Installing REA

From zero to your first reverse-engineered feature in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ and npm — download here
An AI coding agent: Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Grok Build
Optional (for native binary analysis): Hopper, Ghidra, or IDA

Note: You don't need Ghidra or IDA for JavaScript/Electron analysis. Those are only needed for native binary (C/C++/Rust) analysis. Start without them — add later if needed.

Step 1: Run setup

npx rea-agents setup

This command will:

Detect which AI agents you have installed
Let you choose which ones to register REA with
Install REA's MCP server and workflow instructions
Create backups of existing configuration

Step 2: Restart your agent

Close and reopen your AI coding agent so it picks up the new MCP server. In Claude Code, just close and reopen the terminal. In Cursor, restart the application.

Step 3: Verify installation

Ask your agent:

What MCP tools do you have available?

You should see REA's tools listed (binary analysis, JavaScript analysis, etc.).

Step 4: Run your first analysis

Try analyzing a JavaScript/Electron app (no decompiler needed):

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

Or ask your agent directly:

Analyze the Electron app at /path/to/my-app. Show me the main modules and their imports.

Optional: Native binary analysis

For analyzing compiled binaries (C/C++/Rust), REA can use:

Hopper (macOS/Linux) — REA can install it during setup with your approval
Ghidra (free, cross-platform) — download here
IDA (commercial) — if you already have a license

Linux users

On Linux, you'll need procps-compatible ps on REA's PATH for process ownership checks. On most distributions this is already installed. If not:

sudo apt-get install procps # Debian/Ubuntu

Troubleshooting

Setup fails with "agent not found"

Make sure your AI agent (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) is properly installed and accessible from the terminal. Run which claude or which cursor to verify.

REA tools don't appear in my agent

Restart your agent completely. If that doesn't work, check that the MCP configuration file was updated (look for rea-agents entries in your agent's config).

Binary analysis returns empty results

You likely don't have a native analysis engine (Hopper/Ghidra/IDA) installed. Install one, or stick to JavaScript/Electron analysis which works without them.