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xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator

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The single instruction C compiler

103 mentions on Hacker News by 96 people: 19 stories, 84 comments · first 2015-06-20 · latest 2026-03-01

Mentions per year 103 mentions · busiest year 2016 (14)
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  1. Made me think of https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator . Would be definitely cool to see it realized even if it would be incredibly impractical (probably).
    comment by tomashubelbauer · 2026-03-01 · in Decision trees – the unreasonable power of nested decision rules
  2. …years old. Also, folks could start dropping code in single instruction obfuscated C for the lols =3 https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by Joel_Mckay · 2025-11-04 · in Learning to read Arthur Whitney's C to become smart (2024)
  3. The Intel architecture is already Turing complete when you just use MOV instructions: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator . Of course, you don't even need instructions at all: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5261598
    comment by gsliepen · 2025-09-13 · in Weird CPU architectures, the MOV only CPU (2020)
  4. …See SMT2 programs using BV theory for example. Also of course all instructions are MOV anyway. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by viraptor · 2025-07-20 · in FFmpeg devs boast of another 100x leap thanks to handwritten assembly code
  5. ▲ 3
    Movfuscator – The single instruction C compiler
    story by TheHideout · 2025-07-19 · 0 comments
  6. …"Legalize" stage. It should help to reduce this issue, and perhaps even make backends like https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator possible :)
    comment by Retro_Dev · 2025-06-07 · in Low-Level Optimization with Zig
  7. ▲ 2
    The M/o/Vfuscator: turning mov in a reverse-engineering nightmare (2015) [pdf]
    story by transpute · 2025-05-27 · 0 comments
  8. …Nanoscale wrinkles ... vibrant color patterns : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43953099 [5] : https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by sargstuff · 2025-05-11 · in How do you print a 3D photo? Gaussian Splats in resin [video]
  9. …their repo [1]. But I saw it was forked from the one I linked so I just gave that one instead. [1] https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by bangaladore · 2025-01-18 · in Show HN: Compile C to Not Gates
  10. For those who didn't catch the reference: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by magicalhippo · 2024-09-06 · in Reflection 70B, the top open-source model
  11. …the compiler. A C compiler exists already, based on LCC, and it's called the movfuscator. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by trealira · 2024-07-27 · in Ask HN: Weirdest Computer Architecture?
  12. ▲ 3
    M/o/Vfuscator: The single instruction C compiler (2020)
    story by nequo · 2023-12-30 · 0 comments
  13. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/blob/6342ae76b58... Related. > The mov-only DOOM renders approximately one frame every 7 hours, so playing this version requires somewhat increased patience.
    comment by bombcar · 2023-11-08 · in M/o/Vfuscator: A single instruction C compiler
  14. …binaries (see [1]). On Arch, the following worked for me: ./build/movcc -L/usr/lib32 test.c [0]: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator [1]: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/issues/39
    comment by colatkinson · 2023-11-07 · in M/o/Vfuscator: A single instruction C compiler
  15. ▲ 4
    The single instruction C compiler (mov)
    story by levodelellis · 2023-11-04 · 2 comments
  16. …protected mode, since you wouldn't be able to load a valid GDT with the LGDT instruction. [0] https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/blob/90a49f31219...
    comment by LegionMammal978 · 2023-10-08 · in Subtraction is functionally complete
  17. Kind of like https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by legobmw99 · 2023-10-07 · in Subtraction is functionally complete
  18. You don't need jmp, a faulting mov works as well, like mov CS, eax. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator#notes
    comment by gdprrrr · 2023-10-07 · in Subtraction is functionally complete
  19. …this overall improves one's ability to write good software for usage by other programmers. [0]: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator [1]: https://github.com/EnterpriseQualityCoding/FizzBuzzEnterpris...
    comment by saghm · 2023-07-29 · in The bigger the interface, the weaker the abstraction
  20. Reminded me of the movsfucator that compiles programs into only mov instructions! https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator And also REpsych from the same developer which really isn't for the fainthearted...…
    comment by antegamisou · 2023-03-18 · in Show HN: 'Hello, World ' in x86 assembly, but make it gibberish
  21. …a state machine, and does so without using any branches itself. It's all MOVs all the time. [1] https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator [2] https://harrisonwl.github.io/assets/courses/malware/spring20...
    comment by Twisol · 2023-02-07 · in All programming philosophies are about state
  22. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by kasajian · 2023-01-04 · in The faker's guide to reading x86 assembly language
  23. …funny x86 project compiles programs only to "MOV" instructions. It's very much Turing complete. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by pclmulqdq · 2023-01-03 · in x86 is Turing-complete with no registers (2014)
  24. Reminds me somewhat of the C complier that only emits MOV instructions: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by bombcar · 2022-12-02 · in NANDputer Lives (2013)
  25. This is up there with the scariest piece of software in existence: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Presentation of idea: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R7EEoWg6Ekk
    comment by oblio · 2022-11-25 · in Jqjq: Jq Implementation of Jq
