REA in Perplexity Computer: /reverse-engineer
Unofficial guide. This site is an independent community guide and is not affiliated with the REA project. For authoritative docs see the official REA website and the morluto/rea GitHub repository. Commands here are taken from the official README/docs (checked 2026-10-19); REA changes quickly, so verify against the official docs.
On October 16, 2026, Perplexity announced that REA (Reverse Engineer Anything) by morluto is now a skill in Perplexity Computer. In Perplexity's words: "Ask Computer to reverse-engineer an app and it inspects how the app works without its source code, then builds a working version." (@AskPerplexity). Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas confirmed the integration (post) and morluto, REA's author, thanked him publicly (post).
Free offer: per the official announcement, "Tasks that use /reverse-engineer are free through October 31, up to 10,000" credits (@AskPerplexity); Aravind Srinivas describes it as "up to 10000 credits as a bootstrapping credit balance" (post). Check the exact terms in your Perplexity account before relying on them.
What it is
Perplexity Computer is Perplexity's agent that does multi-step work for you, and it is powered by credits (Perplexity Help Center). REA is an open-source, MIT-licensed reverse-engineering toolkit for AI agents (morluto/rea). The new skill puts REA's workflow inside Computer, so you can ask for an app to be reverse-engineered without setting up REA yourself.
How to use it
Perplexity has not published a detailed how-to page yet. What the announcement shows:
- Open Perplexity Computer with an account that can run Computer tasks.
- Start a task with the
/reverse-engineercommand, or ask Computer to reverse-engineer an app. - Describe the app or feature you want analyzed. Per the announcement, Computer inspects how the app works without its source code, then builds a working version.
- Review the result. Only analyze software you own or are authorized to examine, which is REA's own usage policy.
We will add screenshots and exact menu steps once Perplexity documents them.
Limits
- The free period ends October 31, capped at up to 10,000 credits (announcement). After that, normal Computer credit pricing applies.
- Computer runs on Perplexity's plans and credits. According to Perplexity's Help Center, paid Pro plans include weekly Computer usage and Max plans start with 10,000 credits a month (source). The announcement does not say which plans are eligible for the offer.
- The skill runs in Perplexity's cloud, not on your machine. Don't upload apps or files you're not allowed to share.
Perplexity Computer vs running REA locally
| REA in Perplexity Computer | REA locally (npx rea-agents setup) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | None; use /reverse-engineer | Node.js + npm, then setup registers REA with your agent (install guide) |
| Cost | Credits; free through Oct 31 up to 10,000 credits | REA is free (MIT); you pay for your own coding agent |
| Where analysis runs | Perplexity's cloud | On your machine (the official README says analysis runs locally) |
| Native binaries | Not documented by Perplexity | Via your own Hopper, Ghidra or IDA (Ghidra setup) |
| Agent | Perplexity Computer | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and others (MCP setup) |
Pick Computer to try REA quickly with no install, and the local setup if you need private targets, native-binary providers or full control over tools.
Related guides
Sources: @AskPerplexity announcement, 2026-10-16 · Aravind Srinivas post · morluto post · Perplexity credits help · morluto/rea
FAQ
Is REA available in Perplexity Computer?
Yes. Perplexity announced on October 16, 2026 that REA by morluto is now a skill in Computer.
Is /reverse-engineer free?
Per Perplexity's announcement, tasks that use /reverse-engineer are free through October 31, up to 10,000 credits.
Is Perplexity's REA the official REA?
It is REA by morluto, integrated by Perplexity; morluto publicly acknowledged it. The open-source project itself remains at github.com/morluto/rea.
Do I still need to install REA?
Not for Computer. To run REA with your own agent and local tools, use npx rea-agents setup.
Which plans can use it?
The announcement doesn't specify. Computer generally uses paid Pro/Max usage and credits; check your account.