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<main id="main" class="container">
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<div class="page-heading">
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<p class="breadcrumb"><a href="../">Home</a> / Get started</p>
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<h1>Set up REA.</h1>
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<p class="lede">
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Connect REA to your coding agent, or inspect a local app from your
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terminal.
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</p>
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<p class="requirements">
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You'll need Node.js 22 (22.19+), 24 (24.11+) or 26+, and npm.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-layout">
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<nav class="contents" aria-label="On this page">
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<p>Setup options</p>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#agent">Connect your coding agent</a></li>
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<li><a href="#terminal">Use the CLI</a></li>
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<li><a href="#native">Set up native analysis</a></li>
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<li><a href="#help">Getting help</a></li>
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</ul>
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||
</nav>
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<article class="article" aria-label="REA getting started guide">
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<section class="article-section" id="agent">
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<h2>Connect your coding agent</h2>
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<p>
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Run setup to connect REA to your coding agent. Client choices
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||
include Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Grok
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||
Build, and other supported MCP clients. Grok Bot's connector is
|
||
added from its chat.
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||
</p>
|
||
<div class="agent-terminal">
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||
<div class="terminal-header">
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<span class="terminal-title"
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||
><span class="terminal-dots" aria-hidden="true"
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||
><i></i><i></i><i></i></span
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>Your coding agent</span
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||
>
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<button
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||
class="copy-button"
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||
type="button"
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||
data-copy="agent-install-prompt"
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aria-label="Copy REA installation prompt"
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||
>
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Copy
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||
</button>
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||
</div>
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<p class="terminal-prompt">
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<span class="prompt-symbol" aria-hidden="true">›</span
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><span id="agent-install-prompt"
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>Install REA and connect it to this coding agent using npx
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rea-agents@latest setup. Show me the setup plan for approval,
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then verify the installation.</span
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><span class="terminal-cursor" aria-hidden="true"></span>
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||
</p>
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||
</div>
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||
<details class="evidence-details">
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||
<summary>Or run setup yourself</summary>
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||
<div class="code-block">
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||
<div class="code-header">
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||
<span>Terminal</span
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||
><button
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||
class="copy-button"
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||
type="button"
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||
data-copy="agent-setup"
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||
aria-label="Copy agent setup command"
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||
>
|
||
Copy
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||
</button>
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||
</div>
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||
<pre><code id="agent-setup">npx rea-agents@latest setup</code></pre>
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||
</div>
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||
</details>
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||
<p>
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||
Choose your client and review the setup plan. REA adds its MCP
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||
connection and the matching investigation skill, keeping a backup
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||
of existing configuration. It asks before applying the changes.
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||
</p>
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||
<p>
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||
Restart your client when setup finishes. Give your agent a target
|
||
path and a specific question. For a JavaScript or Electron app,
|
||
you might start with:
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||
</p>
|
||
<blockquote class="prompt">
|
||
<p>
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||
Look at <code>/absolute/path/to/app</code> and find how it
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exports data. Show the entry points, calls and dependencies
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||
involved, with the source locations for your findings.
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||
</p>
|
||
</blockquote>
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||
<p>Replace the path with your local target.</p>
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||
</section>
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||
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||
<section class="article-section" id="terminal">
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<h2>Use the CLI</h2>
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||
<p>
|
||
Analyze a JavaScript or Electron application folder or ASAR
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archive without running the app:
|
||
</p>
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||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Static application analysis</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="terminal-analysis"
|
||
aria-label="Copy JavaScript analysis command"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="terminal-analysis">npx -y rea-agents@latest analyze-javascript-application \
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/absolute/path/to/app --json</code></pre>
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||
</div>
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||
<p>
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||
Replace the path with your extracted app directory or
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<code>.asar</code> file. On Windows, a path such as
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<code>"D:/apps/example"</code> works here.
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</p>
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<p>
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The result identifies the app, shows connections between modules
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and gives their source locations. Connections REA cannot resolve
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are marked in the result.
