Bitcoin transaction pattern for ImHex

[ando999]

Hi there, I've vibe coded a Pattern Language file that decodes raw Bitcoin transactions — legacy, SegWit (BIP141/144), and Taproot (BIP341/342) — into a labelled tree in the hex editor: full Script opcode disassembly, output-type classification (P2PKH/P2SH/P2WPKH/P2WSH/P2TR/OP_RETURN/multisig), Taproot witness decoding (key-path vs script-path, annex, control block, tapscript overlay), nSequence/BIP68/BIP125, and locktime semantics. Handles everything from a 250-byte legacy tx to a 3.9 MB Taproot inscription reveal without choking ImHex's pattern limits. There's no signature that imHex can use for bitcoin transactions so the the user has to load the pattern manually. Is it possible to create a PR for this new pattern file and some examples for this project?

[artofbitcoin]

Yes — this is a good fit for a contribution, but the right target is WerWolv/ImHex-Patterns, not the main ImHex repository.

That repository explicitly invites community PRs, and its contribution guide asks for:

• the pattern under patterns/ (for example, patterns/bitcoin_transaction.hexpat);
• a matching entry in the README table of contents;
• preferably small fixtures under tests/patterns/test_data/, named <pattern_name>.hexpat.<extension>;
• test files around 100 KiB or less, with no copyrighted artifacts.

The lack of universal magic bytes for a raw Bitcoin transaction is not a blocker. Manual pattern selection is appropriate; I would document that limitation instead of adding a heuristic detector.

For the examples, use separate minimal, reproducible fixtures for legacy, native SegWit, Taproot key-path, and Taproot script-path/annex/control-block cases. The 3.9 MB inscription example should stay external because it exceeds the repository's requested test-fixture size. Include each fixture's provenance or generation method and the exact feature it covers.

So the practical path is: add the pattern, add compact test vectors, update the README index, then open the PR against ImHex-Patterns:master. Once merged, the repository README says the contribution becomes available through ImHex's Content Store and is bundled with the next release.

[ando999]

Thanks for the detailed reply, I appreciate it, I'll give it a go and come back here if I get stuck. :-)

[ando999]

It seems that maybe PRs are not getting merged. WerWolv/ImHex-Patterns#593 (comment)

https://github.com/WerWolv/ImHex-Patterns/pulls

Is that correct? Is WerWolv the only maintainer that can merge PRs?

[WerWolv]

I am the only one merging PRs generally. Please give me some time, you opened that PR an hour ago...