WORK_DIR": "/path/to/workspace"
}
}
}
}# Start Gemini CLI
gemini
# Security Analysis
> "Analyze the APK at ./suspicious_app.apk for security vulnerabilities"
# Permission Analysis
> "What permissions does ./myapp.apk request and are any of them dangerous?"
# Code Analysis
> "Find any hardcoded API keys or secrets in ./social_app.apk"
# Privacy Audit
> "Generate a privacy compliance report for ./messenger_app.apk"
# Reverse Engineering
> "Help me understand how the authentication works in ./banking_app.apk"# Decompile an APK
> Use decode_apk to decompile ./sample.apk
# Analyze permissions
> Use list_permissions on the decompiled directory ./sample
# Search for patterns
> Use find_smali_references to search for "crypto" in ./sample
# Extract strings
> Use extract_strings from ./sample for locale "en"
# Rebuild APK
> Use build_apk to recompile ./sample into ./sample_modified.apk# Run automated security analysis
> Run the security analysis prompt on ./target_app.apk
# Perform privacy audit
> Execute privacy audit workflow for ./social_media_app.apk
# Get reverse engineering guidance
> Use the reverse engineering guide for analyzing login functionality in ./app.apkapktool-mcp-server/
├── apktool_server.py # Main MCP server implementation
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
├── config.json # Example Gemini CLI configuration
├── README.md # This file
├── GEMINI.md # AI assistant context file
├── LICENSE # MIT license
├── examples/ # Usage examples and samples
│ ├── sample_analysis.py # Example analysis scripts
│ └── workflows/ # Common workflow examples
├── tests/ # Unit tests
│ ├── test_server.py # Server functionality tests
│ └── test_tools.py # Individual tool tests
└── docs/ # Additional documentation
├── SECURITY.md # Security guidelines
├── CONTRIBUTING.md # Contribution guidelines
└── TROUBLESHOOTING.md # Common issues and solutions
- Legal Compliance: Only analyze APKs you own or have explicit permission to analyze
- Malware Risk: Unknown APKs may contain malicious code - use in isolated environments
- Data Privacy: Decompiled APKs may contain sensitive user information
- Workspace Isolation: Configure dedicated workspace with restricted permissions
- Process Limits: Server includes timeouts to prevent resource exhaustion
# Use dedicated workspace
export APKTOOL_WORK_DIR="/secure/isolated/workspace"
# Set appropriate permissions
chmod 750 /secure/isolated/workspace
# Monitor resource usage
htop # Watch memory and CPU during analysis
# Clean up after analysis
rm -rf /secure/isolated/workspace/*# Install test dependencies
pip install pytest pytest-asyncio
# Run all tests
pytest tests/
# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=apktool_server tests/# Test server startup
python3 apktool_server.py
# Test with sample APK
# Download a sample APK and test basic functionality# Test Gemini CLI integration
gemini
> /tools # Should list apktool tools
> Use decode_apk to analyze sample.apkWe welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.
# Clone and setup development environment
git clone https://github.com/SecFathy/APktool-MCP.git
cd APktool-MCP
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
# Run tests
pytest
# Format code
black apktool_server.py