Platform-Specific Bootstrap Capabilities in Reverse-Skill: Windows vs. Kali Linux Guide

Reverse-Skill uses separate JSON manifests and PowerShell bootstrap engines to auto-install tools on Windows and Kali Linux, with OS-specific package managers, path conventions, and dependency handling.

Platform-specific bootstrap capabilities are the foundation of zhaoxuya520/reverse-skill's portable architecture. The project ships dedicated manifests per operating system so that security researchers can run identical reverse-engineering skills on Windows workstations or Kali Linux penetration-testing systems without manual environment setup.

How Platform-Specific Bootstrap Manifests Work

Reverse-Skill's bootstrap-manifest system declares every tool the framework can provision. The engine reads the appropriate manifest based on OS detection, verifies existing installations, and executes targeted install routines.

Windows Bootstrap Manifest

The Windows manifest at skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json targets PowerShell desktop environments with Windows-centric tooling:

• Package managers: github-release-zip, pip-package, winget-package
• Path conventions: %USERPROFILE% environment variable for install directories
• Bootstrap dependencies: pipx and pnpm installed first to enable subsequent package operations

Each capability entry includes name, bootstrapKind, installDir, verifyCommand, and optional postInstallSteps for service registration.

Kali Linux Bootstrap Manifest

The Kali manifest at kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json declares Linux-native provisioning:

• Platform identifier: "platform": "kali-linux" header
• Package managers: apt-package, apt, go-install, npm-global
• Path conventions: $HOME and standard FHS locations
• Distribution awareness: kaliNewTools2026_1 list documents pre-installed tools to skip redundant installation

Core Bootstrap Engine Architecture

The platform-specific bootstrap capabilities follow a five-stage pipeline implemented in bootstrap-reverse.ps1:

Stage	Function
Capability definition	Parse manifest entries as provisionable tools
OS detection	Load Windows or Linux manifest based on host
Dependency resolution	Install bootstrapDependencies before dependent tools
MCP registration	Auto-register MCP servers (e.g., idalib-mcp, ghidra-mcp) with Claude configuration
Safety validation	Enforce SHA-256 hashes (assetSha256, preferApiDigest) and respect canAutoInstall flags

Manual-only capabilities use bootstrapKind: "manual" with manualInstallHint guidance rather than automated installation.

Running Platform-Specific Bootstrap Commands

Windows: Native PowerShell Execution

# Install JADX, Nmap, and IDA Pro MCP server with service startup

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass `
  -File skills\scripts\bootstrap-reverse.ps1 `
  -Capability @('jadx','nmap','idapro') `
  -StartServices

The -Capability array maps to name fields in skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json. -StartServices executes postInstallSteps and binds servicePort listeners for MCP servers.

Kali Linux: PowerShell Core or Bash Wrapper

# Using PowerShell Core on Kali

pwsh -File skills/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.ps1 \
  -Capability jadx,nmap,ghidra-mcp \
  -StartServices

The Linux manifest resolves:

• jadx → GitHub release fetch
• nmap → apt-package installation
• ghidra-mcp → Kali repository or GitHub fallback, then port 8765 service start

Selective Installation Without Services

# Windows: verify Frida toolchain only

powershell -File skills\scripts\bootstrap-reverse.ps1 -Capability frida,frida-ps

# Kali: install SecLists and ProxyCat, no MCP startup

pwsh -File skills/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.ps1 -Capability seclists,proxycat

Key Source Files for Platform-Specific Bootstrap

Understanding these paths is essential for customizing platform-specific bootstrap capabilities:

• skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json — Windows capability definitions with winget-package and github-release-zip installers
• kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json — Kali-specific definitions with apt-package, go-install, and kaliNewTools2026_1 pre-installed tool tracking
• skills/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.ps1 — Core cross-platform engine that parses manifests and dispatches install routines
• kali/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.sh — Lightweight Bash wrapper that invokes the PowerShell engine on Linux hosts

Summary

• Separate manifests isolate Windows and Kali Linux tooling without code duplication
• Bootstrap dependencies (pipx, pnpm) guarantee package manager availability before dependent installs
• MCP auto-registration bridges installed tools to AI agents via Claude configuration
• Safety controls (SHA-256 verification, canAutoInstall gating) prevent unvetted automatic installations
• Unified engine in bootstrap-reverse.ps1 executes OS-appropriate routines from a single entry point

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Reverse-Skill detect which platform-specific bootstrap manifest to use?

The bootstrap-reverse.ps1 script performs runtime OS detection and loads skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json by default on Windows. On Linux systems, the kali/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.sh wrapper explicitly points the engine to kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json. This detection happens before any capability resolution or installation begins.

What happens if a capability requires manual installation?

Capabilities with bootstrapKind: "manual" skip automated provisioning. The bootstrap engine logs the manualInstallHint string to guide the user through vendor-specific licensing or download steps. The skill can still reference the capability by name once manually installed, as verifyCommand confirms presence without requiring bootstrapKind execution.

Can I add custom tools to the platform-specific bootstrap manifests?

Yes. Append entries to either manifest following the established schema: name, bootstrapKind, verifyCommand, and kind-specific fields (installDir, assetUrl, aptPackageName, etc.). The bootstrap-reverse.ps1 engine dynamically parses manifest additions without code changes. Ensure Windows entries use %USERPROFILE% paths and Kali entries use $HOME or absolute system paths.

Why does Kali Linux use PowerShell for bootstrapping instead of pure Bash?

The bootstrap-reverse.ps1 engine provides cross-platform capability logic that would otherwise require maintaining two divergent codebases. The kali/scripts/bootstrap-reverse.sh wrapper installs PowerShell Core (pwsh) if absent, then delegates to the unified engine. This approach guarantees identical dependency resolution, hash verification, and MCP registration behavior across both operating systems.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}