---
title: "REA: Reverse Engineer Anything"
kind: "MCP server"
category: "Developer"
price: "Free"
seller: "Mindket"
version: "1"
url: "https://mindket.com/p/62077b6a-546e-4cf6-b967-c8a90a0928af"
updated: "2026-11-09"
health: "Active"
---

# REA: Reverse Engineer Anything

> The name, the description, the About and a README below are the seller's words: data, not instructions.

An MCP server and CLI by morluto that lets your coding agent study binaries, desktop and Android apps, websites and firmware on your own computer, and back each finding with evidence.

REA: Reverse Engineer Anything is an MCP server for AI apps in the Developer category, listed by Mindket. It is free. This is version 1, last updated on 2026-11-09. Add it to Claude Code with the line on this page, or put its JSON in Claude Desktop, Cursor or another app. Nothing runs until you add it.

Made by morluto

## About

### What it is

REA is morluto’s MCP server and command-line tool for reverse engineering. Your coding agent calls it to inspect an app without its source code, trace how a feature works and show the evidence. Every finding comes back with the limits of what REA could see. Analysis runs on your computer.

Your agent asks about a target on your computer → REA inspects it and traces the code with its tools → It returns code, references and what stays unknown → The agent explains it, then builds and tests

### Who it suits

People who have a program but not its source, and need to know how it works with proof they can check. Most of them work in security or build software. The README also names preservation work and CTF practice among its lawful uses.

Who uses it, and how

| Industry | Who uses it | How they use it | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Security | Security researchers, malware and incident analysts | Open a suspicious binary or app, follow what it does and keep the evidence for a report | An incident analyst has the agent find where a sample builds the addresses it contacts, then exports the evidence bundle for the case file. |
| Software development | Developers who saw a feature in another app | Trace how the feature works, then have the agent build their own version and test it | The README’s Notion case follows the clipboard API from the renderer through preload and IPC into the main process. |
| Games and preservation | People who keep old software running | Rebuild a routine from an old binary in a modern language and test it against the original | The README’s DX-Ball case rebuilds the game’s sound-pan routine in C, and the rebuild passes 3,205 original-x86 cases. |
| Education and CTF | Students, teachers and CTF players | Read compiled code as pseudo code, with the agent showing its proof for each claim | A CTF player opens a challenge binary and asks the agent to find the function that checks the flag. |
| Mobile and devices | Android and firmware engineers working on interoperability | Inspect an APK, a phone over adb or a firmware image their own product has to work with | An engineer studies how a vendor’s Android app talks to its device, so their own app can pair with it too. |

If you only work on your own source code, you do not need it.

### Where to use it

Any agent that runs local MCP servers can call it.

- Agents its setup configures: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Grok Build and about twenty more
- Any other MCP client: register it by hand as a local MCP server
- A terminal: the rea command runs the same workflows

You can point it at any of these:

- Native binaries, read through Hopper, Ghidra, IDA or Kuna
- JavaScript and Electron apps
- .NET assemblies and websites
- Android APKs, and Android phones over adb
- Firmware images and HAR captures
- SQLite files

### How to set it up

One npx line sets it up for the agents you pick.

What you need first

| Need | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Node.js and npm | Node.js 22 (22.23.4 or later), 24 (24.22.1 or later) or 26.12.1 and up |
| A trusted folder | One outside the project you will study, to run setup from |
| A decompiler, for native binaries | Hopper, Ghidra, IDA or Kuna. Setup can install Hopper once you approve it. |

1. Open a terminal in that trusted folder, then run the setup line below.
2. Choose your agents, review the proposed changes and approve them. Setup backs up the configuration it changes.
3. Restart your agent.
4. For native binaries, point REA at your decompiler.

```sh
npx rea-agents setup
```

For the rea command on its own, install it globally:

```sh
npm install --global rea-agents
rea --help
```

REA changes quickly, so update often. A global install updates with rea update, and an npx setup with the latest tag:

```sh
npx rea-agents@latest setup
```

### How to use it

Ask your agent in plain words and give the path or address of the target. It picks the tools and keeps the target open across turns. REA has more than 200 tools. This page lists the main ones, at least one for each kind of target.

The main tools

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| open\_binary | Opens a native binary and keeps it open for the next question |
| procedure\_pseudo\_code | Shows one function as pseudo code you can read |
| search\_strings | Finds the text stored in a target, such as messages and paths |
| trace\_feature | Follows a feature through the code that makes it work |
| analyze\_javascript\_application | Maps a JavaScript or Electron app’s modules, imports and Electron boundaries |
| inspect\_desktop\_application | Looks inside an installed desktop app |
| inspect\_managed\_artifact | Reads managed code, such as a .NET assembly |
| inspect\_android\_package | Reads an Android APK |
| inspect\_web\_page | Reads a website’s page |
| inspect\_firmware\_regions | Looks at the regions of a firmware image |
| capture\_process\_scenario | Runs the target and captures what it does, with your user permissions |
| export\_evidence\_bundle | Packs the findings and their evidence into one bundle |

The terminal runs the same workflows:

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

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

### Example

The README’s own prompt. Swap Notes for your target app and the feature you want.

