Game patch producer/consumer for pre-installed game archives (e.g. steamrip releases).

Generate a small binary patch between two extracted game versions, share it via Internet Archive, and let anyone with the matching old install jump to the new version without re-downloading the full game.

• Hashes both install dirs (SHA-256 per file).
• For files that changed, runs hdiffz to compute a binary diff.
• For files that were added, includes a raw copy.
• For files that were removed, records a delete instruction.
• Packs everything (manifest.json + diff/ + add/) into a single *.patch.zip.
• apply re-runs hashes on the target, refuses to mutate anything if the old install does not match the expected hashes, then applies each operation and verifies the resulting hashes against the manifest.

gpatcher is available in both Python (cross-platform, recommended) and legacy PowerShell versions.

The Python version runs on Windows, macOS, and any Linux distribution. It has automated native binary retrieval and handles Python dependencies seamlessly.

pip install https://github.com/Beast227/gpatcher/releases/download/v0.3.1/gpatcher-0.3.1-py3-none-any.whl

Or install the latest development code directly from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/Beast227/gpatcher.git

Once installed, the gpatcher command is available globally on your machine. Run gpatcher doctor or gpatcher ui to start.

To upload patches to the Internet Archive, configure your credentials:

1. Authenticate with your Internet Archive account:

   ia configure
2. Run gpatcher doctor to verify setup.

If you cloned the repository directly:

1. Install dependencies in editable mode:

   pip install -e .
2. Verify the installation:

   gpatcher doctor

Running gpatcher with no arguments (or by double-clicking the cmd wrapper) launches the Interactive TUI Dashboard. You can also execute commands directly from the CLI:

gpatcher ui
gpatcher create  --old <dir> --new <dir> --game <name> --old-ver <v> --new-ver <v> [--out <dir>] [--exclude <patterns>]
gpatcher apply   --patch <path-or-url-or-dir> --target <install-dir> [--dry-run] [--no-backup] [--keep-backup]
gpatcher restore --target <install-dir> [--backup <dir-or-latest>] [--keep-backup]
gpatcher upload  --patch <bundle.zip> [--creator <name>] [--description <text>]
gpatcher search  <game-name>
gpatcher fetch   --game <slug> --from <v> --to <v> [--out <dir>]
gpatcher verify  --install <dir> --against <manifest-or-bundle>
gpatcher doctor
gpatcher update  [--force]

The dashboard provides a terminal interface with arrow key navigation to:

• Apply a game patch (with toggle options for Dry Run and Backups)
• Create a game patch with dynamic progress bars
• Restore from any local stashed backups
• Search & Fetch patch packages from the Internet Archive directly
• Verify a game folder integrity against any manifest snapshot
• Run system diagnostics (doctor check) and perform auto-updates

gpatcher create \
    --old "D:\Games\Hades_v1.38290" \
    --new "D:\Games\Hades_v1.38291" \
    --game "Hades" --old-ver 1.38290 --new-ver 1.38291 \
    --out  "D:\patches"

gpatcher apply \
    --patch "D:\patches\hades_1.38290_to_1.38291.patch.zip" \
    --target "D:\Games\Hades"

A backup of every file the patch will mutate is written to <target>\.gpatcher-backup-<timestamp>\. Pass --no-backup to skip it.

# undo the most recent apply on this install
gpatcher restore --target "D:\Games\Hades"

# undo a specific backup (full path or name relative to target)
gpatcher restore --target "D:\Games\Hades" --backup .gpatcher-backup-20260601153012

# undo but keep the backup dir around afterwards
gpatcher restore --target "D:\Games\Hades" --keep-backup

restore walks the manifest stashed inside the backup dir, deletes files that apply had added, copies backed-up files back over modified/deleted ones, and verifies every restored file matches the original old-version hashes. The backup dir is removed by default after a successful restore; use --keep-backup to retain it.

Restore refuses to run if the target no longer matches the post-apply state recorded in the backup -- i.e. if files have been changed since the patch was applied -- so games that have been played and modified user-side won't be silently clobbered.

gpatcher upload --patch "D:\patches\hades_1.38290_to_1.38291.patch.zip"
# others can then:
gpatcher search hades
gpatcher fetch --game hades --from 1.38290 --to 1.38291 --out .

• Requires Python 3.8+ (Cross-Platform).
• Requires the matching old install on the consumer side. A patch from 1.0 to 1.2 does not apply to 1.1.
• First user to publish a patch still pays a full new-version download. The savings compound only as more users with the same old version pick up the patch.
• Symlinks / junctions inside the install dir are rejected; v0.2 does not preserve them.
• Trust model: there is no signing. The bundle SHA-256 is published in archive.org metadata but the uploader's identity is what you ultimately trust.

{
  "schema": 1,
  "tool": "gpatcher 0.1",
  "game": "Hades",
  "game_slug": "hades",
  "old_version": "1.38290",
  "new_version": "1.38291",
  "created_utc": "2026-06-01T00:00:00Z",
  "old_root_sha256": "...",
  "new_root_sha256": "...",
  "ops": [
    {"op":"diff","path":"Hades.exe","old_sha256":"...","new_sha256":"...","patch":"diff/Hades.exe.hdiff","patch_size":12345},
    {"op":"add","path":"Content/New.pak","new_sha256":"...","src":"add/Content/New.pak","size":4096},
    {"op":"delete","path":"Content/Old.pak","old_sha256":"..."},
    {"op":"keep","path":"Engine/Static.dll","sha256":"..."}
  ]
}