Tools

Tools and libraries for working with Retropak files.

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Implementations

Libraries

Want to build a library? See the specification

Emulator Integration

We would like to hear from emulator developers interested in adding native .rpk support. Retropak is designed to work with emulators for all supported platforms, making it simple to:

• Load software directly from .rpk archives
• Display embedded metadata and artwork
• Handle multi-disc titles seamlessly
• Verify ROM authenticity through checksums

If you develop or maintain an emulator and would like to integrate Retropak support, please get in touch via the Retropak Discord.

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Frontend Integration

We are seeking contributions from frontend developers to add Retropak support. Potential features include:

• Direct .rpk loading
• Automatic metadata import
• Asset extraction and caching
• Signature verification
• Multi-disc handling

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Creating Tools

JSON Schema

Validate manifests against the official schema:

curl https://retropak.org/schemas/v1/retropak.schema.json

Use with any JSON Schema validator:

• Python: jsonschema
• JavaScript: ajv
• Go: gojsonschema
• Java: json-schema-validator

Reading Retropaks

Retropaks are standard ZIP files. Use any ZIP library:

Python:

import zipfile
import json

with zipfile.ZipFile('game.rpk', 'r') as rpk:
    manifest = json.loads(rpk.read('retropak.json'))
    print(manifest['info']['title'])

JavaScript:

const JSZip = require('jszip');
const fs = require('fs');

fs.readFile('game.rpk', (err, data) => {
  JSZip.loadAsync(data).then(zip => {
    zip.file('retropak.json').async('string').then(content => {
      const manifest = JSON.parse(content);
      console.log(manifest.info.title);
    });
  });
});

Rust:

use zip::ZipArchive;
use std::fs::File;
use serde_json::Value;

let file = File::open("game.rpk")?;
let mut archive = ZipArchive::new(file)?;
let manifest_file = archive.by_name("retropak.json")?;
let manifest: Value = serde_json::from_reader(manifest_file)?;
println!("{}", manifest["info"]["title"]);

Signature Verification

GPG:

unzip -p game.rpk retropak.checksums > /tmp/checksums
unzip -p game.rpk retropak.sig > /tmp/sig
gpg --verify /tmp/sig /tmp/checksums

SSH:

unzip -p game.rpk retropak.checksums > /tmp/checksums
unzip -p game.rpk retropak.sig > /tmp/sig
ssh-keygen -Y verify -f allowed_signers -I signer@example.com \
  -n org.retropak -s /tmp/sig < /tmp/checksums

Contributing

Want to build tools for Retropak?

1. Read the specification
2. Use the JSON schema
3. Check existing examples
4. Join the discussion

The specification is CC0. Anyone can build tools and integrations for Retropak.

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Get Involved

Have an idea for a tool? Want to contribute an implementation?

1. Read the specification
2. Use the JSON schema for validation
3. Review the code examples above
4. Join the Retropak Discord to discuss ideas
5. Build your implementation

Contributions of libraries, converters, and integrations are welcome.