openfaba 0.2.0

A modern reimplementation of redele.

openFABA

openFABA converts regular MP3 files into the special format used by the FABA storytelling box and also lets you extract playable MP3s back from a FABA device. This project builds upon the reverse-engineering work by wansors. At the moment, openFABA supports only the original FABA device.

🚨 Disclaimer — Use responsibly

openFABA is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by FABA. This software is provided as is, with no warranties.

You are responsible for how you use this tool and for any consequences that may arise, including device malfunction or account-related actions. Some features may conflict with FABA’s terms of service or usage policies.

This project aims to simplify the creation of custom, FABA-compatible figures and to personalize figures you already own. We do not endorse piracy, copyright infringement, or misuse that could negatively impact FABA or its ecosystem. Please support FABA by purchasing their products.

Quick start

Make sure you have Python 3.13 or higher and install the tool from PyPI:

pip install openfaba

If you are a developer, want to run tests, install from source or follow developer instructions see the developers guide: DEVELOPERS.md

Usage

openFABA supports the following commands:

• insert — create a new figure from MP3s and add to a FABA library
• extend — add songs to an existing figure (appends; never overwrites)
• replace — remove and recreate a figure's songs from a new set of MP3s
• extract — deobfuscate all songs from a figure back into MP3 files
• obfuscate / deobfuscate — convert entire libraries to/from FABA format

Next, you can find an example of usage for each of them.

Create a new figure:

Create a new FABA figure from a folder containing MP3 files. The target figure must not already exist in the FABA library, otherwise the command will fail to avoid accidental overwrites.

For example, to create a new FABA figure with ID 4742 using the songs in /home/user/songs and copy it to the FABA box mounted at /mnt/faba/MKI01, run:

openfaba insert --figure-id 4742 --source /home/user/songs --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01

Write an NFC TAG with the data 02190530474200 and enjoy it! If you need help on how todo it, these FAQs from the original wansors' project have a lot of useful information.

Add songs to an existing figure:

Append additional MP3 files to an already existing figure. New tracks are added after the existing ones and never overwrite previously stored audio.

openfaba extend --figure-id 4742 --source /home/user/new_songs --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01

Replace a figure completely:

Delete an existing figure's sounds and recreate them from scratch using a new set of MP3 files. This operation removes the previous contents of the figure.

openfaba replace --figure-id 4742 --source /home/user/songs --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01

Listen to some FABA songs from a given figure on your computer:

Extract (deobfuscate) a single figure from a FABA box and convert it back to standard MP3 files so they can be played on a computer or mobile device.

For example, to extract the Italian red elephant Ele (figure ID 0010):

openfaba extract --figure-id 0010 --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01 --output /home/user/elephant_ele

Deobfuscate a FABA library back to MP3s:

Convert all figures from a FABA MKI library back into MP3 files, preserving the original folder structure.

openfaba deobfuscate --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01 --mp3-library /home/user/output_mp3

Obfuscate a whole MP3 library into MKI structure:

Convert a directory tree of MP3 files into a FABA-compatible MKI library. Subfolders named K#### are interpreted as figure IDs; otherwise a default figure ID is used.

openfaba obfuscate --mp3-library /home/user/mp3_library --faba-library /mnt/faba/MKI01

Roadmap

• Add a CSV with figure metadata — provide a machine-readable figures.csv that lists each figure ID, name, language, source URL and other metadata for either users and tools reference.
• Add a details command — add a openfaba details <figure-id> command that looks up and prints human-friendly metadata from the CSV (name, tracks, language, notes, and source link).
• Auto-update script (scraper) — include a script that can periodically fetch metadata from MyFaba and update figures.csv; documented in DEVELOPERS.md.
• Multi-device support (FABA+) — plan and expose an abstraction layer so the obfuscation/deobfuscation pipeline can target multiple FABA-compatible devices (different file layouts or obfuscation).
• UI — explore a small GUI with similar functionality of current CLI.

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Resources

• myfaba-hacks GitHub repository
• Hacking MyFaba article
• Myfaba Store

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If you'd like the full developer guide (installation from source, tests, linters, and build steps), open DEVELOPERS.md.