README.md

March 10, 2026 · View on GitHub

🔪 Scalpel

Precision Debloat & Systemize for Rooted Android

Cut the bloat. Elevate your apps. Zero risk.

🧬 What is Scalpel?

Scalpel is a system app management module for rooted Android. It does two things: debloat — removing pre-installed apps you don't want — and systemize — promoting user apps to run as system apps with elevated privileges. Rather than locking you into a single removal method, Scalpel auto-detects your device capabilities at every boot and selects the best available strategy: kernel-level VFS interception, overlayfs whiteouts, or package manager commands.

The result: bloatware gone, your apps elevated, your device safe. A 3-strike bootloop guard protects against bad configurations, deferred operations ensure your data is never destroyed prematurely, and a self-healing background monitor repairs any drift between reboots. Everything is managed through a WebUI inside your root manager — no terminal needed.

This is not pm disable. Scalpel's multi-mode engine goes beyond simple package manager commands. When your kernel supports it, apps are hidden at the VFS level — invisible to the system entirely. On stock kernels, overlayfs whiteouts provide persistent removal across reboots. Package manager commands are the last resort, not the only option.

🔥 Why Scalpel?

🛡️ Bootloop-Proof — Three failed boots auto-disable the module and restore your config. You can always recover.

🎯 Multi-Mode Debloat — VFS interception, overlayfs whiteouts, or pm disable — auto-detects the best strategy for your kernel.

📦 Systemize Apps — Promote user apps to /system/ with proper permissions. Your original data is preserved until the system copy is verified.

🎛️ Full WebUI — Browse, search, select, and manage apps from your root manager. No terminal needed.

🔄 Self-Healing — Background monitor detects and repairs broken debloats automatically between reboots.

📱 Universal Root — Works with Magisk, KernelSU, and APatch out of the box.

✨ Features

Debloat Engine

3 debloat modes — VFS interception, overlayfs whiteouts, or package manager — auto-detected per boot
App scanner — discovers all system apps across partitions with 5-category risk classification
Default debloat — volume key prompt during install for immediate cleanup on first boot
Raw whiteout support — advanced users can supply a plain-text package list

Systemize Engine

App promotion — elevate user apps to /system/app or /system/priv-app
Split APK support — handles multi-APK bundles and native libraries
Permissions XML — auto-generates privileged permission allowlists for priv-app targets
Deferred uninstall — original app data preserved until system overlay is verified working
Demote & rollback — reverse any promotion with pending state tracking across reboots

Safety & Recovery

3-strike bootloop guard — auto-disables module and restores config after repeated boot failures
Deferred operations — never removes original app data before confirming the replacement works
Post-boot verification — confirms every debloated and systemized app is in the expected state
Self-healing monitor — background daemon detects and repairs broken debloats automatically
Config backup — automatic backup before risky operations, restored on boot failures

WebUI

Full dashboard — status overview, debloat manager, systemize manager, settings
Category browsing — apps grouped by risk level with search and batch selection
Context-sensitive actions — floating action button adapts per tab (reboot, nuke, promote)
Themeable — light, dark, accent colors, glass effects

⚙️ Debloat Modes

Scalpel evaluates your device at every boot and selects the best available mode. You can override this in Settings.

Mode	How It Works	Requirement	Trace Level
VFS Interception	Whiteouts synced to kernel VFS driver — apps vanish from the filesystem entirely	Custom kernel with VFS hooks	None — invisible to mount tables and stat
Overlayfs Whiteout	Character device whiteouts with overlay xattr in module directory	Stock kernel with overlayfs support	Low — overlay metadata visible to root
Package Manager	`pm disable-user` removes app from user space	Any rooted device	Visible — apps disabled, not hidden

Auto-detection fallback: VFS → Whiteout → PM. The best available mode is always selected automatically.

📋 Requirements

Important

Scalpel works on any rooted Android 9+ device out of the box. No custom kernel needed. For VFS-level app hiding, a kernel with VFS redirection support is recommended — but overlayfs and pm fallbacks work everywhere.

You need:

A rooted Android device (Android 9+) with an unlocked bootloader
A supported root manager (see compatibility below)

📱 Compatibility

Root Managers

Manager	Status	Notes
KernelSU	✅ Tested	Full lifecycle support
APatch	⚠️ Untested	Boot hooks present but not verified on device
Magisk	⚠️ Untested	Boot-completed polling and magic mount fallback present but not verified

More devices and root managers will be tested as development continues. If you test on an unlisted combo, let us know!

🚀 Quick Start

Download the latest module ZIP from Releases
Install via your root manager (Magisk, KSU, or APatch)
Choose default debloat during install — Volume Up to apply, Volume Down to skip
Reboot your device
Open the WebUI from your root manager to browse and manage apps

💬 Community

$ scalpel --operate

 ██████╗ ██████╗ ███████╗██████╗  █████╗ ████████╗███████╗
██╔═══██╗██╔══██╗██╔════╝██╔══██╗██╔══██╗╚══██╔══╝██╔════╝
██║   ██║██████╔╝█████╗  ██████╔╝███████║   ██║   █████╗
██║   ██║██╔═══╝ ██╔══╝  ██╔══██╗██╔══██║   ██║   ██╔══╝
╚██████╔╝██║     ███████╗██║  ██║██║  ██║   ██║   ███████╗
 ╚═════╝ ╚═╝     ╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝  ╚═╝   ╚═╝   ╚══════╝

 [✓] SIGNAL    ──→  t.me/superpowers9
 [✓] UPLINK    ──→  debloat tips · bug triage · feature drops
 [✓] STATUS    ──→  OPEN — all operators welcome

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

🔪 Precision mode — cut the bloat, keep the edge.