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ShellHooks CLI

🐚 Reverse Shell Generator - Command-line tool for generating reverse shell payloads across 19 languages with 66+ tested variants.

License Python 3.8+ Author

Author: Supun Hewagamage
GitHub: @supunhg
License: All Rights Reserved (see LICENSE)

⚠️ Disclaimer

This tool is designed for authorized security testing and educational purposes only. Users are responsible for complying with applicable laws and regulations. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal.

Features

  • 🚀 19 Languages: Python, Bash, PHP, Perl, Ruby, Node.js, PowerShell, Java, Go, Lua, Socat, Curl, Wget, and more
  • 🎯 66 Variants: Multiple tested shell variants for each language
  • 🔒 Encoding: Base64, URL, Hex, Unicode encoding support
  • 🎭 Obfuscation: 3-level obfuscation for evasion
  • 💾 Presets: Save and reuse configurations
  • 🎨 Rich Output: Syntax highlighting and beautiful formatting
  • 📋 Clipboard: Auto-copy shells to clipboard
  • 🔧 Listeners: Generate nc, socat, pwncat listener commands
  • 🎮 Auto-Listener: Launch listener sessions from interactive mode
  • 📚 Interactive: Guided wizard for easy generation
  • 🌐 Offline: Works completely offline

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • pip package manager

Debian Package (.deb)

Recommended for system-wide installation:

git clone https://github.com/supunhg/ShellHooks-CLI.git
cd ShellHooks-CLI
./scripts/build_deb.sh
sudo dpkg -i shellhooks-cli_1.1.0_all.deb

This installs:

  • Executable: /usr/local/bin/shellhooks
  • Man page: /usr/share/man/man1/shellhooks.1
  • Documentation: /usr/share/doc/shellhooks-cli/

To uninstall:

sudo dpkg -r shellhooks-cli

Quick Install

git clone https://github.com/supunhg/ShellHooks-CLI.git
cd ShellHooks-CLI
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -e .

Verify Installation

shellhooks --version
man shellhooks  # View man page

Command Aliases

For faster usage, ShellHooks supports short aliases:

  • g → generate
  • i → interactive
  • l → list

Examples:

shellhooks g python -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444
shellhooks i
shellhooks l --language bash

Suppress Banner

Use -nb or --no-banner before the subcommand:

shellhooks -nb list
shellhooks --no-banner interactive
shellhooks -nb g python -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444

Quick Start

Generate a Reverse Shell

# Basic shell generation
shellhooks generate python -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444

# With encoding
shellhooks generate bash -i 192.168.1.100 -p 9001 --encode base64

# Copy to clipboard
shellhooks generate php -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444 --clipboard

# Save to file
shellhooks generate perl -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444 --output shell.pl

Interactive Mode

# Launch interactive wizard
shellhooks interactive

The interactive mode guides you through:

  1. Language selection (with fuzzy search)
  2. Version and variant selection
  3. IP and port configuration
  4. Advanced options (encoding, obfuscation, SSL)
  5. Output options (display, clipboard, file)

List Available Shells

# List all shells
shellhooks list

# List shells for specific language
shellhooks list --language python

# Search shells
shellhooks list --search socket

Generate Listener Commands

# Basic netcat listener
shellhooks listener -p 4444

# Ncat with SSL
shellhooks listener -p 4444 --tool ncat --ssl

# Show all listener options
shellhooks listener -p 4444 --all

# Include PTY upgrade instructions
shellhooks listener -p 4444 --pty-upgrade

Preset Management

# Save a preset
shellhooks preset save "lab-python" python -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444

# Load and use a preset
shellhooks preset load "lab-python"

# List all presets
shellhooks preset list

# Delete a preset
shellhooks preset delete "lab-python"

Command Reference

generate - Generate Reverse Shell

shellhooks generate <language> [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -i, --ip TEXT              Target IP address [required]
  -p, --port INTEGER         Target port (default: 4444)
  -V, --version TEXT         Language version
  -v, --variant TEXT         Shell variant
  -e, --encode [none|base64|url|hex|unicode]
                            Encoding method
  -o, --obfuscate INTEGER    Obfuscation level (0-3)
  --ssl                      Use SSL/TLS for listener
  -O, --output PATH          Output file path
  -l, --listener             Show listener command
  -c, --clipboard            Copy to clipboard
  -s, --save-preset TEXT     Save as preset

interactive - Interactive Wizard

shellhooks interactive

The interactive mode provides a guided wizard with the following features:

  • Language Selection: Fuzzy search through all available languages
  • Variant Selection: Browse and select from language-specific variants
  • IP & Port Entry: Input validation with helpful error messages
  • Advanced Options: Optional encoding, obfuscation, and SSL configuration
  • Output Actions:
    • Display on screen
    • Copy to clipboard automatically
    • Save to file
    • Display and copy to clipboard
    • Start netcat listener session (launches in new terminal)
    • All-in-one: Display, copy, and start listener
  • Listener Tool Selection: Choose from nc, ncat, socat, pwncat, rlwrap, or metasploit
  • Preset Saving: Optionally save configuration for later reuse

