# Analyze Android APKs with Apktool

Android APKs are hard to inspect without decoding resources and manifests. This skill guides Claude, Codex, and Claude Code through authorized apktool analysis.

## Install

```bash
npx skillstore add brownfinesecurity/apktool
```

## Metadata

- - Slug: brownfinesecurity-apktool
- - Version: 1.0.0
- - Author: BrownFineSecurity
- - GitHub username: BrownFineSecurity
- - License: MIT
- - Repository: https://github.com/BrownFineSecurity/iothackbot/tree/master/skills/apktool
- - Ref: master
- - Supported tools: Claude, Codex, Claude Code
- - Risk level: medium
- - Risk factors: external\_commands, filesystem
- - Quality score: 50
- - Quality tier: warning
- - Public page: https://skillstore.pages.dev/skills/brownfinesecurity-apktool
- - Manifest: https://skillstore.pages.dev/api/skills/brownfinesecurity-apktool/manifest

## Capabilities

- Decode APK files into readable manifests, resources, assets, native libraries, and smali directories.
- Inspect AndroidManifest.xml for permissions, exported components, debuggable flags, backup settings, and SDK metadata.
- Search decoded resources and smali code for URLs, credentials, API keys, cryptography, file operations, and native library usage.
- Guide selective apktool decoding modes for code-only or resource-only analysis.
- Explain APK rebuilding, signing, zipalign, and framework installation workflows.

## Use Cases

- Mobile App Security Review: Decode a test APK and review permissions, exported components, network settings, and hardcoded secrets.
- IoT Companion App Analysis: Extract endpoints, API identifiers, device communication classes, and certificate pinning indicators from an Android companion app.
- Resource and Localization Inspection: Extract strings, layouts, icons, and other resources from an APK for authorized inspection and debugging.

## Prompt Templates

### Decode an APK

```
Use apktool to decode app.apk into a clear output directory. Explain the main files I should inspect first.
```

### Review Manifest Security

```
After decoding this APK, help me review AndroidManifest.xml for risky permissions, exported components, debug flags, and backup settings.
```

### Find Secrets and Endpoints

```
Guide me through searching decoded APK resources and smali for hardcoded credentials, API keys, URLs, and network configuration issues.
```

### Rebuild and Sign Safely

```
I modified resources in an unpacked APK. Walk me through rebuilding, signing, verifying, and troubleshooting install problems.
```

## Limitations

- Requires apktool, Java, and related Android tooling to be installed locally.
- Does not decompile smali into readable Java; it recommends jadx for that task.
- Cannot determine whether an APK is safe to execute or install by itself.
- Rebuilt APKs require valid signing and may fail when resources or smali are invalid.

## Best Practices

- Only analyze APKs you own or have explicit permission to assess.
- Work on copies of APK files and keep decoded output in a dedicated workspace.
- Quote file paths and review commands before running them on untrusted inputs.

## Anti Patterns

- Do not distribute modified APKs without authorization from the rights holder.
- Do not install or execute unknown APKs as part of static apktool analysis.
- Do not treat grep matches as confirmed vulnerabilities without manual validation.

## Security Audit

- - Safe to publish: true
- - Audited at: 2026-06-28T17:56:12.223\+00:00
- - Summary: Static analysis flagged many shell-command examples, secret-search terms, keystore references, and one /dev/null redirect. Review found these are mostly expected apktool guidance, not malware or prompt injection, but the skill remains medium risk because it guides command execution and dual-use APK reverse engineering.

## Stats

- - Views: 257
- - Downloads: 11
- - Favorites: 0
- - Popularity score: 0