Toolbox

Tools are recorded because old workflows often fail when a specific utility, version, plugin, or knowledge source disappears. Preserve installers/source and licenses where redistribution is allowed; otherwise preserve version metadata and authoritative locations.

Capture and integrity

Tool	Use	Preservation note
Git	Source/history capture	Use clone --mirror, fsck, bundles, and pinned commits.
Git LFS	Large objects referenced by Git	git lfs fetch --all and git lfs fsck; a Git clone alone may omit objects.
rclone / rsync	Controlled transfer and replication	Save exact version/config semantics; never commit remote credentials.
aria2 / curl / wget	Resumable web acquisition	Record final URL, headers relevant to identity, timestamp, and checksum.
7-Zip / bsdtar	Archive inspection/extraction	Hash the original container before extraction.
sha256sum / BLAKE3	Integrity manifests	Document algorithm, path normalization, and tool version.
restic / Borg	Deduplicated encrypted backup	Preserve repository keys separately and test restore.

Inspection and comparison

Tool	Use	Notes
file, ExifTool, Detect It Easy	Identify formats, metadata, packers, architecture	Treat identification as a lead, not proof.
ripgrep	Fast source/log/string search	Record the exact artifact revision searched.
diffoscope	Deep comparison of builds/archives	Useful for reproducibility and unexpected drift.
bindiff/Diaphora-style workflows	Compare binary revisions	Record tool/database versions and matching confidence.
jq / yq	Query metadata and configs	Pin scripts and schemas in the catalog repository.
SQLite/MariaDB/PostgreSQL clients	Inspect schemas and migrations	Work from copies; never experiment on the only database.

Static and dynamic analysis

Tool	Use	Safety
Ghidra	Disassembly/decompilation and data-flow analysis	Store project notes separately from restricted binaries.
Cutter / radare2	Cross-platform static/dynamic analysis	Pin version; output can vary substantially between releases.
x64dbg / WinDbg	Windows debugging	Use an isolated test VM and disposable inputs.
gdb / LLDB	Native Linux debugging	Keep symbol/source revision mapping.
strace / ltrace	System/library call tracing	Traces may contain paths, credentials, or personal data.
Procmon / Process Explorer	Windows filesystem, registry, process behavior	Export filtered evidence and redact personal paths.
Frida	Runtime instrumentation where authorized	Instrument only systems and software you are allowed to test.
binwalk	Embedded/archive structure discovery	Extraction results are derived artifacts.

Network and protocol work

Tool	Use	Safety
Wireshark / tshark	Packet capture and protocol analysis	Capture only authorized lab traffic; raw captures restricted by default.
tcpdump	Minimal server-side capture	Use narrow filters and record interface/timebase.
mitmproxy	Inspect controlled HTTP(S) client behavior	Never intercept unrelated users or traffic.
Scapy	Reproducible packet fixtures and parsers	Keep synthetic fixtures free of real credentials and personal data.

Reproducible environments

Tool	Use	Notes
Podman / Docker	Isolated build and service dependencies	Pin base image digest, not only a mutable tag.
QEMU	Legacy architecture or OS compatibility	Preserve emulator version, CPU model/options, loaders, and disk formats.
Packer / Vagrant	Repeatable VM images	Keep scripts; do not rely only on opaque images.
Nix / Guix	Reproducible toolchains and dependencies	Retain lock/pin information and caches for offline recovery.
Ansible	Declarative host setup	Keep inventories free of secrets; use a secret store.

Game Server Manager ecosystem

• Rust stable toolchain and Cargo lockfile for the backend/helper/modules.
• Node.js 22+ and npm lockfile for the Tauri frontend.
• Tauri 2 and Linux WebKitGTK build prerequisites.
• pkexec/sudo, systemd, tmux, MariaDB/PostgreSQL, and game-specific build toolchains.

Preserved game-specific tools

Tool	Use	Preservation and safety note
AK-Tools v1.0	Aura Kingdom/X-Legend INI, rates, Fortune Bag exports, database administration, and GM reference	Windows-only; binary/source hash-pinned separately; launch DB Admin only through the manager's loopback SSH tunnel; upstream tag has no license file.

Adding a tool

Record name, purpose, authoritative source, license, exact version, platforms, checksum/signature, acquisition date, configuration/plugins, which baseline uses it, and whether its installer/source may be redistributed. Use Template — Tool.