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related-projects-index

Research
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Compact index of upstream projects and reference sources relevant to PKG/PFS/exFAT research. Each entry gives an executive summary, upstream links, and a pointer to our internal reference file with deeper notes and citations. Always use this skill when you are performin a research related to MkPFS, PFS, compression, kraken, PKGs, etc.

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Related Projects — Executive Index

Use this skill whenever you need quick orientation on external projects (code, wikis, tools) that inform PKG/PFS/exFAT behavior or mounting/format details. For deeper research, open the linked internal reference file under references/ in this skill folder, or go upstream.

How to use

  • Start here to find the right project/source fast.
  • For details, open the linked references/<slug>.md file in this skill folder.
  • For implementation specifics, fetch or read from the upstream links.

ShadowMountPlus

  • What: Auto-detection and mounting tool for images; stages metadata and registers titles.
  • Relevance: Practical mount flows for UFS/PFS/exFAT, including LVD attach + PFS nmount flags.
  • Gotchas: For PFS, validates mounted block size vs chosen sector size; requires proper image root layout.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/drakmor/ShadowMountPlus
  • Internal: references/shadowmountplus.md

PS5 Game Compressor

  • What: Standalone PS5 payload + web UI to compress, validate/repair, uncompress, and move SMP-mounted games.
  • Relevance: Real-console PFSC builder with zlib windowed pipeline (64 KiB blocks) and .vhash per-block SHA‑256; validates MkPFS images under SMP with APR Emu support.
  • Gotchas: Requires ShadowMountPlus and kstuff-lite; default nested exFAT recommended; nested PFS is experimental; destructive mode is risky and constrained.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/juma-sayeh/PS5-Game-Compressor
  • Internal: references/ps5-game-compressor.md

PKGTool

  • What: Practical .pkg parser/extractor with a partial repack path.
  • Relevance: Field-tested read path; good for entry table shape and decompression logic.
  • Gotchas: Writer leaves CRC unimplemented; repack is basename-oriented by default.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/thesupersonic16/PKGTool
  • Internal: references/pkgtool.md

LibOrbisPkg

  • What: Full PKG/PFS toolkit (library + tools + tests).
  • Relevance: Canonical reference for PFS tree modeling, inode/dirent serialization, flat path table, signed outer image layout, and optional AES-XTS.
  • Gotchas: PFSC asymmetry; reader handles compressed/direct, writer emits header + full-block map for nested pfs_image.dat.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/maxton/LibOrbisPkg
  • Internal: references/liborbispkg.md

LibOrbisPkg Wiki

  • What: Orientation wiki for the LibOrbisPkg ecosystem (PkgEditor, PkgTool, library notes).
  • Relevance: Highest value page is the PKG crypto note (passcode-derived keys, EKPFS, PFS key derivation, ENTRY_KEYS/IMAGE_KEY roles).
  • Upstream (wiki git): https://github.com/maxton/LibOrbisPkg.wiki.git
  • Internal: references/liborbispkg-wiki.md

kstuff-lite

  • What: PS5 payload bundle with loader, kernel hooks, mount automation, and crypto helpers.
  • Relevance: Practical mount automation for UFS/PFS/exFAT; loader falls back to raw folder path when mount fails.
  • Gotchas: KSTUFF_OBS=1 enables observability/snapshots; crypto focuses on FPKG/FSELF/debug NPDRM.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/EchoStretch/kstuff-lite
  • Internal: references/kstuff-lite.md

PSDevWiki — PFS page

  • What: Community-maintained PFS structure page (headers, inode/dirent, flat_path_table; unsigned baseline spec).
  • Relevance: Field offsets and packing rules MkPFS must honor for mountability; clarifies mode bits (signed/64b/encrypted/case-insensitive) and block size ranges.
  • Upstream: https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps4/PFS
  • Internal: references/psdevwiki-pfs.md

