Self-Extracting Script Skill

Generate self-extracting Bash scripts from any payload file. The generated scripts embed the payload as base64 and extract it when executed.

Quick Start

# Basic extraction script
python scripts/create_self_extractor.py payload.tar.gz output.sh

# Auto-execute after extraction
python scripts/create_self_extractor.py setup.sh installer.sh --execute

# Custom output filename
python scripts/create_self_extractor.py config.json deploy.sh --output prod_config.json

Features

• Embeds any file type (binary or text) using base64 encoding
• Optional auto-execution of extracted content
• Custom output filenames
• Descriptive headers in generated scripts
• Portable - requires only bash and base64

Usage

python scripts/create_self_extractor.py <payload> <output_script> [options]

Arguments

| Argument | Description | |----------|-------------| | payload | Path to the file to embed | | output_script | Path for the generated self-extracting script |

Options

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --execute, -e | Run extracted file after extraction (for scripts) | | --output, -o | Custom filename for extracted content | | --description, -d | Description to include in script header |

Examples

Software Deployment

python scripts/create_self_extractor.py myapp.tar.gz deploy_myapp.sh \
    --description "MyApp v1.2.3 deployment package"

Auto-Running Installer

python scripts/create_self_extractor.py install.sh installer.sh --execute

Configuration Distribution

python scripts/create_self_extractor.py config.yaml setup.sh \
    --output /etc/myapp/config.yaml

How It Works

1. Reads the payload file (binary or text)
2. Base64-encodes the content
3. Generates a Bash script with embedded payload
4. Script uses heredoc to safely store encoded data
5. On execution: decodes payload → writes to file → optionally executes

Size Considerations

Base64 encoding increases size by ~33%:

• 1 MB → ~1.33 MB
• 10 MB → ~13.3 MB

For payloads >50MB, consider alternative distribution methods.

Dependencies

Generation: Python 3.6+ Execution: bash, base64 (standard on most Unix systems)