Magika
Magika detects file content types using an AI-based file identification tool, according to its repository description.
About Magika
Magika is an open-source, AI-powered file content type detection tool. Its model weighs a few megabytes and, after a one-off load, identifies a file in about 5 milliseconds on a single CPU, with near-constant inference time regardless of file size because only a limited subset of the file's content is used. It was trained and evaluated on roughly 100 million samples covering 200+ binary and textual content types, and the project reports about 99% average precision and recall on its test set.
It ships as a Rust-based command line tool with Python, Rust, JavaScript/TypeScript and Go bindings, and can process thousands of files at once or recurse through a directory. A per-content-type threshold system decides whether to trust a prediction or return a generic label such as "Generic text document" or "Unknown binary data", and prediction modes let users tune how confident a result must be.
Key features
- Detects 200+ binary and textual content types with a few-megabyte model
- About 5 ms inference per file after one-off model load
- Near-constant inference time regardless of file size
- CLI in Rust plus Python, Rust, JavaScript/TypeScript and Go bindings
- Recursive directory scanning and runs over thousands of files
- Prediction modes: high-confidence, medium-confidence and best-guess
Best for: Developers, security researchers and pipeline engineers who need fast local file type identification across large batches of files.
Good for
- Reports roughly 99% average precision and recall on the project's test set
- Runs on a single CPU, with inference around 5 ms per file once the model is loaded
- Open source, and used at Google to route Gmail, Drive and Safe Browsing files to security scanners
Watch out for
- GoLang bindings are marked work in progress and the npm package is described as experimental
- May return generic labels such as "Unknown binary data" rather than a specific type
- Accuracy figures come from the project's own test set, so individual files can still be mislabeled
Magika at a glance
- Website
- github.com/google/magika
- Category
- Software & Utilities › File Utilities
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for File Utilities
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Magika FAQ
Does Magika need a GPU to run?
No. After the model is loaded, inference takes about 5 ms per file even when running on a single CPU.
How can the command line tool be installed?
Installation options include the magika Python package via pipx, Homebrew for macOS/Linux, an installer script, or the magika-cli Rust package via cargo.
Can Magika scan an entire directory?
Yes. The -r option recursively scans a directory, and thousands of files can be passed at the same time.
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