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Obtainium-Emulation-Pack/CONTRIBUTING.md
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Contributing

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+
  • Make (optional, but recommended)
  • Git

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/RJNY/Obtainium-Emulation-Pack.git
cd Obtainium-Emulation-Pack

# Make your changes to src/applications.json (or use make add-app)
make validate          # check for structural errors
make test              # verify configs resolve to real APKs
make release           # normalize, regenerate README, build release JSONs

Project Structure

src/
  applications.json          # Source of truth - all app definitions
scripts/
  validate-json.py           # Validates applications.json
  test-apps.py               # Live-tests configs resolve to downloadable APKs
  add-app.py                 # Interactive CLI to add a new app
  generate-table.py          # Generates the README table
  generate-readme.py         # Stitches markdown files into README
  minify-json.py             # Creates release JSON files
  normalize-json.py          # Normalize key order and backfill defaults
  release.py                 # Automated release workflow (tag, push, gh release)
  constants.py               # Shared constants and Obtainium source schema
  utils.py                   # Shared utility functions and .env loader
pages/
  header.md                  # README header/intro
  table.md                   # Generated - app tables (do not edit)
  faq.md                     # FAQ section
  footer.md                  # Short section linking here (stitched into README)
obtainium-emulation-pack-latest.json           # Standard release
obtainium-emulation-pack-dual-screen-latest.json # Dual-screen release

Adding a New Application

Option A: Quick Add (Recommended for GitHub apps)

Use the interactive CLI to quickly add a new app:

make add-app

This will:

  • Prompt you for the GitHub URL
  • Auto-detect the source, author, and app name
  • Ask for the Android package ID and category
  • Generate proper Obtainium settings
  • Add the app to applications.json

Tip: To find the package ID, open the app in Obtainium - the package ID is displayed directly below the source URL (e.g., com.example.android).

After running, execute make release to regenerate all files.

Option B: Manual Add (For complex configs or non-GitHub sources)

Step 1: Export the app config from Obtainium

  1. Open Obtainium on your device
  2. Add the app you want to include (configure it how you want)
  3. Long-press the app and select "Export"
  4. Choose "Obtainium Export" format
  5. Transfer the JSON to your computer

Step 2: Add the app to applications.json

Open src/applications.json and add your app to the apps array:

{
  "id": "com.example.emulator",
  "url": "https://github.com/example/emulator",
  "author": "example",
  "name": "Example Emulator",
  "preferredApkIndex": 0,
  "additionalSettings": "{...}",
  "categories": ["Emulator"],
  "overrideSource": "GitHub"
}

Step 3: Add meta fields (optional)

Add a meta object to customize how the app appears:

{
  "id": "com.example.emulator",
  "url": "https://github.com/example/emulator",
  "author": "example",
  "name": "Example Emulator",
  "preferredApkIndex": 0,
  "additionalSettings": "{...}",
  "categories": ["Emulator"],
  "overrideSource": "GitHub",
  "meta": {
    "nameOverride": "Example Emu",
    "urlOverride": "https://example-emu.org"
  }
}

Step 4: Validate, test, and regenerate

make validate          # check for structural errors
make test              # verify your app config resolves to a real APK
make release           # normalize, regenerate README, build release JSONs

Pre-Commit Checklist

Before committing, run make test and make release, then verify:

  • make test passes (all app configs resolve to downloadable APKs)
  • obtainium-emulation-pack-latest.json has been updated
  • obtainium-emulation-pack-dual-screen-latest.json has been updated
  • README.md has been updated
  • The README table shows a friendly application name (use nameOverride if not)
  • The README table links to the correct homepage (use urlOverride if not)
  • Beta apps are excluded with meta.excludeFromExport: true

Available Make Commands

Command Description
make help Show all available commands
make add-app Interactive CLI to add a new app
make validate Validate applications.json (structure, regex, source types)
make test Live-test all app configs resolve to downloadable APKs
make test-app APP=name Live-test a single app by name (partial match)
make test-verbose Live-test all apps with APK URL details
make release Full pipeline: validate, normalize, readme, both JSONs
make normalize Normalize key order and backfill defaults
make table Generate the README table only
make readme Generate README.md from pages
make minify Generate standard release JSON
make minify-dual-screen Generate dual-screen release JSON
make publish Tag, push, and create a GitHub release
make publish-dry-run Preview release notes without publishing
make publish-from-file FILE=.. Publish using a previously edited release notes file

Meta Field Reference

These fields in the meta object control how apps are processed:

Field Type Default Description
excludeFromExport bool false Exclude from both release JSON files. Use for beta/unstable apps.
excludeFromTable bool false Exclude from the README table.
includeInStandard bool true Include in standard release. Set false for dual-screen-only apps.
includeInDualScreen bool true Include in dual-screen release. Set false for standard-only apps.
nameOverride string null Override the display name in the README table.
urlOverride string null Override the homepage link in the README table.

Categories

Apps are organized into categories that appear as sections in the README table:

Category Description
Emulator Console/handheld emulators (Dolphin, RetroArch, PPSSPP, etc.)
Frontend Emulator launchers and game library managers (Daijisho, Pegasus)
Utilities Helper apps (Syncthing, OdinTools, LED controllers, etc.)
PC Emulation Windows/PC game layers (Winlator, etc.)
Streaming Game streaming clients (Moonlight, etc.)
Track Only Version tracking without APK downloads (drivers, meta-packages)

An app can belong to multiple categories.

Dual-Screen vs Standard

The pack supports two variants:

  • Standard (obtainium-emulation-pack-latest.json): For regular Android devices
  • Dual-Screen (obtainium-emulation-pack-dual-screen-latest.json): For dual-screen devices like LG V60/Velvet

Some apps have dual-screen-specific forks (e.g., Cemu, MelonDS). Use the includeInStandard and includeInDualScreen flags to control which variant(s) include each app.

Why this matters: Apps with the same Android package ID (id field) will conflict in Obtainium. If two apps share an ID (like standard Cemu and dual-screen Cemu), they must not both appear in the same JSON file.

Example: Standard Cemu excluded from dual-screen, dual-screen fork excluded from standard:

// Standard Cemu - exclude from dual-screen JSON
{
  "id": "info.cemu.cemu",
  "name": "Cemu",
  "url": "https://github.com/SSimco/Cemu",
  "categories": ["Emulator"],
  "meta": { "includeInDualScreen": false }
}

// Dual-screen Cemu fork - exclude from standard JSON
{
  "id": "info.cemu.cemu",
  "name": "Cemu",
  "url": "https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/Cemu",
  "categories": ["Dual Screen"],
  "meta": { "includeInStandard": false }
}

Choosing the Right Category and Variant

Use this decision tree:

  1. Is this app device-specific? (e.g., AYN Thor frontend)

    • Yes: Set includeInStandard: false and use appropriate category
    • No: Continue to step 2

  2. Does this app share an ID with another app in the pack? (e.g., forks, beta builds, dual-screen variants)

    • Yes: Only one app per ID can be in each release JSON. Options:
      • Use includeInStandard/includeInDualScreen to split between variants
      • Use excludeFromExport: true on the less stable version (e.g., nightly builds)
    • No: App can be in both variants (default)

  3. Is this app stable and ready for users?

    • Yes: Include normally
    • No: Set excludeFromExport: true (still visible in table but not in release JSONs)