img4tool 223 is available for macOS and Ubuntu
img4tool 223 is the newest listed build of tihmstar’s utility for manipulating IMG4, IM4M and IM4P files. Separate ZIP archives are provided for macOS and Ubuntu.
The build is identified as 223-381f5f755bdafe73eddec4eb83c25d21488621ab and was published on November 5, 2026. The preceding release, 222, contains only a CI entry. The functional change recorded for build 223 is the stdout fix.
Corrected writing to standard output
Release 223 fixes writing to standard output, the stream commonly used to send output to a terminal or another program. This benefits workflows that redirect img4tool output or pass it into other shell-based processing steps, although the release notes provide no further behavioral detail.
The update does not document changes to the tool’s file operations. img4tool can print information from IMG4, IM4P and IM4M files, extract components such as payloads, create IMG4 or IM4P containers, rename an IM4P type, convert SHSH data to IM4M, and verify signing data against a BuildManifest.
What the utility handles
img4tool works with IMG4, IM4M and IM4P files. Its inspection commands can print information from these formats, including an option to print all available IM4M information or a narrower option that prints only the IM4P portion.
The extraction features cover several inputs. An IM4P can be extracted from an IMG4 or SHSH file, and an IM4M can be extracted from an IMG4 file. The tool can also extract a payload from an IM4P, with an option to decrypt that payload when the required initialization vector and key are supplied.
For creation tasks, the utility can combine an IM4P with an IM4M or SHSH source to produce an IMG4 file. It can also create an IM4P from raw data while assigning a type such as ibss, optionally with a custom description. Existing IM4P files can have their type changed, and SHSH data can be converted into IM4M format.
Verification remains part of the workflow
img4tool can verify an IM4M or SHSH ticket against a BuildManifest. It can also verify an IMG4 file against a BuildManifest when the IMG4 contains both its IM4P and IM4M components. These checks compare the supplied ticket or packaged file with the manifest used for verification.
The release notes do not report changes to supported formats, verification rules, extraction behavior or creation commands in build 223. The specific functional update is the correction to writing output to standard output.
