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REA: Reverse Engineer Anything

One MCP for reverse engineering across binaries, applications, and runtime behavior.

See a feature you like. Understand how it works, down to the binary level.

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Website · Guides · Showcases

Quick start · How REA works · What you can analyze · Showcases · FAQ · Documentation

<code>npx rea-agents setup</code>

<br /> <img src="docs/assets/rea-hopper-analysis.png" alt="REA launching its analysis bridge inside Hopper while inspecting a native binary" width="1200" />

<br /><br />

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See a feature in an app that you want in your own product? Ask your agent to investigate it with REA. It can inspect the app without its source code, explain how the feature works, show the evidence, and build a version for your project.

REA connects your agent to tools for inspecting native binaries, JavaScript and Electron apps, .NET assemblies, and websites. You can also use the same tools from your terminal. Analysis runs locally, and results include the evidence and limitations behind each conclusion.

Setup registers REA with your agent and installs matching workflow instructions. Native analysis can use an existing Hopper, Ghidra, or IDA installation; setup can optionally install Hopper with approval. Static JavaScript analysis needs no native analysis engine.

Visit the REA website for setup instructions, illustrated guides, and real case studies.

Quick start

Set up your agent

With Node.js and npm installed, run:

npx rea-agents setup

Choose your agents, review the proposed changes, and approve them. Setup adds
REA's MCP server and matching workflow instructions, with backups of existing
configuration. Restart your agent afterward.

Setup supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Grok Build and
other agents. See
installation and setup for provider configuration and
manual MCP registration.

Ask your agent

Understand how search works in the Notes app, show me the evidence, and build a
similar feature for my project.

Replace Notes with your target app and the feature you want to understand.

Use the terminal

Inspect an extracted JavaScript/Electron app directory or ASAR:

npx -y rea-agents@latest analyze-javascript-application /absolute/path/to/app --json

The result includes modules, imports, Electron boundaries and their evidence.
Replace the path with your target, such as "D:/apps/example" on Windows.

To install the rea command for regular use:

npm install --global rea-agents
rea --help

For native analysis, configure a provider first. See the
CLI and Evidence guide for native commands, provider selection,
snapshots and scripting.

Update REA

REA changes quickly, and new releases include frequent bug fixes. Keep your
installation up to date.

For a CLI installed with npm install --global or bun add --global:

rea update

Bun global updates require Bun 1.2.17 or later. With an older Bun release,
upgrade Bun manually before running rea update.

To refresh your agent registrations and skill, run the setup command printed
by the update.

If you use npx, update your agent setup with:

npx rea-agents@latest setup

Review the setup changes and restart your agent. For one-off CLI commands,
use npx rea-agents@latest followed by the command. With Bun, use
bunx rea-agents@latest in place of npx rea-agents@latest.

How REA works

Your agent calls REA through MCP to inspect the target and trace relevant code.
REA returns findings with their evidence. The agent uses them to ask follow-up
questions, explain the behavior, or write and test an implementation.
CLI commands use the same workflows.

Open the full-size figure.

<a id="current-status"></a>

What you can analyze

REA requires Node.js 22.x (>=22.19), 24.x (>=24.11), or 26+, plus npm.
Additional tools and host support depend on the target:

Target	What REA returns	Requirements and guide
Native binaries	Pseudocode, assembly, strings, symbols, calls and references	Hopper, Ghidra or IDA; native analysis
Offline ELF layout	Sections, segments, original symbols/relocations and static mitigation candidates	Caller-supplied pwntools on Linux x64; binary diagnostics
Go binaries	Embedded compiler version, modules, replacements and build settings	Built-in static ELF/PE/thin Mach-O inspection; no Go installation required
WASM artifact	Validation, sections, exact import/export WAT forms and decoded WAT	Caller-supplied WABT 1.0.42; inspect_wasm_artifact
EVM bytecode	Dispatch selectors, byte offsets, inferred arguments and mutability	Local raw/hex carrier on Linux x64; offline EVM guide
Recorded Linux crashes	Raw notes, every recorded thread's registers/signals and optional mapping candidates	Caller-supplied pwntools on Linux x64; optional GDB/pwndbg; recorded crashes
JavaScript / Electron	Modules, imports, source maps, routes, IPC and native add-on relationships	Node.js and npm; application analysis
Websites	Page structure, scripts, network observations and requested screenshots	A Chrome-family browser; browser analysis
Saved network captures	Requests, responses, exposed payloads and source locations	HAR; mitmdump on Linux for native mitmproxy captures; capture guide
.NET assemblies	Metadata, CIL instructions, declared native dependencies and build comparisons	None (static only); managed-code guide
Android APKs	Manifest declarations, classes, decompiled methods and references	Headless JADX and a full JDK on Linux/macOS/Windows x64; Android guide
Android devices	Devices, packages, processes, logs, dumps, screen captures, and APK/file transfers	Caller-supplied adb (emulator or hardware); ADB guide
JEB projects	Engine-backed project units, artifact digests and type/method pseudo-code	A caller-started JEB client serving MCP, selected with REA_JEB_MCP_URL; JEB guide
Android resources	Decoded manifest, string tables, locales and version facts	Caller-supplied Apktool launcher; resource guide
Firmware	Regions, extraction results and native-analysis handoffs	Binwalk / Unblob on Linux; firmware guide
Packages and resources	File inventories, digests, plists, Apple bundle anatomy and extracted resources	Artifact and JavaScript guide, Apple applications
Process behavior	Terminal output, interactions, exit and filesystem observations, and run comparisons	Linux/macOS with a native PTY; process capture

Static JavaScript and .NET inspection read the supplied files without running
the application. Runtime capture runs or interacts with the selected target
using your user permissions; each runtime guide describes its effects.