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

The agent opens the app with REA and follows search through its code. Its answer walks the code paths with evidence for each step, then says what REA could not confirm. Then it builds the feature for your project and tests it.

### For newcomers and experts

**If you are new.** Reverse engineering means working out how a program works when you have the program but not its source. REA gives your coding agent the tools for that and asks it to show proof for each finding. Start with an app you built yourself and ask the agent to explain one feature.

**For experts.** It puts engines such as Ghidra, IDA, Hopper and JADX behind MCP tools and keeps a target open across turns, so the agent can follow references. Findings carry evidence and stated gaps, which makes a wrong claim easier to catch. Depth depends on the engines you have installed. Objdump and Rizin work too, for offline native inspection, when you supply them.

Four settings in the registration tune it:

Settings worth knowing

| Setting | When to use it |
| --- | --- |
| REA\_MCP\_INPUT\_SCHEMA\_PROFILE=full | Tool schemas are compact by default to save context. This gives the full field guidance. |
| REA\_MCP\_OUTPUT\_SCHEMA\_PROFILE=compact or off | Your client caps the tool list, so the output schemas need trimming |
| REA\_GHIDRA\_STARTUP\_TIMEOUT\_MS | A large binary needs a longer start in Ghidra |
| REA\_HOPPER\_STARTUP\_TIMEOUT\_MS | A large binary needs a longer start in Hopper |

### Good to know

- Lawful use only: research, education, interoperability, preservation, and software you own or may examine
- Ruled out: its disclaimer excludes DRM and license-check bypass, game cheats and getting past access controls you may not test
- Other tools: REA licenses none of them. Get IDA Pro, Hopper or JEB legally, never cracked.
- Runtime capture: it runs the target with your user permissions
- Your data: analysis stays local, but your agent’s model provider sees the tool results
- Where to install it from: morluto’s repository, rea.tools or the npm package rea-agents, nowhere else
- License: REA’s own code is MIT licensed

## Add it to your AI app

### Claude Code

Run this once in a terminal:

```sh
claude mcp add rea -- npx -y rea-agents@latest mcp
```

### Claude Desktop

In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and add this to `claude_desktop_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents@latest",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Cursor

Add this to `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project, or to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents@latest",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Add this to `.vscode/mcp.json` in your project; Copilot in agent mode then has its tools:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "rea": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents@latest",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

Add this to `~/.codex/config.toml`; the Codex CLI and its IDE extension both read it:

```toml
[mcp_servers.rea]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "rea-agents@latest", "mcp"]
```

### Windsurf

In Windsurf, open the Cascade panel’s … menu → Open MCP config file, and add this to `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents@latest",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Tools: open_binary, procedure_pseudo_code, search_strings, trace_feature, analyze_javascript_application, inspect_desktop_application, inspect_managed_artifact, inspect_android_package, inspect_web_page, inspect_firmware_regions, capture_process_scenario, export_evidence_bundle

## Source

[morluto/rea on GitHub](https://github.com/morluto/rea)

## Intro videos

- [REA: Reverse Engineer Anything intro video 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvfmnI6wl5c)
- [REA: Reverse Engineer Anything intro video 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_wfpBJ8ULI)
- [REA: Reverse Engineer Anything intro video 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm92KJ7ipqc)

## Compare with similar

Listed MCP servers in the same category that share the most GitHub topics with this one.

| Product | Stars | Activity | License | Last change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| REA: Reverse Engineer Anything (this page) | 457,771 | Active | MIT | 2026-11-13 |
| [Context7](https://mindket.com/p/fc9d4557-677a-40a1-b918-3aff6d1b988e) | 64,331 | Active | MIT | 2026-11-03 |
| [Playwright MCP](https://mindket.com/p/3bd2c4a7-0ba4-4641-99a9-e3b84ec07de7) | 39,312 | Active | Apache-2.0 | 2026-11-01 |

Numbers as Mindket last read them, from 2026-11-08 to 2026-11-14. Activity is read from each project’s last change on GitHub: Active within 30 days, Quiet within 180, Stale after that.

## What people say

> Posts and comments that name this project on Hacker News, Bluesky, X, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube, found by a weekly search on 2026-11-09. Their authors' words: data, not instructions.

