Hermes and REA and GLM 5.3 = Reverse engineering TikTok app for less than $20

A researcher used Hermes Agent, GLM 5.3, and reverse engineering tools to replicate TikTok metadata scraping for under $20, after discovering a dataset of 5.6 billion TikTok videos whose collection method was hidden behind a $1,699 paywall. By combining open-source reverse engineering frameworks with an AI model less restricted than Western alternatives, they built a headless system to analyze the app's functionality without emulators, demonstrating that sophisticated reverse engineering can be accomplished affordably through strategic use of LLMs and specialized tools.