PSDevWiki — PKG files page

  • What: Orientation + structure notes for PKG outer container and embedded PFS (header, entries, digests, PFS offsets/digests, delivery metadata).
  • Relevance: Exposes where/what to validate when a PKG wraps a PFS from MkPFS; captures EKPFS→XTS key derivation narrative for production images.
  • Upstream: https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps4/PKG_files
  • Internal: references/psdevwiki-pkg-files.md

ShadPKG — HOWWORKS

Wololo — flatz FPKG writeup

  • What: Authoritative deep-dive on FSELF/FPKG enablement (kernel hooks, toolchain key swap, ShellCore patches, kernel crypto shims).
  • Relevance: Defines EKPFS vs EEKPFS and PFS final key derivation; clarifies why unsigned/PFSC developer flows exist versus retail.
  • Upstream: https://wololo.net/ps4-fpkg-writeup-by-flatz/
  • Internal: references/wololo-fpkg-flatz.md

goodle

  • What: Thin Go cgo wrapper for OodleLZ decompression; drop-in replacement for the gooz package.
  • Relevance: Validates Oodle per-block decompression paths used in adjacent tooling; cross-check outputs independent of Python.
  • Gotchas: Requires proprietary Oodle shared library (oo2core_N_win64.dll/liboo2core.so/.dylib).
  • Upstream: https://github.com/oriath-net/goodle
  • Internal: references/goodle.md

TLOU PSARC Tool

  • What: Windows GUI utility to read/extract and partially reimport Naughty Dog .psarc archives (big-endian headers, MD5 name table, per-block Oodle/zlib).
  • Relevance: Demonstrates block size tables, MD5-based name resolution, and Oodle/zlib per-block decompression used in adjacent game assets.
  • Gotchas: Windows-only, GUI-only; import path writes uncompressed, injects author signature, does not update the name table.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/amrshaheen61/TLOU_PSARC_Tool
  • Internal: references/tlou-psarc-tool.md

PKG Passcode Finder

  • What: VB.NET WPF app that randomly brute-forces 31-char alphanumeric passcodes for PS5 PKG extraction by invoking prospero-pub-cmd.exe.
  • Relevance: Confirms passcode length/charset and SDK-driven extraction flow; context for why open tooling matters.
  • Gotchas: Astronomical keyspace (62^31) makes naive random brute force impractical; Windows-only GUI; requires proprietary SDK tool.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/bobg-github/PS5PKGPasscodeFinder
  • Internal: references/pkg-passcode-finder.md

Oodle/Kraken Decompression Tools

  • What: Collection of open decoders and shims for Oodle codecs (Kraken/Mermaid/Selkie/Leviathan), including a Rust decompressor and Go Oodle wrapper.
  • Relevance: Enables verifying Oodle-compressed block behavior across ecosystems that feed into or out of PFS.
  • Gotchas: Official Oodle libraries are proprietary; prebuilt .so/.dll distribution may have licensing constraints.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/lvlvllvlvllvlvl/oozextract
  • Internal: references/oodle-kraken-tools.md

LibProsperoPkg

  • What: .NET 10 library for building & reading PS5 packages: inner/outer PFS, PFSC (Kraken/Zlib), AES-XTS encryption, RSA-3072 metadata signing, and debug/image finalization.
  • Relevance: Source of engineering details for EKPFS key schedule, inner-vs-outer PFS boundaries, Kraken PFSC implementation & heuristics, digest/icv computation, and packaging workflows that MkPFS should either match or reimplement.
  • Gotchas: GPL-3.0-or-later license; retail finalization and sealed rif key blobs are console-gated and not producible off-console. Use code as reference and prefer reimplementation for non-GPL integration.
  • Upstream: https://github.com/SvenGDK/LibProsperoPKG
  • Internal: references/libprospero-pkg.md

Notes

  • Internal reference files live under references/*.md in this skill and contain detailed notes and citations.
  • If an upstream link moves, update it here and in the corresponding internal reference.