<a id="choosing-a-deep-analysis-provider"></a>

Native formats and host support vary by provider. See
Hopper and Ghidra setup, the
IDA guide, and
experimental Windows Ghidra support.
Ghidra also supports 16-bit DOS analysis.
For large binaries, raise the provider's startup deadline with
REA_GHIDRA_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS or REA_HOPPER_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS.
For provider selection, see the CLI guide.
Check release availability
for features added since the latest npm release.

Showcases

DX-Ball: reconstruct a sound-pan calculation

Follow a sound call into its position-to-pan helper, inspect the instructions,
and turn incomplete pseudocode into C. The reconstruction passes 3,205
original-x86 cases and reproduces all 63 compiled function bytes.

Read the case study ·
Reconstruction repository

Notion: trace the Electron clipboard bridge

Find the renderer's clipboard API, follow it through preload and IPC into the
main process, and inspect the rich clipboard format.

Read the case study

TH04: recover a DOS bullet-ring calculation

Inspect the original PC-98 game's 16-bit instructions, recover the fixed and
aimed angle calculations, and compare the reconstructed C++ with the
historical compiler output.

Read the case study ·
Reconstruction repository

If you've used REA on something interesting, we'd love to see it. Share your
case in an issue or a
pull request, including the target,
your question, how REA helped, and what you found.

FAQ

<details> <summary><strong>Which agents can use REA?</strong></summary>

Any agent that supports local MCP servers. Setup configures the
supported agents; other clients can use
manual MCP registration.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>Do I need Hopper, Ghidra or IDA?</strong></summary>

Deep native analysis uses one of them. Static JavaScript and .NET inspection
work without a native analysis engine. Setup can install Hopper after approval;
Ghidra and IDA use your existing installations. See provider setup.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>Do I need to start Hopper first?</strong></summary>

REA starts Hopper when an operation needs it. On macOS, a first-run dialog may
ask you to choose demo mode or activate your license. Complete that prompt in the
same user session before your first CLI/MCP operation or unattended job. Open
Hopper manually if needed. See
Hopper startup and troubleshooting.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>What does installing the skill from skills.sh do?</strong></summary>

The skill supplies investigation instructions for your agent. Use npx rea-agents setup
to register REA's MCP server and install the matching instructions, then restart
your agent. See skill-only installation.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>What code does REA return?</strong></summary>

Native analysis returns pseudocode and assembly. JavaScript/Electron analysis
recovers modules and their relationships. Your agent uses these findings to
write and test an implementation; the showcases give worked examples.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>Does REA upload my app?</strong></summary>

REA analyzes targets locally. Your agent receives the tool results, and its
model provider has its own data policy.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>What should I do if I hit a bug?</strong></summary>

Update first; a recent release may already fix it.

For a CLI installed with npm install --global or bun add --global:

rea update

For agent setup through npx:

npx rea-agents@latest setup

If you're using an agent, complete the setup refresh and restart
it. Retry the same task. If the problem persists, open an issue
with your REA version, target type, steps to reproduce and error output.

</details>

Documentation

Start with the website's worked guides.
For exact options, prerequisites and result contracts:

• Installation and setup: agent registration, provider configuration, updates and uninstall.
• Readiness and troubleshooting: diagnose one agent or analysis engine.
• CLI and Evidence: commands, provider selection, snapshots, import/export and exit statuses.
• MCP contracts and agent prompts: tool results, sessions and guided investigations.
• Tool catalog: generated inventory of tools, providers and CLI commands.
• Roadmap: planned work and capability trackers.

Report vulnerabilities through SECURITY.md.

Star history

🎉 110,000 GitHub stars — thank you!

Thanks to everyone using REA, reporting bugs, requesting features, testing builds, and contributing fixes.

<a href="https://www.star-history.com/?repos=morluto%2Frea&amp;type=date"> <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=morluto/rea&amp;type=date&amp;theme=dark&amp;legend=top-left" /> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=morluto/rea&amp;type=date" /> <img alt="REA GitHub star history" src="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=morluto/rea&amp;type=date" /> </picture> </a>

Disclaimer

See DISCLAIMER.md for responsible-use guidance.

The project's position on illegal or unauthorized use covers all REA versions,
distribution channels, and platforms; each copy retains its applicable licenses.

REA is for lawful research, education, interoperability, software preservation,
and analysis of software you own or are authorized to examine.

Contributing

We'd love your help with REA! Open an issue to
report a bug or suggest a feature, or send a pull request
to improve the code or docs.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and checks,
testing for verification lanes, and the
architecture map for the project structure.

License

MIT

REA-authored code is licensed under MIT. Third-party material retains its own
licenses and copyright notices; see
Third-party notices for the dependency inventory,
preserved license texts, and external-tool terms.

You must legally obtain and be authorized to use commercial tools, including
IDA Pro / Hex-Rays decompilers, Hopper, and JEB, under their applicable
licenses. REA grants no tool license, key, or activation entitlement. Trials and
demos remain subject to vendor terms, including user, feature, automation, and
output sharing restrictions. Cracked copies, stolen keys, unauthorized key
sharing, and bypassing license restrictions are not authorized. This guidance
does not amend MIT or third-party licenses.