ropgadget

library7.7pypypi✓ verified 87d ago

ROPgadget is a Python tool designed to search for ROP (Return-Oriented Programming) gadgets within binary files. It supports various file formats (ELF, PE, Mach-O, Raw) and architectures, including x86, x64, ARM, ARM64, PowerPC, SPARC, MIPS, RISC-V 64, and RISC-V Compressed. Currently at version 7.7, the project is actively maintained with several releases per year addressing bug fixes and adding support for new architectures and features.

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pip install ROPgadget

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ROPGADGET

ropgadget

devopspythonv7.7

Install

1.7s avg

Import

224ms

Disk

27MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v7.7 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.228s · 28.8MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.7s · import 0.221s · 29MB

27MB installed

● package 27MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

main

✓ from ropgadget import main # main() # To run the tool programmatically as an application entry point

ROPgadget is predominantly used as a command-line tool. While it has a Python API, the most common programmatic entry point is via its `main` function, typically invoked by wrapper scripts. Direct library imports for advanced gadget analysis are less common for end-users, but possible for tool integrators.

ROPgadget is primarily a command-line utility. This quickstart demonstrates how to search for common 'pop; ret' gadgets in a binary and how to attempt to generate a ROP chain (though successful chain generation depends heavily on the binary and environment).

# Analyze a binary for ROP gadgets ROPgadget --binary /bin/ls --only "pop|ret" --depth 3 # Find a ROP chain to execute /bin/sh (example) # Note: Actual binaries and gadgets will vary. This is a conceptual example. # Assuming a vulnerable binary `vuln` exists in the current directory ROPgadget --binary ./vuln --ropchain --badbytes "000a0d" --rawArch x64 --offset 0x0 --callPreceded

ROPgadget --version

Debug

Known issues

gotchaOlder versions of ROPgadget might produce `SyntaxWarning` messages when run with newer Python interpreters, particularly Python 3.10+ or 3.13.

fix

Upgrade ROPgadget to the latest version (`pip install --upgrade ROPgadget`) to resolve compatibility warnings. Version 7.7 includes fixes for Python 3.13 SyntaxWarnings.

affects: < 7.7

gotchaWhen installing ROPgadget from source (rather than PyPI), the Capstone disassembly framework must be installed manually before ROPgadget. Failure to do so will result in import errors or installation failures.

fix

Explicitly install Capstone first: `pip install capstone` or `sudo -H python3 -m pip install capstone` (for system-wide installation) before attempting to install ROPgadget from source.

affects: All versions, when installing from source

gotchaHistorically, there have been compatibility issues with Python 3, particularly for older ROPgadget versions. While modern versions are Python 3 compatible, using outdated versions with Python 3 might lead to unexpected behavior.

fix

Always use the latest stable version of ROPgadget with a supported Python 3 environment. (e.g., `pip install --upgrade ROPgadget`).

affects: < 7.2

gotchaWhen building ROP chains for x86_64 binaries, especially targeting GLIBC functions like `printf()` or `system()`, the stack must be 16-byte aligned before function calls. Misalignment can cause `movaps` instructions to trigger general protection faults.

fix

Pad your ROP chain with an extra `ret` instruction before calling GLIBC functions to ensure 16-byte stack alignment.

affects: All versions (general ROP exploitation principle)

gotchaWhen scanning Linux kernel images for ROP gadgets, generic tools like ROPgadget may produce false positives (e.g., from sections only executable at boot) and false negatives (e.g., from thunked returns).

fix

Requires domain-specific knowledge of kernel internals, careful filtering, and potentially specialized tools built for kernel ROP analysis to interpret results accurately.

affects: All versions (inherent challenge in kernel analysis)

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ROPgadget: command not found

ROPgadget's executable script is not in your system's PATH, or the installation was incomplete/failed. This typically happens if `pip`'s script directory isn't in PATH, or if you're trying to run `ROPgadget.py` directly from a cloned repository without installing it.

fix

Ensure ROPgadget is properly installed (`pip install ROPgadget`). Verify that the directory where pip installs executables (e.g., `~/.local/bin` or `/usr/local/bin`) is included in your system's PATH. If running from source, execute with `python3 ROPgadget.py` from the main project directory or install it via `sudo -H python3 setup.py install` to put it in your PATH.

ImportError: No module named capstone

The Capstone disassembly framework, which is a fundamental dependency for ROPgadget, is not installed or not accessible within your current Python environment.

fix

Install Capstone explicitly using pip: `pip install capstone` or `sudo -H python3 -m pip install capstone`. If you are working within a virtual environment, ensure it is activated before running the installation command.

AttributeError: 'ROPgadget' object has no attribute 'rawArch'

This error might occur when using an older version of ROPgadget with command-line arguments or configurations that were introduced in newer versions, such as `--rawArch` for specifying raw architecture.

fix

Upgrade ROPgadget to the latest version (`pip install --upgrade ROPgadget`) to ensure all features and arguments are supported.

Upgrade

Version history

7.7latest on PyPI · released Oct 15, 2025

Audit

Dependencies

capstonerequiredROPgadget uses the Capstone disassembly framework for its gadget search engine. While `pip install ROPgadget` often handles this, explicit installation of `capstone` is sometimes recommended or required for source installations.

Agent activity

19 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/JonathanSalwan/ROPgadget ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/ropgadget/ ↗