skylot
[feature] Cannot attach to system APKs without MAIN activity declared in manifest
Describe your idea
Description
When trying to use the debugger in JADX GUI on certain system APKs (such as ContentProvider-only apps), the attach process fails if the APK does not declare a MAIN launcher activity in its AndroidManifest.xml.
This results in the following error message: Failed to decode AndroidManifest.xml
Context
In some cases, it is still possible to see the app's process in the debugger's process list (on a connected device), and even double-click it to attach. However, the setup fails early because the manifest does not contain a mainActivity.
This behavior prevents debugging many system apps or background services that are not intended to be launched directly and therefore do not include a launcher activity.
Environment
- jadx version: 1.5.2
- APK type: system app (e.g.
ContentProvider-only)
Expected Behavior
It should be possible to attach to system APKs even if they do not declare a launcher activity.