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||
</p>
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||
<p>
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||
If you'd like a permanent <code>rea</code> command in your shell:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Install the CLI</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="install-cli"
|
||
aria-label="Copy CLI installation command"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="install-cli">npm install --global rea-agents</code></pre>
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</div>
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||
<p>
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<a href="../guides/javascript/"
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>Continue with the JavaScript application guide</a
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>
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</p>
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</section>
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<section class="article-section" id="native">
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<h2>Set up native analysis</h2>
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<p>
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Native binaries need a local analysis tool. Choose and configure
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one below, then give REA your executable or library.
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</p>
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<details class="evidence-details">
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||
<summary>Choose a tool: Ghidra, Hopper or IDA</summary>
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<div class="provider-list">
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<div class="provider">
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<h3>Ghidra</h3>
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<div>
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||
<p>
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Use an existing Ghidra 12.1.x installation and a 64-bit
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JDK 21 or newer on Linux or macOS, on x64 or arm64. Your
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Ghidra installation needs a native decompiler for your
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host architecture. Set the paths before running setup:
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</p>
|
||
<details class="evidence-details">
|
||
<summary>Connect your Ghidra installation</summary>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
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||
<span>Ghidra connection · macOS / Linux</span
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||
><button
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||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="ghidra-connect"
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||
aria-label="Copy ghidra connection · macos / linux"
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||
>
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Copy
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||
</button>
|
||
</div>
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<pre><code id="ghidra-connect">export GHIDRA_INSTALL_DIR=/absolute/path/to/ghidra_12.1.4_PUBLIC
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export JAVA_HOME=/absolute/path/to/jdk-21
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npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --provider ghidra --json
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npx rea-agents@latest setup</code></pre>
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||
</div>
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<p>
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Replace both paths with your existing installations.
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Setup checks them and records valid settings for your
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selected client. On Linux arm64, you may need to build
|
||
Ghidra's native decompiler separately.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</details>
|
||
<details class="evidence-details">
|
||
<summary>Connect Ghidra on Windows</summary>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Windows x64 has experimental, read-only support for
|
||
native x86 and x64 PE applications and DLLs on fixed
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||
local NTFS drives. Use an existing Ghidra 12.1.x
|
||
installation and a 64-bit JDK 21 or newer:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Ghidra connection · Windows PowerShell</span>
|
||
<button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="ghidra-windows-connect"
|
||
aria-label="Copy Ghidra connection for Windows PowerShell"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="ghidra-windows-connect">$env:GHIDRA_INSTALL_DIR = "C:/tools/ghidra_12.1.4_PUBLIC"
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$env:JAVA_HOME = "C:/tools/jdk-21"
|
||
npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --provider ghidra --json
|
||
npx rea-agents@latest setup</code></pre>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Replace the two paths with your installations, then
|
||
review setup's plan.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</details>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="provider">
|
||
<h3>Hopper</h3>
|
||
<div>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Connect Hopper on macOS or Linux. Run the setup command
|
||
above; it detects an existing installation or offers an
|
||
installation plan for your approval.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p>
|
||
On macOS, complete Hopper's first-run choice of demo mode
|
||
or license activation before an unattended analysis.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="provider">
|
||
<h3>IDA</h3>
|
||
<div>
|
||
<p>
|
||
The verified IDA setups use Windows, with an existing MCP
|
||
registration for an attached GUI or a headless database.
|
||
Linux and macOS headless analysis remains unverified.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<details class="evidence-details">
|
||
<summary>
|
||
Connect an existing IDA MCP registration
|
||
</summary>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Keep the upstream server's working <code>command</code>,
|
||
<code>args</code> and optional <code>env</code> in a
|
||
JSON file. An existing <code>mcpServers</code> object
|
||
with an <code>ida-pro-mcp</code> entry is also accepted.
