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Quick Reference

Most Common Commands

# Embed a secret in an image
shadowforge embed secret.txt image.png -o stego.png

# Extract the secret from stego image
shadowforge extract stego.png -o recovered.txt

# Check capacity before embedding
shadowforge analyze capacity image.png

# Generate a new encryption key pair
shadowforge keygen -o my_keys.json

# List all supported formats
shadowforge formats

# Show help for any command
shadowforge embed --help

Distribution Patterns

# One-to-one (simplest)
shadowforge embed secret.txt image.png -o stego.png

# One-to-many (split across multiple images)
shadowforge embed-distributed secret.txt image1.png image2.png image3.png

# Many-to-one (bundle multiple files)
shadowforge embed-batch secret1.txt secret2.txt image.png

# Many-to-many (complex distribution)
shadowforge embed-matrix secret1.txt secret2.txt image1.png image2.png

Workflow Examples

Safe Sharing: One-to-Many

# Split across 5 images, need any 3 to recover
shadowforge embed-distributed secret.txt \
  beach.png sunset.png forest.png mountain.png city.png \
  --threshold 3

# Later, recover using any 3
shadowforge extract-distributed beach.png sunset.png forest.png -o secret.txt

Bundling: Multiple Files

# Embed multiple files in one image
shadowforge embed-batch \
  contracts.pdf financial.xlsx notes.txt \
  carrier.png

# Later, extract all
shadowforge extract carrier.png

Archive: Secure Storage

# Create password-protected archive
shadowforge archive create \
  stego1.png stego2.png stego3.png \
  -o secure_bundle.zip \
  --encrypt

# Later, extract archive
shadowforge archive extract secure_bundle.zip

Flags & Options

Global Options

--verbose, -v         More detailed output
--quiet, -q           Minimal output
--output-format json  JSON output for scripts

Embedding Options

--technique LSB       Force LSB embedding (default: auto)
--technique DCT       Force DCT (JPEG only)
--password secret     Encrypt with password
--redundancy 0.3      30% Reed-Solomon redundancy (default)

Analysis Options

--technique LSB       Analyze for specific technique
--conservative        Use conservative capacity estimate

Distributed Options

--threshold 3         Need 3 of N carriers to recover
--parallel true       Use parallel processing
--workers 4           Use 4 parallel workers

File Type Support

Format Read Write Technique
PNG ✓ ✓ LSB, DCT, Palette
JPEG ✓ ✓ DCT
BMP ✓ ✓ LSB
GIF ✓ ✓ Palette
WAV ✓ ✓ LSB, Phase, Echo
TXT ✓ ✓ Zero-Width
ZIP ✓ ✓ N/A (Archive)
TAR ✓ ✓ N/A (Archive)

Capacity Estimates

These are approximate safe capacities (50% of theoretical max):

Carrier Size Safe Capacity
PNG 1920x1080 770KB ~50KB
JPEG 1920x1080 180KB ~13KB
WAV 3 min, 44.1kHz 260KB ~3KB (LSB)
Text 5000 chars ~10KB ~10 bytes

Use shadowforge analyze capacity for exact estimates.

Checklists

Before Embedding

  • Carrier is original, not edited
  • Carrier is not already compressed
  • Have backup of carrier
  • Payload fits in carrier (check with analyze)
  • Password is secure (if encrypting)
  • Know which technique you're using

After Embedding

  • Stego image looks normal
  • Verify can extract (test locally)
  • Save manifest (for distributed)
  • Secure original payload
  • Consider secure deletion of temp files

Before Distributing

  • Verify recovery works (with at least threshold carriers)
  • Have backup of manifest
  • Confirm recipients have Shadowforge installed
  • Test on their system if possible
  • Establish secure channel for passwords (if used)

Performance Tips

  1. Faster embedding:

    • Use GPU acceleration (if available): --gpu
    • Parallel processing: --parallel true --workers 8
    • Smaller images: Reduce resolution if acceptable

  2. Smaller file sizes:

    • Compress payload first: gzip file
    • Use JPEG with DCT (smaller file, same capacity)
    • Use optimized image tools: optipng, jpegoptim

  3. Better quality carriers:

    • Use original uncompressed images
    • Higher resolution = better quality
    • Natural photos > screenshots/memes

Security Reminders

  1. Steganography != Encryption

    • Hide data + Encrypt it for best security
    gpg --symmetric secret.txt
shadowforge embed secret.txt.gpg image.png

  2. Pattern Recognition

    • Don't always embed in same location
    • Vary carrier formats
    • Mix with normal image sharing

  3. Plausible Deniability

    • Use technique chaining for confusion
    • Distribute across many images
    • Can claim images are just normal photos

  4. Safe Deletion

    # Secure delete (macOS/Linux)
shred -vfz -n 3 secret.txt

# Windows
cipher /w:C:

Environment Variables

# Logging
SHADOWFORGE_LOG_LEVEL=debug      # debug, info, warn, error
SHADOWFORGE_LOG_MODE=cli         # cli (colorized) or api (json)

# Performance
SHADOWFORGE_WORKERS=8            # Worker pool size
SHADOWFORGE_CACHE_SIZE=1GB       # In-memory cache

# Security
SHADOWFORGE_USE_GPU=true         # GPU acceleration
SHADOWFORGE_CONSTANT_TIME=true   # Force constant-time ops

One-Liners

# Quick embed with timestamp
shadowforge embed secret.txt image.png \
  -o stego_$(date +%s).png

# Batch process images in directory
for img in *.png; do
  shadowforge analyze capacity "$img"
done

# Create backup with archive
shadowforge archive create stego*.png \
  -o backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).zip --encrypt

# Extract all from distributed
shadowforge extract-distributed distributed/*.png -o secret.txt

# Secure cleanup
find . -name "*.tmp" -exec shred -vfz {} \;

Common Errors

Error Cause Fix
"insufficient capacity" Payload too large Use larger carrier or split payload
"no hidden data" Wrong carrier/corrupted Verify carrier file, try different technique
"invalid checksum" Data corrupted Use distributed pattern for redundancy
"insufficient shards" Missing carriers Need at least threshold number
"permission denied" Binary not executable chmod +x $(which shadowforge)

Getting Help

# General help
shadowforge help

# Command-specific help
shadowforge embed --help
shadowforge extract --help

# Version info
shadowforge version

# System diagnostics
shadowforge diagnostics

# View logs (if saved)
SHADOWFORGE_LOG_LEVEL=debug shadowforge <command> 2>&1 | tee shadowforge.log

Need more? See the full documentation or check FAQ.