New in v1.1.0:

  • The shell payload is always displayed regardless of output action selected, ensuring you can copy it before starting the listener
  • Auto-start listener feature automatically detects and launches your preferred terminal emulator (gnome-terminal, xterm, konsole, or terminator) with a ready-to-use listener
  • Command aliases (g, i, l) for faster workflow
  • --no-banner / -nb flag to suppress ASCII banner

list - List Available Shells

shellhooks list [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -l, --language TEXT        Filter by language
  -s, --search TEXT          Search by keyword

listener - Generate Listener Commands

shellhooks listener [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -p, --port INTEGER         Listening port (default: 4444)
  -t, --tool [nc|ncat|socat|pwncat|metasploit|rlwrap]
                            Listener tool
  --ssl                      Use SSL/TLS
  --pty-upgrade             Show PTY upgrade instructions
  -a, --all                 Show all listener options

preset - Manage Presets

# Save preset
shellhooks preset save <name> <language> -i <ip> -p <port> [OPTIONS]

# Load preset
shellhooks preset load <name> [OPTIONS]

# List presets
shellhooks preset list

# Delete preset
shellhooks preset delete <name>

cheatsheet - Generate Cheatsheet

shellhooks cheatsheet [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -l, --language TEXT        Language for cheatsheet
  -o, --output PATH          Output file

Supported Languages

Language Icon Variants Description
Python 🐍 7 Standard, Short, IPv6, Oneliner, Windows
Bash 🐚 7 TCP, UDP, Exec, FIFO, Read Line
Shell (sh) 📜 2 Standard, Telnet
Netcat 🔌 7 Traditional, mkfifo, OpenBSD, Ncat, UDP
Telnet 📞 2 Standard, Mknod
Socat 🔗 4 Standard, PTY, TTY, SSL/TLS
PHP 🐘 6 exec, shell_exec, system, passthru, proc_open
Perl 🐪 4 Standard, No /bin/sh, Windows, Short
Ruby 💎 4 Standard, Bash, No /bin/sh, Windows
Node.js 💚 5 Standard, Bash, Short variants, Windows
Java ☕ 3 Runtime, Simple, Groovy
PowerShell ⚡ 5 TCP, Simple, Short, Nishang, Download
AWK 🦅 1 Standard
Go 🐹 1 Standard
Lua 🌙 2 Standard, LuaSocket
OpenSSL 🔐 1 Encrypted
Xterm 🖥️ 1 X11
Curl 🌐 2 Bash, Python
Wget 📥 2 Bash, Python

Total: 19 languages, 66 variants

Examples

Penetration Testing Workflow

# 1. Generate a Python reverse shell with base64 encoding
shellhooks generate python -i 192.168.1.100 -p 4444 --encode base64 --clipboard

# 2. Set up listener
shellhooks listener -p 4444 --pty-upgrade

# 3. After connection, upgrade PTY using the displayed commands

Save Common Configurations

# Save lab environment preset
shellhooks preset save "internal-lab" python -i 10.10.10.50 -p 4444 --encode base64

# Save external engagement preset
shellhooks preset save "external" bash -i 203.0.113.10 -p 443

# Quick generation from presets
shellhooks preset load "internal-lab" --clipboard

Batch Generation

# Generate multiple shells and save to files
shellhooks generate python -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444 -O shells/python.py
shellhooks generate bash -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444 -O shells/bash.sh
shellhooks generate php -i 10.0.0.1 -p 4444 -O shells/php.php

Development

Project Structure

ShellHooks-CLI/
├── src/shellhooks/       # Main package
│   ├── cli.py           # CLI interface
│   ├── generator.py     # Shell generator
│   ├── templates.py     # Template engine
│   ├── encoder.py       # Encoding utilities
│   ├── validator.py     # Input validation
│   ├── listener.py      # Listener generation
│   ├── presets.py       # Preset management
│   └── ui/              # UI components
├── tests/               # Unit tests
├── src/data/            # Shell templates
└── docs/                # Documentation

Running Tests

source venv/bin/activate
python tests/run_tests.py

Security Notice

This tool generates payloads for authorized penetration testing only. Misuse of this tool for unauthorized access is illegal and unethical. The author assumes no liability for misuse.

Contributing

This project is proprietary software. Contributions, modifications, and redistribution are not permitted without explicit written permission from the author.

Support

For issues or questions:

Acknowledgments

Shell templates derived from publicly available security research and documentation including PayloadsAllTheThings, PentestMonkey, GTFOBins, and the offensive security community.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Supun Hewagamage. All Rights Reserved.

This software is proprietary and confidential. Unauthorized copying, modification, distribution, or use is strictly prohibited. See LICENSE for details.

Made with 🔒 by Supun Hewagamage

About

Offline reverse shell generator supporting 19 languages and 66+ variants, with encoding, obfuscation, presets, listeners, and a full interactive CLI.

Topics

python reverse-shell cybersecurity penetration-testing security-tools cli-tool reverse-shell-generator

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Releases 1

ShellHooks CLI v1.1.0 - Complete Feature Release Latest
Nov 22, 2025

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