# signalbackup-tools: inspecting Signal Android backups > signalbackup-tools is a C++ command-line utility for inspecting, repairing, exporting, cropping, and merging backup files generated by Signal for Android. It is most useful to technically experienced users who need direct access to backup contents, but compatibility depends on frequent Signal database format changes. **bepaald/signalbackup-tools** — Tool to work with Signal Backup files. - Repository: https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools - Stars: 1,416 · Forks: 65 - Language: C++ - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/bepaald-signalbackup-tools ## Why signalbackup-tools targets Signal Android backup files signalbackup-tools addresses a specific gap left by the Signal Android application: working directly with backup files generated by that app. Its documented operations include dumping the decrypted database and media to disk, repairing broken backups, exporting conversations to HTML, TXT, CSV, and XML, cropping backups to selected conversations or dates, and merging backups. It can also import conversations from Signal Desktop, a JSON file, or Telegram. The intended audience is therefore narrower than users who simply want to read messages in Signal. This is a command-line utility for people who already have a backup file and need low-level access, conversion, repair, or selection. The Windows executable is a static command-line build, not a graphical application. Linux and macOS users can obtain packages or compile the C++ project. The project states that it is provided as-is and may contain bugs. It is also unaffiliated with and not endorsed by the Signal Foundation. That distinction matters because this repository is an independent compatibility tool, not an official Signal project. Its ability to decrypt or expose backup contents makes careful handling of the source file, exported databases, media files, and encryption keys a primary operational concern. The repository layout indicates a modular C++ implementation. Directories such as backupframe, backupv2reader, filedecryptor, fileencryptor, filesqlitedb, desktopdatabase, androidattachmentreader, and jsondatabase correspond to distinct parsing, cryptographic, database, and attachment tasks. That structure is preferable to a single monolithic command handler when diagnosing format changes, although it does not guarantee that every module updates at the same time. ## signalbackup-tools backup parsing and database flow The documented processing model begins with a backup generated by Signal for Android. The repository contains separate components for backup framing and version 2 reading, suggesting that the input is handled as a structured sequence rather than as an ordinary SQLite file. Headerframe, endframe, invalidframe, keyvalueframe, sharedprefframe, databaseversionframe, avatarframe, attachmentframe, and attachmentmetadata describe the visible categories represented in the code layout. After the backup is interpreted and decrypted, the project has paths for a file-backed SQLite database and an in-memory SQLite database. The database itself can be dumped to disk for inspection. Media follows separate attachment paths, including Android backup attachment reading and raw file attachment reading. This separation makes sense because a restored message database and its media objects have different structures and failure conditions. Signal Desktop integration is also modular. desktopdatabase handles that database, while dbuscon provides the Linux interface needed to open the Signal Desktop client database. If dbus is excluded at compile time, the README says those operations will not work unless the decrypted encryption key is provided manually. In other words, dbus is not merely an optional desktop convenience. It is part of one supported key-access path on Linux. The repository also includes protobufparser, protobufparserbase, generated message type typedef directories, csvreader, msgtypes, and memory and database abstractions. These names are consistent with decoding Signal messages and producing text-oriented exports, but the README does not document each transformation in enough detail to claim a complete import or export algorithm. The safe architectural conclusion is narrower: the codebase separates backup parsing, decryption, database handling, message decoding, attachment handling, and conversion components. ## Installing signalbackup-tools on macOS and obtaining Windows builds For macOS, the README points to a Homebrew formula in the repository. With Homebrew already configured, tap the project repository and install its head formula. These are development-repository installs, so the installed program is expected to track changes beyond a numbered package release. ```bash brew tap bepaald/signalbackup-tools https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools brew install --HEAD signalbackup-tools ``` After installation, the documented upgrade command updates the formula and fetches its current HEAD revision. The README does not specify the executable name or a complete first invocation, so an exact smoke-test command cannot be reproduced without guessing. ```bash brew upgrade --fetch-HEAD --formula signalbackup-tools ``` Windows users are directed to the GitHub releases page. The latest listed release is `20261014`, published on 2026-10-14. The README describes that executable as a static build cross-compiled from Arch Linux and says it has only been minimally tested. Since the application has no graphical interface, it must be launched from Command Prompt or PowerShell rather than by double-clicking the executable. Linux users have several documented acquisition routes. An AUR package is available for Arch, a PPA is provided for Ubuntu and derivatives, and a pre-built rpm is listed for openSUSE. The project is also present in nixpkgs as `signalbackup-tools`. These options avoid compiling the project, but the README does not document their version pinning policy or whether each package follows the newest repository commit. Source compilation requires a C++17-capable compiler, reasonably recent OpenSSL from the 3.X or 1.1x series, and SQLite3. Linux builds also require dbus by default. Distribution package names differ, with the README calling out `libssl-dev` on Debian-like systems and `openssl-devel` on Red Hat-like systems. The source tree includes CMakeLists.txt, but the README excerpt ends before the complete CMake commands, so this article does not invent them. ## A safe first use begins with inspecting a copied backup The first useful operation is a backup inspection, but the README excerpt ends at the beginning of the compiling instructions and omits the concrete syntax under Running. The headings confirm commands for dumping the decrypted database and dumping media, yet they do not show their required flags, input paths, destination paths, or key handling. Those exact invocations must be taken from the complete Running section