# Decompress

> Decompression reference — archive formats, algorithms, streaming extraction, and corruption recovery. Use when extracting archives, choosing compression formats, or troubleshooting corrupt files.

- Skill: `bytesagain/decompress` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add bytesagain/decompress`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/bytesagain/decompress/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: bytesagain (https://skillmd.com/u/bytesagain)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/bytesagain/decompress

---


# Decompress — Archive & Compression Reference

Quick-reference skill for decompression algorithms, archive formats, and extraction techniques.

## When to Use

- Extracting tar, zip, 7z, rar, or other archive formats
- Choosing between compression algorithms (gzip, zstd, brotli, lz4)
- Handling corrupted or partial archives
- Streaming decompression for pipelines
- Understanding compression ratios and performance tradeoffs

## Commands

### `intro`

```bash
scripts/script.sh intro
```

Overview of compression and decompression — algorithms, formats, terminology.

### `formats`

```bash
scripts/script.sh formats
```

Archive format comparison — tar, zip, 7z, rar, and their features.

### `algorithms`

```bash
scripts/script.sh algorithms
```

Compression algorithms — gzip, bzip2, xz, zstd, lz4, brotli.

### `extract`

```bash
scripts/script.sh extract
```

Extraction commands for every common format.

### `streaming`

```bash
scripts/script.sh streaming
```

Streaming decompression — pipes, on-the-fly extraction, network transfers.

### `recovery`

```bash
scripts/script.sh recovery
```

Recovering data from corrupted or partial archives.

### `performance`

```bash
scripts/script.sh performance
```

Performance benchmarks — speed vs ratio tradeoffs by algorithm.

### `checklist`

```bash
scripts/script.sh checklist
```

Decompression safety checklist — zip bombs, path traversal, verification.

### `help`

```bash
scripts/script.sh help
```

### `version`

```bash
scripts/script.sh version
```

## Configuration

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `DECOMPRESS_DIR` | Data directory (default: ~/.decompress/) |

---

*Powered by BytesAgain | bytesagain.com | hello@bytesagain.com*