friman

Do you ever feel that finding the right Frida version for the job is like threading a needle? With different projects, devices, and debugging scenarios all requiring specific builds, keeping track of Frida versions can quickly become a tedious balancing act. friman (pronounced "free man") is designed to solve exactly this problem.

Why

It’s common to switch between Frida versions because different environments don’t always behave the same with the latest release. Depending on what you’re targeting, a specific version may be the only one that works reliably. Common reasons include:

• Device/OS quirks: Older or unusual Android/iOS builds may only work with certain Frida versions.
• Project compatibility: Some scripts, tools, or workflows rely on behavior from a specific release (e.g. a lot of APIs changed between v16 and v17).
• Stability vs. features: Newer versions fix some issues but can introduce others, so the “right” version is not always the newest.

Overview

Frida evolves rapidly, and different projects or devices often require different versions. Switching manually can be error-prone, especially when juggling multiple environments, server binaries, and gadgets.

friman provides:

• Version installation and seamless switching
• Local version tracking
• A clean, isolated directory structure ($HOME/.friman)
• Helpers for downloading release assets (currently frida-gadget and frida-server assets)
• Convenience utilities for actions like pushing Frida server binaries to Android devices

Its goal is to make Frida version management as frictionless as possible.

Install

The recommended installation method is directly from GitHub:

# With pipx (recommended)
pipx install git+https://github.com/thelicato/friman

# Or with pip
pip install git+https://github.com/thelicato/friman

After installing run the following:

friman ensurepath # Setup PATH for the currently selected Frida environment
friman update # Update the local list of available Frida versions and compatibility matrix

Usage

friman provides a command-line interface for installing, switching, and managing multiple versions of Frida. The following is the main help output:

Usage: friman [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Options:
  -v, --version  Show the application's version and exit.
  -d, --debug    Show debug output.
  -h, --help     Show this message and exit.

Commands:
  update       Update the local list of available Frida versions.
  install      Install a <version> of Frida.
  uninstall    Uninstall a <version> of Frida.
  use          Use <version>.
  disable      Disable friman.
  current      Display the currently activated version of Frida.
  list         List all the installed versions.
  ensurepath   Ensure friman directories are correctly set.
  download     Download a specific release file (only server and gadget)...
  push-server  Pushes a the Frida server into the selected ANDROID device.

Specific help commands are available in the below sections.

Usage: friman update [OPTIONS]

  Update the local list of available Frida versions.

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman install [OPTIONS] version

  Install a <version> of Frida.

Arguments:
  version  The version of Frida to install  \[required]

Options:
  -f, --force  Force install.
  --list       Show all the installable versions and exit.
  -h, --help   Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman uninstall [OPTIONS] version

  Uninstall a <version> of Frida.

Arguments:
  version  The version of Frida to uninstall  \[required]

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman use [OPTIONS] version

  Use <version>.

Arguments:
  version  The version of Frida to use  \[required]

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman disable [OPTIONS]

  Disable friman.

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman current [OPTIONS]

  Display the currently activated version of Frida.

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman list [OPTIONS]

  List all the installed versions.

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman ensurepath [OPTIONS]

  Ensure friman directories are correctly set.

Options:
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman download [OPTIONS] type platform

  Download a specific release file (only server and gadget) for the current
  version.

Arguments:
  type      The selected asset type  \[required]
  platform  The platform to use  \[required]

Options:
  -o, --output TEXT  Select the folder where to download the file.
  -h, --help         Show this message and exit.

Usage: friman push-server [OPTIONS] device_id platform

  Pushes a the Frida server into the selected ANDROID device.

Arguments:
  device_id  The selected ANDROID device  \[required]
  platform   The platform of the device  \[required]

Options:
  --list      Show all the USB devices and exit.
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit.

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! Please open an issue first to discuss major changes.

License

friman is released under the MIT LICENSE