before a backup is processed. A cautious first workflow follows from the documented outputs rather than an invented command line. First obtain the executable through one of the supported release or package channels. Then work from a copy of the Signal Android backup instead of the only stored copy. The repository can produce a decrypted SQLite database on disk and separately export media, so both outputs may contain the sensitive contents of the backup. Before running any export, crop, repair, or merge operation, note whether the desired task is read-only. Database dumping is an output operation. Repairing, cropping, merging, deleting or replacing attachments, and importing conversations modify or combine backup-related data. The README documents those capabilities, but it does not define transaction behavior, automatic backups, overwrite protection, or rollback. Those safety mechanisms should not be assumed. The first run should also establish whether key access is available. On Linux, desktop database operations depend on dbus unless the decrypted encryption key is supplied manually. The README does not expose the environment variable or CLI flag for that key. Do not place a key in shell history or a script based on this article. Verify the exact invocation in the complete README or repository help output first. ## signalbackup-tools compatibility breaks as Signal changes The most significant limitation is stated directly: Signal is actively developed, its database format changes regularly, and some changes break part or all of signalbackup-tools functionality. The project was created to address early Signal Android backup implementation problems, but the format has continued to evolve. Compatibility is therefore an ongoing operational risk rather than a one-time property of the C++ build. The README does not promise support for a fixed list of Signal application versions. It also does not document a compatibility matrix, a stable backup format version, or a guaranteed migration path. Users may discover that database export still works after a Signal update while another operation fails, or the reverse. Since some functions are described as experimental and have caused issues, this risk applies unevenly across commands. ERRATA.md exists specifically to record known issues. That makes the errata a mandatory document to inspect for any deployment involving repair, import, deletion, replacement, merge, or other advanced operations. The README does not identify the individual issues covered by that file, so it does not support a claim about their severity or affected versions. signalbackup-tools is also the wrong choice for users who need a supported, stable backup application or an official Signal data export workflow. It is independent of the Signal Foundation, provided as-is, and dependent on independent handling of an evolving format. The Windows binary has only minimal testing according to the README. Even when the program starts correctly, successful execution does not prove that every exported message field or attachment has been interpreted correctly. Maintenance information is limited but concrete. The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-10-14. The latest listed release is also dated 2026-10-14. This indicates recent repository work, but the README's own warning remains the governing constraint: a Signal format change can require urgent code work even after a recent push. ## GPL-3.0 distribution and signalbackup-tools alternatives The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0. For organizations distributing a modified binary or incorporating project code into a distributed product, that license creates obligations that require review by qualified legal counsel. This review should cover source availability, notices, derivative-work treatment, and the exact distribution model. This is not legal advice, and the README does not describe the project's compliance procedure. A real alternative is to rely on Signal's own application workflows rather than parsing the backup format. The README identifies the Signal Android application as the producer of these files, but it does not enumerate its native export or backup-inspection capabilities. The practical difference is architectural: Signal Android generates the backup files, while this independent tool must adapt when its format changes. For users who only need to narrow a backup, the repository also offers cropping by conversation or date. That is an operation on a Signal backup rather than a separate competing project, but it may be preferable to converting the entire database when only a subset is needed. The README lists HTML, TXT, CSV, and XML as export formats but does not document their fidelity differences. The README does not document fidelity differences among those formats, so it does not support a stronger claim. Upgrade cost depends on platform and acquisition route. Windows users may replace a downloaded release executable. Homebrew users can run the documented `brew upgrade --fetch-HEAD --formula signalbackup-tools`. Nix users track the nixpkgs package. AUR, PPA, and rpm users depend on their respective maintainers. Compiling from source adds dependency management and build troubleshooting. More importantly, every upgrade must be checked against Signal's current backup behavior and ERRATA.md. ## Conclusion Adopt signalbackup-tools if you need command-line inspection or recovery of Signal Android backup files and can manage sensitive decrypted data. Do not choose it as a stable automated ingestion system, or if Linux dbus integration is unavailable without another way to provide the Signal Desktop database key. Before adopting it, verify that the current Signal application version still produces a backup format this release can read, then review ERRATA.md for known issues in the operations you need. ## FAQ ### What is signalbackup-tools used for? It is a C++ command-line tool for Signal Android backup files. The README documents database and media dumping, backup repair, exports, cropping, merging, attachment changes, and several import paths. ### Does signalbackup-tools have a graphical interface? No graphical interface is documented. The README specifically describes the Windows executable as a command-line application that must be run from Command Prompt or PowerShell. ### Can signalbackup-tools open Signal Desktop data on Linux? The repository includes dbus support for operations that open the Signal Desktop client database. If it is compiled without dbus, those operations require the decrypted encryption key to be provided manually. ## Sources - [bepaald/signalbackup-tools on GitHub](https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools) - [Issues](https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools/blob/master/LICENSE) - [README](https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/bepaald/signalbackup-tools/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/bepaald-signalbackup-tools