jadx-magic-strings v1.0.3-dev — JADX plugin that extracts method names, class references, and source file paths from string constants found in DEX files and decompiled Android code.

JADX Magic Strings Plugin

A JADX plugin that extracts information from string constants.

The plugin extracts and analyzes string constants from decompiled code to find:

Source File References: Detects references to Java/Kotlin source files (.java, .kt, .kts, .scala, .groovy) in string constants
Method Name Candidates: Identifies potential method names from strings using regex patterns
String Analysis: Collects all string constants with their associated methods and classes

If this plugin is published to GitHub, you can install it directly:

jadx plugins --install "github:0rshemesh:jadx-magic-strings"

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/0rshemesh/jadx-magic-strings.git
cd jadx-magic-strings

Build the plugin:
```
./gradlew build
```
Install the plugin:
```
jadx plugins --install-jar build/libs/jadx-magic-strings-1.0.1.jar
```
Or manually copy the JAR to JADX plugins directory:
- Linux/Mac: ~/.local/share/jadx/plugins/dropins/
- Windows: %APPDATA%\jadx\plugins\dropins\

The plugin can be built independently:

./gradlew build

The plugin JAR will be created at:

build/libs/jadx-magic-strings-1.0.1.jar

Requirements:

Install the plugin (see Installation section above)
Run JADX GUI:
```
jadx-gui
```
Open your APK/DEX file in JADX GUI
Wait for decompilation to complete (the plugin runs automatically after decompilation)
Access the plugin:
- Go to the Plugins menu in the menu bar
- Click on "Magic Strings: Show Results"
- A dialog window will open with multiple tabs:
  - Source Files: Tree view showing detected source file paths and their references
  - Top Candidates + Source Files: Combined view of highest-scoring method candidates grouped by source file
  - Method Candidates (Filtered): Table showing filtered method name candidates
  - All Strings: Table showing all extracted string constants

Magic Strings Plugin Example

The plugin runs automatically during decompilation, but there's no CLI interface to view the results. Use the GUI to see the extracted information.

After decompilation, the plugin scans all methods in all classes
Extracts string constants from instruction nodes (CONST_STR instructions)
Analyzes strings using regex patterns:
- Source files: Matches file paths ending in .java, .kt, etc.
- Method names: Matches camelCase patterns that look like method names
Stores results in a data structure accessible via the GUI

Reverse Engineering: Find original source file names that might reveal project structure
Deobfuscation: Identify method names from debug strings or error messages
Code Analysis: Understand relationships between strings and methods
Malware Analysis: Extract interesting strings that might indicate functionality

The plugin only works after decompilation is complete
String extraction depends on the code being decompiled (some obfuscated code may not have accessible strings)
Method name detection uses heuristics and may produce false positives
Source file detection relies on strings containing file paths (not always present)

Plugin doesn't appear in menu:

No results shown:

Build errors:

Make sure you're using Java 11 or higher
Run ./gradlew clean build to rebuild everything
Check that the JADX version in build.gradle.kts matches an available version on Maven Central

Created and maintained by 0rshemesh.

This plugin is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.