atvloadly

atvloadly is a web service that supports sideloading app on Apple TV. It uses Impactor as the underlying technology for sideloading and automatically refreshes the app to ensure its long-term availability. It runs as a Docker service on Linux/OpenWrt or as a native desktop app on macOS and Windows.

Features

• Docker running (Linux/OpenWrt) or a native desktop app (macOS / Windows)
• Supports AppleTV pairing
• Supports automatic app refresh
• Supports tracking GitHub releases / AltStore sources, with manual or automatic app updates
• Supports use of multiple Apple ID accounts
• Supports signing with your own certificate (P12 + provisioning profile), without an Apple ID
• I18n support
• Supports installing an app under a custom bundle identifier (Apple ID or P12), next to the original app

Screenshots

Installation

Docker (Linux/OpenWrt)

1. The Linux/OpenWrt host needs to install avahi-daemon.

   OpenWrt：

   opkg install avahi-dbus-daemon
   /etc/init.d/avahi-daemon start
   

   Ubuntu:

   sudo apt-get -y install avahi-daemon
   sudo systemctl restart avahi-daemon
   

2. Please refer to the following command for installation, remember to modify the mount directory.

   Docker:

   docker run --security-opt seccomp:unconfined -d --name=atvloadly --restart=always -p 5533:80 -v /path/to/mount/dir:/data -v /var/run/dbus:/var/run/dbus -v /var/run/avahi-daemon:/var/run/avahi-daemon bitxeno/atvloadly:latest
   

   The /var/run/dbus and /var/run/avahi-daemon of the host machine need to be shared with the docker container for use.

   If you want to use the HOST network and want to modify the listening port, you can add environment variables to container:

   SERVICE_PORT=5533
   

   Docker Compose:

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bitxeno/atvloadly/refs/heads/master/docker-compose.yml
   docker compose pull
   docker compose up -d
   

Desktop app (macOS / Windows)

macOS 15+ (recommended, Homebrew):

brew install --cask bitxeno/tap/atvloadly

Windows 10/11 (x64 / arm64):

Download and run the installer (.exe) from Releases.

Getting Started

Preparation (very important‼️)

1. A burned account

Dedicated Apple ID installation account, both free or developer accounts are acceptable (For security reasons, avoid using commonly used accounts. Instead, create a burned account for installation!) A free Apple ID allows only a few signing certificates, shared by every sideloading tool that uses the account. When atvloadly cannot create one because the account is full, it never revokes a certificate on its own: the install page asks which certificate, if any, may be revoked.

2. A phone to 2FA Verification

atvloadly needs to be authorized as a trusted device (it will be virtualized as a MacBook). When logging in, Apple will send a 2FA verification code to the registered phone number of your account or to a device that has already logged in with the installation account. Please authorize and verify promptly.

Operation process

1. Open the Apple TV settings menu, select Remote and Devices -> Remote App and Devices, enter pairing mode.
2. Open the web management page, normally it will display the pairable AppleTV.
3. Click on the AppleTV device to enter the pairing page and complete the pairing operation.
4. After successful pairing, return to the home page, where the connected AppleTV will be displayed.
5. Click on the connected AppleTV to enter the sideload installation page, select the IPA file that needs to be sideloaded, and click Install.

External certificate (P12) signing

If you already own a code signing certificate, you can import its .p12 (with its password, which may be empty) and a matching .mobileprovision profile (a tvOS profile listing the Apple TV UDID for an Apple TV), then choose External certificate on the install page. No Apple ID is asked for or used. Apps signed this way are not refreshed automatically: they expire at the earlier of the certificate and profile expiries, and reinstalling with the same certificate and profile does not extend that date. After replacing the profile (or with a new identity), reinstall or update the app to apply the new expiry. They can be installed from and track a source (GitHub releases or AltStore), their updates being signed with the same identity.

The private keys are stored encrypted with a deployment key file (signing.key_file, default /data/keys/signing-identity.key): back it up together with the database. atvloadly has no authentication, so keep it on a trusted network.

>> External certificate guide

FAQ

1. How many apps can be installed with a free account?

Each free Apple ID can register up to 10 apps and activate up to 3 apps simultaneously. Installing more than 3 will cause previously installed apps to become unavailable.

2. Unable to find AppleTV

1. Please turn off the VPN, restart the AppleTV, re-enter pairing mode, make sure [Tool] can detect devices of the _remotepairing-manual-pairing._tcp type, and pair again.

2. Try restarting the avahi-daemon service.

3. Try using privileged: true in your docker-compose.yml or --privileged in your docker run command instead of --security-opt seccomp:unconfined.

4. On the desktop app (macOS / Windows) no avahi-daemon is involved: check that the Apple TV is on the same network and that the local firewall allows the app to use mDNS.

3. Failed to log in to Apple account

This may have triggered Apple’s risk control. Apple has login restrictions for certain regions. Alternatively, try creating a new account.

4. IPA crashes after installation

If the IPA requires permissions such as CloudKit, only paid developer accounts can sign and enable them. After sideloading with atvloadly, the IPA’s Bundle Identifier will be modified, and some IPAs may restrict this, causing crashes.

5. Installation failure after system upgrade.

After upgrading the system, re-pairing is required. Generally, newly released systems are not supported. It is recommended to disable automatic system updates.

6. Can App-specific passwords be used for passwords? Is it more secure this way?

Currently does not support it.

API

• /healthcheck: Return service health status (200 indicates normal, 503 indicates that an app has expired).

• /mcp: MCP service api, streamable http transport, can connect to AI Agent to install or refresh apps.

How to build

>> wiki

Credits

Impactor: the sideload core

idevice: libimobiledevice in pure Rust

usbmuxd2: usbmuxd implementation for linux

frida-core:: remote pairing connection reference

Disclaimer

• This software is only for learning and communication purposes. The author does not assume any legal responsibility for the security risks or losses caused by the use of this software.
• Before using this software, you should understand and bear corresponding risks, including but not limited to account freezing, which are unrelated to this software.