Extract .xip file into a folder from command line?

Question

Apple occasionally uses a proprietary XIP file format, particularly when distributing versions of Xcode. It is an analog to zip, but is signed, allowing it to verified on the receiving system. When a XIP file is opened (by double-clicking), Archive Utility will expand it, but only if the digital signature is intact.

Does anyone know how to extract a XIP file from the Terminal command line to a specific folder? Is there any way to unarchive this type of file if the signature is invalid?

Answer 1

Maybe try:

xip -x [path to .xip file]

That will unpack the archive into your current working directory.

As for extracting into a specific directory, there is not explicitly an option for this, but xip -x will extract into the current working directory. Therefore, cding to where you would like to extract the file should work; if you specifically need to automate this, a script to the effect of:

#!/bin/sh

xipfile="$(cd $(dirname "$1"); pwd -P)/$(basename "$1")" # a portable "realpath"

cd "$2"
xip -x "$xipfile"

Should do the trick I think?