An open-source, cross-platform (Windows / Linux / macOS) manager for the N2 Elite / Amiiqo USB reader-writer — a modern, fully offline replacement for the abandoned "N2 Manager" application.
The n2elite-ng graphical manager on Windows — connected to an unlocked N2, showing the amiibo bank grid, the per-amiibo detail panel, and the activity log.
Status: complete and proven on real hardware — read, identify, back up, write, and full multi-bank management (dump/restore, set active bank, set bank count, lock/unlock). Amiibo encrypt/decrypt works offline. Multi-bank management needs the disc unlocked into manager mode. See
NOTES.mdanddocs/.
- Talk to the dongle over its serial (CP210x/MFRC522) link — auto-detected.
- Read / back up the active tag to a standard NTAG215
.bin. - Amiibo crypto (
decrypt/encrypt) using your ownkey_retail.bin(à la TagMo/amiitool) — fully offline. - N2 management (bank list/dump, set bank count, select bank, lock/unlock, write) — implemented; requires the N2 disc unlocked into manager mode.
- Fully-offline option: bundled amiibo name database, plus an optional one-time
syncto download the whole database and every figure image so nothing is fetched later.
The Python package is the base; a Tkinter GUI (styled after the original N2 Manager) and native binaries are built from it.
make install # set up ./.venv and install the app + deps
make gui # launch the graphical app
make run ARGS="read -o tag.bin" # run the CLI
make test # run the offline test suite
make build-linux # -> dist/n2elite-ng (standalone, no Python needed)
make build-windows # -> dist/windows/n2elite-ng.exe (via Wine; see tools/build_windows.sh)
make cleanThe build produces two binaries: n2elite-ng — a windowed GUI app (no console
window; double-click to run) — and n2elite-ng-cli — a console CLI for terminals/scripts
(run it with no arguments and it opens the GUI).
make install installs the package into the project's local ./.venv — it does not
modify your system PATH or shell config. That creates two commands inside the venv,
n2elite-ng (the CLI) and n2elite-ng-gui (the GUI); run them as
./.venv/bin/n2elite-ng … (or after you activate the venv). Prefer the standalone
binaries above if you don't want a Python environment at all.
Note the naming: the double-click binary
n2elite-ngis the GUI, while the venv commandn2elite-ngis the CLI. Most people use only one.
Native binaries for both OSes: make build-linux builds on Linux;
make build-windows cross-builds via 64-bit Wine using a portable Python —
no 32-bit Wine libraries or host changes needed (see tools/build_windows.sh).
The most reliable path is the included CI workflow
(.github/workflows/build.yml), which builds genuine Linux and Windows
binaries on their own runners.
Linux serial access: add your user to the dialout group
(sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER, then re-login) rather than running as root.
n2elite-ng gui # launch the graphical app
n2elite-ng ports # list serial ports
n2elite-ng info # identify the tag on the reader
n2elite-ng read -o mytag.bin # dump the active tag (540-byte NTAG215)
n2elite-ng monitor # watch for a tag (hold connection open)
n2elite-ng unlock # unlock a locked N2 Elite (press its button)
n2elite-ng backup # dump all N2 banks (needs unlocked N2)
n2elite-ng decrypt -k key_retail.bin in.bin out.bin # offline amiibo decrypt
n2elite-ng encrypt -k key_retail.bin in.bin out.bin # offline amiibo encrypt
n2elite-ng identify mytag.bin # name the amiibo in a .bin (offline)
n2elite-ng sync # download the full amiibo DB + all imagesread also prints the amiibo name (e.g. "Link - Archer") using a bundled,
offline name database of public amiibo IDs. In the GUI, Show image (opt-in)
fetches and caches the amiibo's figure picture; every button has a hover tooltip
explaining it.
By default identification works offline (bundled database), and images are the
only thing fetched on demand. To remove that last online dependency, run
n2elite-ng sync (or Settings → Download all images / Update database in the
GUI). It downloads the latest amiibo database and pre-caches every figure image
into your cache folder — securely (HTTPS, size-capped, validated) and efficiently
(bounded parallel downloads, already-cached files skipped). Afterwards the app
needs no network at all. sync --database-only / --images-only do just one.
- Offline by default. No telemetry and no network calls except two opt-in,
download-only features (image fetch and
sync) — nothing ever leaves your machine. - Your keys stay yours.
key_retail.binis never bundled, transmitted, or logged (it is git-ignored). This project ships no Nintendo keys or amiibo data. - Safety first. Reads are non-destructive; writes are gated and back up first.
N2 Elite / Amiiqo USB stand: NXP MFRC522 NFC frontend driven at the register level
over a Silicon Labs CP2102 USB-UART bridge (VID:PID 10c4:ea60), 9600→921600 baud.
Protocol details in docs/PROTOCOL.md (reverse-engineered from the original app).
N2Elite-ng ("ng" = next generation) is a from-scratch, open-source manager for the N2 Elite / Amiiqo USB dongle, built by Jona after the original vendor and its "N2 Manager" software disappeared. The serial and multi-bank protocol was reverse-engineered from the abandoned app and cross-checked against TagMo, then reimplemented as a clean, cross-platform Python app (CLI + Tkinter GUI) that runs fully offline and ships no Nintendo keys. It reads, backs up, identifies, and manages amiibo banks on hardware you own. In the app, see Help → About for version and license info.
By Jona. Licensed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 (see LICENSE) —
free to use, modify, and share, but not for commercial profit.
For personal backup/interoperability with hardware you own. Supply your own
key_retail.bin dumped from your own console. This project ships no Nintendo
keys or amiibo data. Third-party attributions in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.
Built by reverse-engineering the device and porting concepts from open sources — full credits in docs/SOURCES.md and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.