  26. …but I remember seeing this project years ago for a compiler that emits only mov instructions: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Since this is effectively branchless and every instruction would take the same number of micro ops,…
    comment by c7DJTLrn · 2022-10-23 · in FaCT: Constant Time Programming Language
  27. How effective is, say, movfuscator against this? https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by rubicks · 2022-08-09 · in De-anonymizing programmers from binaries (2017)
  28. Reminds me of the MOV compiler. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by junon · 2022-07-08 · in TensorFlow Lite for Commodore 64
  29. Someone wrote a C compiler that generates code using only x86 MOV instructs. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by pkaye · 2022-05-31 · in Easy 6502
  30. …inspiration from the X86 MOV operator which was proven to be turing complete with the movfuscator( https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator ). What this means IMO all computable operations can be broken down to move operations. Lastly…
    comment by elisharobinson · 2022-03-28 · in What is money, anyway?
  31. …inspiration from the X86 MOV operator which was proven to be turing complete with the movfuscator( https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator ). What this means IMO all computable operations can be broken down to move operations. Lastly…
    comment by elisharobinson · 2022-03-28 · in What is money, anyway?
  32. Why ‘if’ and ‘goto’, all you need is « mov » https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator ;) Structured programming is not just a syntax sugar: the restriction encourages more readable programs https://blog.acolyer.org/2016/10/13/go-to-state…
    comment by d0mine · 2022-02-13 · in What Fortran does better than C-like languages
  33. All you really need is `mov`. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7EEoWg6Ekk
    comment by MaulingMonkey · 2021-12-04 · in “Coding is basically just ifs and for loops.”
  34. …wrong. Better to use cmov when you can. And if we're being silly, you only really need mov[1]. [1]: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by efaref · 2021-10-21 · in Goto (2007)
  35. ▲ 78
    Compiling C Programs Into “Mov” Instructions (And Only “Mov” Instructions)
    story by optimalsolver · 2021-08-14 · 16 comments
  36. ▲ 4
    Compile C programs into “mov” instructions, and only “mov” instructions
    story by njsubedi · 2021-07-09 · 0 comments
  37. …with an invalid MOV, of course.) There are many other subsets. And even C compilers targeting them: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Even better, there are multiple encodings of those instructions. And even better than that,…
    comment by retrac · 2021-07-07 · in Undocumented x86 instructions to control the CPU at the microarchitecture level [pdf]
  38. ▲ 1
    Single-Instruction C Compiler
    story by arpa · 2021-06-02 · 0 comments
  39. …to complete the execution loop. without this a jmp is required for infinite execution. see https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/blob/master/movf... and https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/blob/master/movf...
    comment by eadler · 2021-05-19 · in Movfuscator: Compile C into only mov instructions
  40. …one frame every 7 hours, so playing this version requires somewhat increased patience. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/tree/master/vali... I have to say, reading through the github for the movfuscator was pretty damn amusing. I…
    comment by grawprog · 2021-05-19 · in Movfuscator: Compile C into only mov instructions
  41. The canonical repo is at https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Previous submissions with significant discussion: - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18991404 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218872 -…
    comment by jsnell · 2021-05-19 · in Movfuscator: Compile C into only mov instructions
  42. The following might be of interest: movfuscator "The single instruction C compiler" https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator ...In other words, yes, it is possible to write a complete compiler which creates all of its compiled code by…
    comment by peter_d_sherman · 2021-05-12 · in Re: “Does a compiler use all x86 instructions?”
  43. Or they could use this: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator See this presentation, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7EEoWg6Ekk
    comment by oblio · 2021-03-01 · in JSON parser written in 6502 assembly language
  44. Unless you compile your program with movfuscator: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Or you decide to execute code on The Fungus: https://www.bedroomlan.org/hardware/fungus I also recall reading a paper that got into implementing…
    comment by __s · 2020-12-13 · in If-then-else had to be invented
  45. It of course also runs doom. Sort of. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/tree/master/vali...
    comment by simcop2387 · 2020-11-28 · in Blackrota: obfuscated backdoor written in Go
  46. ▲ 4
    x86 mov is Turing complete: mov-only compiler
    story by varbhat · 2020-09-18 · 0 comments
  47. …against reverse engineers)? The DEF CON talk about REpsych is pretty hilarious and worth watching. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/REpsych
    comment by pabs3 · 2020-09-17 · in Red Dead Redemption 2 DRM still has not been cracked (316 days)
  48. https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Only move instructions
    comment by DudeInBasement · 2020-08-10 · in Run LLVM Assembly in the Browser
  49. …Fragmentation and the subsequent crashes from OOM presented too much of a concern before then. [0] https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator
    comment by lxdesk · 2020-05-20 · in The Mainframe Is a Modern Platform
  50. …heap allocation, a lot of programs can be compiled to execute using the only mov instructions: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator Yes, it can run doom: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/movfuscator/tree/master/vali... It just…
    comment by shoo · 2020-05-19 · in The Mainframe Is a Modern Platform