v1.4.0 — USB mapping, EFI-without-USB, Windows fixes

What's new

• USB Mapping — new post-install screen to apply your generated UTBMap.kext to any EFI drive in one click. USBToolBox app now auto-downloaded to EFI/HackMate-Extras/ on every build
• USBToolBox.kext + UTBMap.kext now included in every build automatically
• Don't have USB — new option on the USB selection screen lets you generate an EFI folder to any local directory without a USB drive attached (useful for copying to internal EFI partition)
• Fix: kext downloads failing on Windows — replaced bare urlretrieve with proper SSL context; fixes silent failures on Windows 10/11
• Fix: umount crash on Linux — umount timeout no longer kills the entire build; sync + lazy unmount fallback always runs
• Fix: EXE showing update nag every launch — EXE now bundles its own git SHA at build time so it correctly detects when it's already up to date
• Fix: Realtek ethernet not detected on Windows 11 — switched from deprecated Get-WmiObject to Get-CimInstance

Windows EXE

Download HackMate.exe below — no Python required, run as Administrator.

v1.3.0 — Windows EXE, config editor, AMD + SSL fixes

What's New in v1.3.0

Windows EXE

HackMate is now available as a single HackMate.exe — no Python, no venv, no setup.py. Download, run as Administrator, done. Built automatically with PyInstaller via GitHub Actions.

Bug Fixes

• AMD config.plist crash — invalid hex placeholder in AMD kernel patches was crashing config.plist generation for every AMD user. Fixed.
• Windows SSL error — CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED on macrecovery download. Added SSL fallback.
• macOS host: lspci not found — switched to system_profiler SPPCIDataType on macOS.
• HeliPort path crash — Path(mount) / EFI failed because mount is a string. Fixed.
• Config editor — Textual widget display fix, scrollable layout, compact rows.
• SSDT-XOSI — now compiles from built-in template when SSDTTime skips it.

New Features

• Config.plist editor — Edit Config button on welcome screen. Simple mode with toggles/inputs for boot-args, SIP, SecureBootModel, SMBIOS, picker settings. Advanced mode for raw plist key editing.
• Intel WiFi kext chooser — pick itlwm+HeliPort or native AirportItlwm before building.
• HeliPort auto-download — saved to EFI/HackMate-Extras/ on the USB when itlwm is selected.
• BIOS checklist — shown after successful USB build with hardware-specific tips.
• AMD vanilla patches — full patch set, Intel-only quirks disabled for AMD.
• OpenCore log reader — translates OC boot log errors to plain English.

v1.2.1 — WiFi chooser, XOSI fix, BIOS checklist

What's New in v1.2.1

Intel WiFi Kext Chooser

When Intel WiFi is detected, HackMate now asks whether you want itlwm + HeliPort (works on all macOS versions) or AirportItlwm (shows as native built-in WiFi, no HeliPort needed — but must be swapped after upgrading macOS).

SSDT-XOSI Always Generates Now

SSDT-XOSI was silently skipping for most users because SSDTTime doesn't always list it in its menu. HackMate now compiles it from a built-in template when SSDTTime can't generate it. This fixes sleep/wake and USB power on most laptops.

BIOS Checklist Screen

After a successful USB build, HackMate now shows a checklist of BIOS settings to configure before booting — Secure Boot, Fast Boot, DVMT pre-alloc, XHCI Handoff, etc. Adapts based on AMD vs Intel and whether Nvidia dGPU is present.

More Accurate Intel Gen Detection

Added missing Intel GPU device IDs: 5917 (UHD 620, used by T480s, MateBook, XPS 13), plus Whiskey Lake, Coffee Lake Refresh, and Comet Lake variants. Fixes cases where gen detection fell through to name inference.

Gen 9 SMBIOS

Added MacBookPro16,1 and iMac19,1 for Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs (i9-9980HK etc).

v1.2.0 — AMD support, OC log reader, post-install guide

What's New in v1.2.0

OpenCore Log Reader

HackMate can now read OpenCore boot logs off your USB after a failed boot and translate the errors into plain English. No more reading panic screens letter by letter.

Full AMD Vanilla Kernel Patches

AMD (Ryzen/Threadripper) users now get the complete AMD_Vanilla kernel patch set automatically generated in their config.plist, including cpuid spoofing, commpage patches, and CPU count injection. Intel-only quirks (CfgLock, XcpmCfgLock, ProvideCurrentCpuInfo) are now correctly disabled for AMD.

Post-Install Guide

Added POST_INSTALL.md covering USB port mapping, moving EFI to internal drive, iMessage fix, SIP, sleep/wake, and common post-install issues.

Issue Templates

Added feature request template. Bug report now includes macOS as a host OS option.

Other

• CONTRIBUTING.md with PR guidelines and testing requirements
• DISCLAIMER.md with full legal terms
• GitHub badges in README (stars, issues, license, version)
• Dynamic version display in TUI (shows commit hash)
• Improved Windows install instructions

v1.1.0 — macOS support, Already Formatted mode, bug fixes

What's New in v1.1.0

macOS Host Support

HackMate can now be run from a macOS machine as the host OS, in addition to Linux and Windows.

New: Already Formatted Mode

If USB formatting fails (common on Windows), you can now pre-format manually and use the new Already Formatted option to skip the format step.

venv / uv Support (via PR #11 by @thanhnndev)

setup.py now creates a virtual environment so sudo always finds the dependencies — no more "textual not found" errors.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed IntelMausiEthernet and itlwm kext binary name mismatches causing boot failures
• Fixed recovery entry hidden in OpenCore picker (HideAuxiliary was True)
• Fixed recovery DMG blocked by DmgLoading: Signed — now uses Any
• Fixed VoodooGPIO loaded twice (was bundled in VoodooI2C and added standalone)
• Fixed EnableVectorAcceleration causing hangs on laptops
• Fixed repair mode regenerating SMBIOS (broke iMessage) — now preserves existing serial/MLB/UUID
• Fixed repair mode wiping SSDTs before confirming new ones generated
• Added -no_compat_check boot arg to bypass board ID check
• Enabled ProtectUefiServices for all Intel generations

Project

• Added MIT License and SECURITY.md
• Migration stubs for users stuck on old hackmate-linux/ path

v1.0.0 — Linux + Windows

HackMate v1.0.0

Platforms

• Linux (any distro, Python 3.10+)
• Windows 10/11

Tested hardware

• ThinkPad T480s (i5-8350U, UHD 620, ALC257, Intel I219, Intel 8265 WiFi)
• Dell Latitude 5400 (community reported)
• AMD Ryzen systems (community reported)

Features

• OpenCore EFI generation for Intel and AMD
• macOS recovery download directly from Apple CDN
• 104 kexts in database, selected per hardware
• SSDT generation via SSDTTime
• config.plist with hardware-specific quirks, framebuffer patches, ALC layout-id
• Repair EFI mode — preserves recovery, updates OC/kexts/config only
• Smart file verification — only redownloads corrupt or missing files

Safety

• Type-to-confirm before any destructive disk operation
• EFI auto-backup to ~/HackMate/backups/ before repair
• Restore EFI screen to roll back to any backup
• No AI or external API calls
• SHA-pinned auto-updater
• All commands logged in real time

Known limitations

• USB port mapping requires USBToolBox after install
• Sleep/wake may need tuning on some hardware
• HDMI/AirDrop/iMessage not verified on all hardware