REA vs Hex-Rays ida-mcp
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 2026-10-13); REA changes quickly, so verify against the official docs.
This page covers third-party tools. reaguide.com is not affiliated with Hex-Rays, LaurieWired, mrexodia, bethington, clearbluejar or any project below. Commands are copied from each project's own README/docs (checked 2026-10-13) — these projects release often, so check the linked source before running.
Both let Claude Code or Codex reverse engineer software through MCP, but they solve different problems.
| REA (rea-agents) | Hex-Rays ida-mcp | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | morluto, community, MIT | Hex-Rays (makers of IDA), MIT |
| Engine | Hopper, Ghidra or IDA (via ida-pro-mcp) for native code | IDA 9.4+ with idalib only |
| Minimum cost | $0 with Ghidra | An IDA Home/Pro/Classroom license |
| Non-native targets | JS/Electron, .NET, websites, HAR, Android APKs, more | Whatever IDA loads |
| Tool design | ~170 typed tools returning findings with evidence | 6 tools; the agent writes IDAPython against the ida-domain API |
| Install | npx rea-agents setup | uvx ida-hcli mcp install |
Can REA use the official ida-mcp?
Not yet. REA's IDA provider calls ida-pro-mcp tool names (decompile_function, list_functions…), while the official server exposes open_database, execute_python, reference and friends. Feature request morluto/rea#1416 (opened 2026-10-10, still open) documents that the intersection is empty: pointing REA_IDA_MCP_CONFIG at the official server connects, but every operation hits an unknown tool. Separately, REA rejects ida-pro-mcp 2.0.0 (#2301, open).
How to choose
- Long native-code project, you own IDA 9.4+: ida-mcp. Maurice Heumann's agents used it almost the whole time to decompile MW2 and he called it “super stable”.
- “How does this feature in app X work?”, mixed or non-native targets, or no IDA license: REA.
- Both: fine, but keep only one IDA MCP server active — Hex-Rays warns several confuse the agent.
Related guides
- Hex-Rays official IDA MCP setup
- Use IDA Pro / IDA Free with REA
- REA vs Ghidra vs IDA
- Best MCP servers for AI reverse engineering
Sources: rea#1416 · rea#2301 · HexRaysSA/ida-mcp · Maurice Heumann's write-up
FAQ
Is REA better than ida-mcp?
Neither is strictly better. ida-mcp gives full IDAPython access to IDA 9.4+; REA is free with Ghidra and covers JS/Electron, .NET, web and APK targets.
Does REA support the official Hex-Rays IDA MCP?
Not as of 2026-10-13; it is an open feature request (morluto/rea#1416). REA's IDA provider uses mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp.