aydencharles/onionHEN

OnionHEN is worth a look only if you already run a jailbroken PS5 and want one payload to coordinate the tools you currently launch one by one. It is not a general-purpose homebrew menu; it is opinionated infrastructure for a specific exploit workflow.

The problem

On a jailbroken PS5, getting from a fresh kernel exploit to a usable homebrew state usually means launching several payloads in a particular order: an ELF loader, whatever prepares the filesystem, and then each tool you want. Want an FTP server, an in-game stats bar, or cheats? That is more payloads, more timing, and more chances that one step silently fails before the next. OnionHEN compresses that into a single entry ELF: after the first hop it starts its own loader, utility daemon, kstuff, and main daemon in sequence, then injects a Toolbox settings page into ShellUI so plugins and user payloads can be managed from the console itself.

What's different

The mechanism is a bootstrapper plus two daemons. The critical daemon and utility daemon run separately, and the main daemon can restart the utility, which is the project's stated approach to a failed sub-service without losing the whole stack. External plugins are descriptor-bearing ELFs discovered under /data/OnionHEN/plugins/; the daemon owns their start, stop, replacement and removal, and each can contribute a dynamic settings page. That is the practical benefit over dropping loose payloads: one place to see what is running.

The trade-off is coupling. Optional capabilities such as the FTP server, ShadowMount+ and DPI v2 are separate repositories installed into that plugin directory, not bundled features. ShadowMount+ explicitly requires kstuff, and its settings live in a different config file from OnionHEN's shared config.ini. So the “all-in-one” framing holds for orchestration, but you still assemble the pieces and track their versions. The README also notes startup is sequential; the Toolbox only appears after util, kstuff and daemon finish, so failures show up as a missing menu rather than a clear error.

Who should try it

A good fit is someone with an already-jailbroken PS5 on a firmware whose exploit host can send the first ELF, who wants a persistent in-console hub for FTP, cheats, an FPS/temperature overlay and a few user payloads, and who is comfortable editing config.ini and installing plugin ELFs by hand. A poor fit is anyone without a jailbreak, anyone expecting a one-click installer, or anyone who only needs a single payload: the daemon/plugin layering adds moving parts that are not worth it for one tool. If you do not care about Remote Play pairing or the cheat engine, the value drops accordingly.

Requirements and limitations

You need a jailbroken PS5 and an external elfldr listening on port 9021 for the first hop; after that OnionHEN uses its own loader on 9020 and keeps 9021 only as a fallback. The payload must be built for your firmware against a complete PS5 Payload SDK, so a build mismatch is a plausible first blocker. Remote Play pairing is registration only and requires an activated account; video streaming stays with Sony's native service. Optional features require separate plugin installs and, for ShadowMount+, kstuff.

Ongoing upkeep is the real cost: plugin files, per-plugin config files, and firmware-specific builds all need to match. The README asks bug reporters to include firmware, exploit host, SDK version, build type and logs, which hints at how much environment detail matters. The project is GPL-3.0, unofficial and not affiliated with Sony, distributed with no warranty and an explicit at-your-own-risk notice.

HotRepo's take

HotRepo first tracked this repository on 2026-10-24, showing a monthly C++ board entry at #19 on 2026-10-25 with +248 stars. That is a single dated observation, not comparable daily history, so persistence cannot be judged from it. Before investing, check that the README lists a build for your exact firmware and that the plugin repositories you need still match it.