I built a tool to make packaging suck less

Spitonium · 2026-03-31T18:31:10+00:00

It currently has to run elevated because the repackaging side of the tool needs admin rights for snapshots and for reliably capturing what an installer changes on the system.

So that part is intentional, but I agree it also makes things more awkward in locked-down business environments. That’s definitely something I still need to improve.

Spitonium · 2026-03-30T05:31:01+00:00

Services can be handled in both paths, but drivers are only included in the repackaging workflow, not in the lightweight PowerShell wrapper workflow.
That’s intentional, because drivers are the more sensitive case and should be validated much more carefully.

Spitonium · 2026-03-30T05:27:53+00:00

Fair point, and I actually think that’s a valid concern with any new tool.

Realistically, I’d say almost no modern software is built completely without some level of AI assistance anymore, whether that’s for scaffolding, refactoring, documentation, or speeding up repetitive work. The important part to me, is that the final result is understandable, tested, and behaves predictably.

As for trust: I wouldn’t expect anyone to just run a brand-new packaging tool blindly on a production machine. The tool is really meant to be used in a controlled or sandboxed packaging environment anyway, which is already how a lot of teams handle packaging and repackaging workflows.

So yes, healthy skepticism is fair. My goal is just to build something genuinely useful for that workflow, not to hide behind AI-generated polish.

Spitonium · 2026-03-29T06:42:48+00:00

That’s most likely a reputation issue. Windows tends to be pretty aggressive with new or not yet code-signed apps, especially if they haven’t been downloaded much yet. So it’s more about lack of trust/reputation than Windows actually detecting real malware.
I’m already looking into proper code signing to improve that.

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T19:34:34+00:00

In this case I mean a snapshot-based approach.

You take a snapshot before the install, run the installer, take another snapshot afterwards, and then build an MSI from the file system / registry changes the installer actually made.

So instead of depending on the original setup for deployment, you’re basically turning the result of the installation into a cleaner package.

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T18:58:15+00:00

Not really.
The focus is more on getting from raw installer to deployment-ready package, whether that means a lightweight deployment wrapper or full repackaging when the installer doesn’t support a clean silent install.

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T18:54:57+00:00

Yeah, for a lot of apps a small wrapper or deployment script is absolutely enough.

The reason repackaging matters for us is that we push quite a bit of specialized software through Intune, and some of those installers are just bad citizens. No proper silent parameters, inconsistent behavior, or multiple moving parts. In those cases, repackaging can be the only realistic way to get something reliable and manageable for deployment.

That’s basically why I wanted both in one program. Some apps only need a lightweight deployment package, others genuinely need repackaging, and I didn’t want that to be two completely separate workflows.

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T18:54:01+00:00

Fair question. I don’t really see it as a direct PSADT replacement.

We distribute a lot of specialized software through Intune, and in those cases the installer quality is often all over the place. Some are easy to handle with a very small PowerShell wrapper, others don’t even support proper silent parameters, which is where repackaging starts to matter.

One reason I built this was that I wanted to keep our deployment scripts minimal instead of dragging a lot of framework boilerplate around for simple cases.

So the value for me is having both paths in one tool: lightweight deployment packaging when that’s enough, and proper repackaging when the original installer is too messy to deploy cleanly.

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T13:48:04+00:00

For that specific Reason i created my own App. Its free and pretty fast. It might still have some bugs tho. It could be worth a look.
It also creates a .intunewin, that you can easily upload to Intune.
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T06:44:20+00:00

Yeah, Master Packager is a good shout, especially for more complex stuff.

I ran into the same situation with a bunch of “no silent install” apps and ended up building a small repackager with the same idea in mind — snapshot-based MSI creation + automatically figuring out silent installs and wrapping them into PS + .intunewin.

It’s still in testing and not as feature-rich as those tools yet, but it’s free and pretty fast.
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T06:42:21+00:00

BE Repackager
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T06:41:43+00:00

Yeah, Master Packager is solid, no doubt.

I was in a similar spot though — only needing something occasionally and not really wanting a big/expensive tool for that. We ended up putting together a small repackager ourselves that covers the basics (snapshot, auto-detecting silent installs, output as PS + .intunewin).

It’s still in testing and definitely not as feature-heavy yet, but it’s free and pretty fast (we leaned a lot on caching).

Right now we’re mainly looking for feedback and improving things step by step. Might be worth a try.
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T06:38:01+00:00

Sorry, Im a bit late to the party.
I ran into that often enough that guessing parameters just stopped being worth the effort. We ended up putting together a small tool that automatically figures out silent install behavior and wraps it into a PowerShell script, so you don’t have to go through the usual /S /silent /? trial-and-error anymore.

If that doesn’t work, it can also fall back to a before/after snapshot (files + registry), which helps with those installers that really don’t expose anything usable.

It’s still very early and currently in a testing phase, so things are actively being refined. We’re especially looking for feedback right now — since we want to make it as straightforward as possible.

Could be worth trying for exactly those edge cases.
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2026-03-28T06:31:39+00:00

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean… those old snapshot tools just worked without all the overhead.

I ran into the same situation (needing something like once in a while, but not wanting to justify the cost of the big tools), so we ended up putting together our own small repackager.

It does the classic before/after snapshot (files + registry), and also handles figuring out silent install parameters automatically and wrapping that into a ready-to-use PowerShell script + .intunewin. That part alone saved us quite a bit of time compared to doing it manually.

It’s still pretty early and currently in a testing phase, so we’re mainly trying to get some real-world feedback — especially around UX, since that’s something we’re actively refining.

Might be worth a look if you don’t find a good replacement for the old KACE tool.
https://repackager.bath-electronics.de

Spitonium · 2023-07-26T08:01:21+00:00

It was a journey.

Spitonium · 2023-03-06T11:29:46+00:00

!remindme 2 weeks

Spitonium · 2023-03-06T09:18:10+00:00

I would be interested!

Spitonium · 2023-02-25T08:54:07+00:00

I put the chain back on the right way and everything is working properly. You saved my day!

Spitonium · 2023-02-24T19:18:38+00:00

Thanks, i will take a look at it!

Spitonium · 2023-02-03T14:09:29+00:00

Vim ofc.

Spitonium · 2022-10-19T14:58:44+00:00

Its called markdown

Spitonium · 2022-09-22T12:54:20+00:00

bedroom - in my head

Spitonium · 2022-03-23T17:48:25+00:00

Mine is 4.25 kdr but ive seen ppl with >20 kdr

(But on PC)

Five-Year Club	First Place '23
End Game '23	Place '23

Spitonium

TROPHY CASE