EBP patch files
An EBP file is an IPS patch with a JSON metadata block appended after the EOF marker. The EarthBound romhacking community adopted it so patches could carry the hack title, author and version alongside the byte changes. Underneath, it applies exactly like IPS.
- Extension
- .ebp
- Identifier bytes
- PATCH (IPS-based)
- Verifies your ROM
- No
- Can change ROM size
- No
- Create on this site
- Yes
- Common on
- EarthBound (SNES)
Limitations
- Inherits every IPS limitation, including the 16 MB ceiling.
What EBP adds to IPS
An IPS patch stops at its EOF marker, and most tools ignore whatever follows. EBP exploits that: the patch data is ordinary IPS, and a JSON object follows the terminator carrying fields such as the hack title, author and version. IPS-only tools apply the patch and never notice the extra data.
There is a trade-off in that. The space after EOF is the same space IPS uses for its optional 3-byte target size, so a patch can carry metadata or a size change but not both. That is why an EBP patch can grow a ROM but never shrink one.
The format is closely tied to CoilSnake, the EarthBound modding toolchain.
Applying an EBP patch
Load your EarthBound ROM and the .ebp file in the patcher. Since EBP is IPS underneath, there is no source checksum, so confirm your ROM first with the checksum tool.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply an EBP patch with a normal IPS patcher?
Usually yes, because the patch data is valid IPS and the metadata sits past the EOF marker where IPS tools stop reading. Renaming the file to .ips is sometimes necessary for tools that filter by extension.
What metadata does an EBP file carry?
A JSON block appended after the IPS data, typically holding the hack title, author, version and a description. It is informational and does not affect how the patch applies.