To be fair, not everyone hates them. A small minority of Reddit users argue Gnarly is safe for specific use-cases:
In late 2023, a user ran a VirusTotal scan on a Gnarly repack installer. 3/67 detections – generic “riskware” flags. is gnarly repacks safe reddit
Panic? No. The r/PiratedGames mods stepped in to explain: To be fair, not everyone hates them
“Crack loaders and repack utilities always trigger false positives. 3 detections is actually clean for this scene. The problem is when you see 20+ detections or specific miner names.” “Crack loaders and repack utilities always trigger false
Still, one comment stands out as the most upvoted in the thread:
“Trust the megathread, not your gut. Gnarly is on the safe list. That’s the only list that matters.”
Here is the massive red flag that Reddit frequently points out: Gnarly Repacks often repacks other repackers' work.