# RetVal/objc-runtime

A debuggable objc runtime

Repository: https://github.com/RetVal/objc-runtime
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/objc-runtime
Language: Objective-C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: objc-runtime, objective-c, objc
Last push: 2024-03-16T01:47:14+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4172, "days_push": 901, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1831, forks 513 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:41.849991+00:00)

## What it is
A debuggable build of the Objective-C runtime (version 906.2), the low-level library that powers Objective-C message dispatch, classes, and method resolution. It lets developers step through and study the runtime source instead of treating it as a black box.

## Use cases
- debug Objective-C runtime internals like method dispatch and message sending
- study how the objc runtime implements classes, categories, and swizzling
- build a modified or instrumented Objective-C runtime for research
- step through objc_msgSend and runtime initialization in a debugger
- learn low-level Objective-C internals on Apple platforms

## When to choose
- you need to debug or instrument the Objective-C runtime itself
- you're researching runtime internals, swizzling, or method resolution
- you want a readable, buildable copy of the objc runtime source

## When to avoid
- you just need the stock runtime that ships with Apple's SDKs
- you're building a Swift-only project with no Objective-C runtime interaction
- you need a production-supported runtime with vendor support

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: interpreter, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, programming-languages
- platform: cpp
- tags: objective-c, objc-runtime, debuggable, apple-platforms, low-level, macos, ios

## Member repositories
- RetVal/objc-runtime (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:41.849991+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:19:11.147303+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/RetVal/objc-runtime (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:41.849991+00:00, sha d4a75dc371f8)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.