Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) FAQ

Does REA decompile code itself?

No. REA is an MCP server that connects your AI agent to existing analysis tools, such as Ghidra, Hopper, IDA and JADX, and to its own built-in static inspectors.

Pseudocode and assembly for native programs come from the engine you choose; JavaScript, .NET and similar targets use the built-in static analysis. Source: README.

Which AI agents does REA support?

Setup can configure 25 agents, including Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Claude Desktop, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf. The full list and each --client value are in Supported agents.

Other agents that support local MCP servers can register REA manually by following the official docs.

Is REA free? Do I need Ghidra, Hopper or IDA?

REA is open source under the MIT license and free to use.

You only need one of those engines for deep native analysis; JavaScript/Electron and .NET analysis work without one, and Android APKs use the free jadx-headless-mcp instead. Ghidra is free; Hopper and IDA are commercial (Hopper has a limited free demo). Setup can install Hopper with your approval; Ghidra and IDA use installations you set up yourself.

Does REA work on Windows?

Yes. REA itself and JavaScript/Electron analysis run on Windows. Android APK analysis on Windows x64 is new and needs a recent REA release; Windows on ARM is not supported.

Ghidra support on Windows is experimental and read-only (Windows scope), and Hopper is not available on Windows. If PowerShell blocks npx, use npx.cmd.

Which Node.js version do I need?

REA 6.8.0 needs Node.js 22.x (22.23.4 or later), 24.x (24.22.1 or later) or 26.12.1 or later. Node.js 23, 25 and prereleases are not supported. Check yours with node -v.

Do I need to clone the GitHub repo?

No. npx rea-agents setup downloads the published rea-agents package from npm and connects it to your agent. Clone the repository only to contribute or build from source.

See the REA repo and setup wizard.

How do I know I installed the official REA?

There are three official sources: morluto/rea on GitHub, rea.tools and rea-agents on npm. A repository with a similar name or a copied README is not proof that a download is genuine.

Setup registers a pinned version, such as npx -y rea-agents@<version> mcp. Check the latest published version with npm view rea-agents dist-tags.latest.

Does REA upload my app?

No. REA analyzes targets locally. Your agent receives the tool results, and its model provider has its own data policy. Source: README FAQ.

How do I update REA?

If you set it up with npx, run npx rea-agents@latest setup, approve the changes and restart your agent. For a global install, run rea update, then the setup command it prints.

Registrations are pinned to the version that ran setup, so your agent only uses a new version after setup runs again.

How do I uninstall REA?

Run npx rea-agents uninstall (or rea uninstall for a global install). It removes only REA's agent registrations and skill files, and keeps Hopper, Node.js, Evidence files and other MCP servers.

Add --purge-data to also remove REA's cache in ~/.rea and related locations.

Does REA make up results?

It can be wrong. REA's disclaimer says decompilation, reconstruction and AI-assisted analysis may be incomplete or incorrect. Each conclusion comes with its evidence and limitations, so check them before relying on anything important. Source: DISCLAIMER.

REA vs Ghidra or IDA: what's the difference?

REA doesn't replace them. Ghidra and IDA are decompilers and analysis engines; REA is the bridge that lets your AI agent call them, collect the evidence and answer your questions.

Is it legal to use REA?

The project says REA is for lawful research, education, interoperability, software preservation, and analysis of software you own or are authorized to examine. It does not support cracking, bypassing licenses or copying proprietary software.

Laws and license agreements differ, and this site doesn't give legal advice. See what REA can and can't do.