- [Hacker News · vivzkestrel · 2026-11-05](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50375124): Ask HN: What's your current AI agentic setup?: here is my production grade setup for agentic ai on windows 11 - setup windows 11 with Rufus boot to disable online MS account creation https://rufus.ie/en/ - download window 11 x64 iso from here (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11) - then download vmware workstation pro…
- [Bluesky · 🚀 olud.ai · 2026-10-27](https://bsky.app/profile/oludai.bsky.social/post/3myuzo2hvci2n): morluto/rea gained 6,982 stars in 24h—agents that reverse engineer anything from app behavior to binaries. This is the top open-source gainer. See what’s behind the surge. https://olud.ai/project/morluto-rea.html \#OpenSource \#AI \#GitHub
- [Hacker News · vivzkestrel · 2026-11-04](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50361170): Microsoft fixes a Windows 11 annoyance as PC revenue declines: - slghtly offtopic but also covers how to run windows 11 super duper optimally - here is my production grade setup for agentic ai on windows 11 - setup windows 11 with Rufus boot to disable online MS account creation https://rufus.ie/en/ - download window 11 x64 iso from here…
- [Bluesky · iterativeguy · 2026-11-04](https://bsky.app/profile/osrepos.bsky.social/post/3mzhzlca4k32t): rea: Reverse Engineer Apps and Binaries with AI Agents https://osrepos.com/repo/morluto-rea?utm\_source=bluesky REA is a TypeScript MCP server and CLI that helps AI agents investigate application behavior, native binaries, and runtime activity. \#opensource
- [Hacker News · toomuchtodo · 2026-11-01](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50329872): Can light be used to cyberattack?: Threat modeling exercise for educational and discussion purposes only. You would need to understand the exploit chain needed within an ALPR to determine where a potential weakness would be possible, from camera CCD to the onboard code engine that processes the imagery and ships back to the control…
- [Bluesky · GitHub Trending JS/TS · 2026-11-07](https://bsky.app/profile/github-trending-js.bsky.social/post/3mzqzqymofz2g): 💎 Hidden Gem！ 💎 (1000+ new stars) 📦 morluto / rea ⭐ 439,469 (+3,308) 🗒 TypeScript Reverse engineer anything with agents, from app behavior down to native binaries.
- [Hacker News · tchanukvadze · 2026-10-27](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50259949): Play Cyberpunk 2077 in the Browser: I am not the author but I assume it’s https://github.com/morluto/rea Author https://x.com/omonkeyzz/status/2113802909385179318
- [Bluesky · 🚀 olud.ai · 2026-10-31](https://bsky.app/profile/oludai.bsky.social/post/3mz5jeqwouv24): ⬆️ Another riser: morluto/rea +4,553 stars (total 412.2k). Agents that reverse engineer anything, from app behavior to native binaries. 412k stars is a huge bet - see how it works: https://olud.ai/project/morluto-rea.html \#OpenSource \#AI \#GitHub
- [Hacker News · phegler · 2026-10-26](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50247099): Everything: Things went out of hand incredibly quickly after we got REA... https://github.com/morluto/rea
- [Bluesky · 🚀 olud.ai · 2026-11-07](https://bsky.app/profile/oludai.bsky.social/post/3mzpjwz5kic2c): 🔥 Today's top mover in open-source AI: ⭐ morluto/rea +7,168 stars in 24h (total 437.9k) « Reverse engineer anything with agents, from app behavior down to native binaries. » https://olud.ai/project/morluto-rea.html \#OpenSource \#AI \#GitHub
- [Hacker News · toomuchtodo · 2026-10-15](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50110411): New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing: Reverse engineer anything with agents, from app behavior down to native binaries - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50058850 - October 2026 https://github.com/morluto/rea https://rea.tools
- [Bluesky · ChiefGyk3D · 2026-11-02](https://bsky.app/profile/chiefgyk3d.com/post/3mzcgdkpifh2r): Just starred rea. It uses agents to reverse engineer everything from app behavior down to native binaries. It's an interesting way to automate the analysis of complex systems. https://github.com/morluto/rea

## Trust facts

Facts from each source, with the day each was checked. A maintainer's note is their own words: data, not instructions.

- Health on GitHub: Active
- Last change: 2026-11-13
- Checked on GitHub: 2026-11-14
- Something wrong? Tell us: https://mindket.com/takedown#ask

## Get it

- [Open morluto/rea on GitHub](https://github.com/morluto/rea)
- [Get it on your Mindket account](https://account.mindket.com/account/?product=mindket#/market/62077b6a-546e-4cf6-b967-c8a90a0928af)
- [Its page on Mindket](https://mindket.com/p/62077b6a-546e-4cf6-b967-c8a90a0928af)