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.

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 or Ghidra installation; setup can optionally install Hopper with approval. Static JavaScript analysis needs neither 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 and other agents.

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

Update REA

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

For an npm-installed CLI:

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

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.

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
Native binaries	Pseudocode, assembly, strings, symbols, calls and references
Offline ELF layout	Sections, segments, original symbols/relocations and static mitigation candidates
EVM bytecode	Dispatch selectors, byte offsets, inferred arguments and mutability
Recorded Linux crashes	Raw notes, every recorded thread's registers/signals and optional mapping candidates
JavaScript / Electron	Modules, imports, source maps, routes, IPC and native add-on relationships
Websites	Page structure, scripts, network observations and requested screenshots
Saved network captures	Requests, responses, exposed payloads and source locations
.NET assemblies	Metadata, CIL instructions, declared native dependencies and build comparisons
Android APKs	Manifest declarations, classes, decompiled methods and references
Firmware	Regions, extraction results and native-analysis handoffs
Packages and resources	File inventories, digests, plists, Apple bundle anatomy and extracted resources
Process behavior	Terminal output, interactions, exit and filesystem observations, and run comparisons

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.

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.

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.

FAQ

Which agents can use REA? Any agent that supports local MCP servers.

Do I need Hopper, Ghidra or IDA? Deep native analysis uses one of them. Static JavaScript and .NET inspection work without a native analysis engine.

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

Disclaimer

REA provides tools for lawful reverse-engineering research, analysis, and reconstruction. You are responsible for obtaining any required authorization and complying with applicable laws. The project does not endorse illegal or unauthorized use.

Rea (GitHub Repo)