Protector.CLI 1.0.0

Protector CLI

Protector.CLI is a dotnet global tool for applying compatibility-aware obfuscation to compiled .NET managed assemblies.

This package is the command-line tool only. The desktop GUI and the license issuer are distributed separately.

It is designed for direct post-build protection of managed .dll and .exe outputs, with a conservative approach around framework-sensitive code paths.

What the tool does

When you run the tool on a compiled .dll or managed .exe, it can apply:

• string encryption with a runtime decoder helper
• safe rename of eligible private and internal types, methods, and fields
• decoy type injection
• control-flow hardening through lightweight opaque-predicate patches
• optional runtime anti-debug and helper self-check layers when enabled in the underlying pipeline
• rename-map generation for later stack-trace deobfuscation

The obfuscator is designed to stay conservative around framework-sensitive code paths such as ASP.NET Core, Razor-generated code, serializers, and reflection-heavy surfaces.

Install

dotnet tool install --global Protector.CLI

Update an existing installation:

dotnet tool update --global Protector.CLI

Basic usage

Obfuscate a compiled managed assembly:

protector-obfuscate MyApp.dll --map MyApp.map.json

Options:

Example output:

OK  MyApp.dll  strings=312  methods=47  fields=23  types=11
MAP MyApp.map.json

Stack-trace deobfuscation

Use the saved rename map to restore original names in an obfuscated stack trace:

protector-obfuscate deobfuscate-stacktrace --map MyApp.map.json --input crash.txt --output clean.txt

Supported options:

You can also pipe text through stdin:

type crash.txt | protector-obfuscate deobfuscate-stacktrace --map MyApp.map.json

What this package is for

Protector.CLI is a good fit when you want:

• a scriptable obfuscation step for compiled assemblies
• a CI-friendly tool that can be installed with dotnet tool install
• rename-map output for crash-log cleanup and stack-trace cleanup workflows

It is not a replacement for the desktop Protector GUI workflow, project publishing, activation management, or the separate license issuer application.

Idempotency

Running the tool twice on the same assembly is safe by design:

• already wrapped string literals are skipped
• already obfuscated private/internal names are skipped
• already patched control-flow entry patterns are skipped

Exit codes