ipsw-skill MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: ipsw-skill MCP Server
Author: blacktop

Why use it

Key features

Download / extract IPSWs and kernelcaches
Userspace RE: disassembly, symbol lookup, string search, xref finding
Dump Obj-C headers from private frameworks
Kernel and KEXT analysis; version diffing
Entitlements and Mach-O inspection

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ipsw-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ipsw-skill": {
      "command": "claude",
      "args": [
        "plugin",
        "marketplace",
        "add",
        "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": false
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ipsw-skill": {
      "command": "claude",
      "args": [
        "plugin",
        "marketplace",
        "add",
        "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": false
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ipsw-skill": {
      "command": "claude",
      "args": [
        "plugin",
        "marketplace",
        "add",
        "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": false
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ipsw-skill": {
      "command": "claude",
      "args": [
        "plugin",
        "marketplace",
        "add",
        "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": false
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "ipsw-skill",
      "command": "claude",
      "args": [
        "plugin",
        "marketplace",
        "add",
        "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "ipsw-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "claude",
        "args": [
          "plugin",
          "marketplace",
          "add",
          "blacktop/ipsw-skill"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add ipsw-skill -- claude plugin marketplace add blacktop/ipsw-skill

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use ipsw-skill

Dump Obj-C headers from a private framework for API discovery

👤 Security researchers, SDK maintainers working against Apple internals ⏱ ~30 min advanced

When to use: You need the public surface (class + selector names) of a private framework to study behavior changes.

Prerequisites

ipsw CLI installed — brew install blacktop/tap/ipsw
A dyld_shared_cache extracted from an IPSW — Use ipsw extract on the IPSW you downloaded

Flow

Download the IPSW

Use ipsw download for the iOS version I specify.✓ Copied

→ IPSW saved locally
Extract the shared cache

Extract dyld_shared_cache from the IPSW.✓ Copied

→ Shared cache file extracted
Dump headers for the target framework

Dump Obj-C headers for <FrameworkName>.✓ Copied

→ Header dump with classes and selectors

Outcome: You have readable headers to diff across versions.

Pitfalls

Confusing simulator binaries with device binaries — Always specify the device/arch you're studying; simulator slices differ

Combine with: ghidrassistmcp

Diff kernelcaches across two iOS versions

👤 Kernel and XNU researchers ⏱ ~60 min advanced

When to use: A new iOS version dropped; you want to see what changed in the kernel.

Flow

Extract both kernelcaches

Extract the kernelcache from IPSW A and IPSW B.✓ Copied

→ Two kernelcache files on disk
Diff

Diff the two kernelcaches; list added/removed/modified symbols.✓ Copied

→ Change list with symbol categories

Outcome: A focused changelog of kernel-level changes.

Pitfalls

Treating symbol reordering as meaningful change — Let the tool group reordering vs real additions/removals

Combine with: reverse-engineering-assistant

Audit a Mach-O for entitlements and suspicious characteristics

👤 AppSec reviewers, developers auditing third-party dependencies ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: You want to check entitlements and imports of a binary before shipping it with your app.

Flow

Inspect the Mach-O

Show load commands, LC_CODE_SIGNATURE, and entitlements for <path>.✓ Copied

→ Entitlements plist + signature info
List imports

List imported symbols grouped by framework.✓ Copied

→ Clear import table

Outcome: A concise audit report you can save to the review thread.

Combine with: xcodebuild

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

ipsw-skill + ghidrassistmcp

Hand off functions of interest to Ghidra for deeper analysis

From the Mach-O imports, pick the suspicious function and open it in Ghidra.✓ Copied

ipsw-skill + reverse-engineering-assistant

Use the broader RE playbook alongside ipsw's Apple-specific tools

Combine the generic RE workflow with ipsw for dyld cache work.✓ Copied

ipsw-skill + xcodebuild

Build local apps and validate that they match the entitlements profile you expect

After xcodebuild, run ipsw entitlements on the archive to audit what ended up signed in.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
ipsw download	version/device selector	Get firmware to analyze	bandwidth only
ipsw extract	IPSW + target (dsc / kernelcache / ramdisk)	Pull a specific artifact from the IPSW	0
ipsw dyld class-dump	dyld_shared_cache + framework	Study private framework APIs	0
ipsw kernel diff	two kernelcaches	Version-to-version kernel analysis	0
ipsw macho info/ent	Mach-O path	Binary triage	0

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None
Tokens per call: Output varies with artifact size; scope commands tightly
Monetary: Free; downloads cost bandwidth only
Tip: Use ipsw's filtering flags so the agent doesn't paste 50 MB of symbols into context.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None required for basic operation

Data egress: ipsw download pulls IPSWs from Apple's public servers. No additional telemetry from the skill itself.

This skill is for defensive research and personal / authorized analysis. Respect Apple's terms of service and local laws on reverse engineering.
Never analyze firmware or binaries you don't have authorization to study.
Private framework APIs can change without notice — don't use discovered selectors in App Store apps.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

ipsw: command not found

Install the CLI via Homebrew tap: brew install blacktop/tap/ipsw.

Verify: which ipsw

Download times out

Apple's servers can rate-limit; retry with --resume. Ensure your network allows large downloads.

Verify: curl -I https://appldnld.apple.com/...

Class-dump returns empty

Confirm you pointed at the shared cache for the correct device/arch. Simulator caches are separate from device ones.

Verify: ipsw dyld info <cache>

Alternatives

ipsw-skill vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
ghidrassistmcp	You want full-blown disassembly and scripting via Ghidra	Much heavier; slower startup
ida-pro-mcp	You already license IDA Pro and want MCP integration	Commercial tool
reverse-engineering-assistant	You want a broader RE workflow assistant	Not Apple-specific

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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