|
||
Point REA at that file before setup:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>IDA connection · Windows PowerShell</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="ida-connect"
|
||
aria-label="Copy IDA connection for Windows PowerShell"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="ida-connect">$env:REA_IDA_MCP_CONFIG = "C:/analysis/ida-mcp.json"
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$env:REA_ANALYSIS_PROVIDER = "ida"
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||
npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --provider ida --json
|
||
npx rea-agents@latest setup</code></pre>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>
|
||
The attached profile uses upstream legacy 1.4.0 tools
|
||
with the original binary already open in IDA. The
|
||
headless profile uses the upstream database-supervisor
|
||
API and a registration with
|
||
<code>"mode": "headless"</code>; real verification
|
||
covers an IDA 9.3 Windows x64 supervisor. Doctor checks
|
||
the registration without starting IDA.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Give REA the original executable path, with
|
||
<code>--provider ida</code> in a CLI query. For an
|
||
agent, include <code>REA_IDA_MCP_CONFIG</code> in the
|
||
REA registration's environment and select IDA when
|
||
opening the binary.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</details>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</details>
|
||
<p class="small-heading">
|
||
For an existing Ghidra setup, inspect a function with:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Function analysis</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="native-function"
|
||
aria-label="Copy native function analysis command"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="native-function">npx -y rea-agents@latest function /absolute/path/to/program main \
|
||
--provider ghidra --json</code></pre>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Replace <code>main</code> with the function name or address you
|
||
want to inspect.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<details class="evidence-details">
|
||
<summary>How native analysis sessions work</summary>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Each CLI command imports and analyzes the binary, then closes
|
||
its session. Your agent's MCP queries reuse the imported binary
|
||
while that session is open.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</details>
|
||
<p>
|
||
<a href="../guides/native/">Follow a native analysis example</a>
|
||
to see how the function result leads to a recovered calculation.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<section class="article-section" id="help">
|
||
<h2>Getting help</h2>
|
||
<h3>If your agent doesn't see REA</h3>
|
||
<p>
|
||
Restart or reconnect the client after setup. Check its REA
|
||
connection with <code>doctor</code>; for Codex:
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Check one client</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="client-doctor"
|
||
aria-label="Copy client diagnosis command"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="client-doctor">npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --client codex --json</code></pre>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<h3 class="small-heading">If a provider needs attention</h3>
|
||
<p>Check the provider you're using. For Ghidra:</p>
|
||
<div class="code-block">
|
||
<div class="code-header">
|
||
<span>Check one provider</span
|
||
><button
|
||
class="copy-button"
|
||
type="button"
|
||
data-copy="provider-doctor"
|
||
aria-label="Copy provider diagnosis command"
|
||
>
|
||
Copy
|
||
</button>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<pre><code id="provider-doctor">npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --provider ghidra --json</code></pre>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>The report gives the failed check and a suggested next step.</p>
|
||
<ul class="reading-list">
|
||
<li>
|
||
<a href="../faq/">REA FAQ</a
|
||
><span>Quick answers on updates, agents and analysis.</span>
|
||
</li>
|
||
<li>
|
||
<a href="../guides/">Choose an investigation guide</a
|
||
><span
|
||
>Worked examples for a binary, an Electron app and a
|
||
browser.</span
|
||
>
|
||
</li>
|
||
<li>
|
||
<a href="https://github.com/morluto/rea/issues">GitHub issues</a
|
||
><span>Report a problem with the command and diagnostics.</span>
|
||
</li>
|
||
<li>
|
||
<a href="https://discord.gg/GkcryMnJDM">REA community</a
|
||
><span>Questions, investigations and work in progress.</span>
|
||
</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</section>
|
||
</article>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</main>
|
||
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|
||
<!-- prettier-ignore -->
|
||
<footer class="site-footer">
|
||
<div class="container footer-inner">
|
||
<p>REA · Reverse Engineer Anything</p>
|
||
<div class="footer-links">
|
||
<a href="https://github.com/morluto/rea">Source</a
|
||
><a href="https://github.com/morluto/rea/blob/main/LICENSE">MIT license</a
|
||
><a href="https://discord.gg/GkcryMnJDM">Join the community</a
|
||
><a href="https://x.com/reatools">Follow us on X</a>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</footer>
|
||
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|
||
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||
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||
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||
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