REA FAQ.

With Node.js and npm available, run setup, choose your coding agent and review the proposed changes.

npx rea-agents@latest setup

Setup registers REA's MCP connection and installs the matching investigation skill. Restart your agent when it finishes, then give it a target path and a question. Follow the setup guide for prerequisites and your first analysis.

Any agent that supports local MCP servers. Setup includes Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Devin, OpenCode, Antigravity, GitHub Copilot CLI, Command Code and VS Code.

Connect your coding agent.

REA releases frequently, including bug fixes. If you installed the CLI with npm:

rea update

Follow the setup refresh command printed by the update. If you set up your agent through npx, run:

npx rea-agents@latest setup

Review the changes and restart your agent. Its REA connection pins a package version, so refreshing setup makes it use the new release. For one-off CLI commands, use npx -y rea-agents@latest followed by the command.

The skill gives your agent investigation instructions. Run REA setup to connect the MCP server and install the matching skill, then restart your agent so it can call the tools.

Start with the kind of software you have:

• Native executables and libraries: functions, assembly, pseudocode and references.
• JavaScript and Electron apps: modules, imports, IPC and source locations.
• Browser pages: scripts, requests and runtime observations.

REA also has workflows for managed assemblies, Android APKs, firmware and packaged resources. See the case studies for worked investigations.

Deep native analysis uses one of them. Static JavaScript and .NET inspection work with the supplied files and do not need a native analysis engine.

Connect your existing Ghidra or IDA installation, or let setup detect Hopper and propose an installation. Your host and target determine which provider can be used. Set up native analysis.

Yes. The CLI uses the same analysis workflows. For a local JavaScript or Electron app:

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

Replace the path with an extracted application folder or ASAR file. Use the CLI for installation options.

Native analysis returns assembly and pseudocode, with calls, references and relevant constants. JavaScript analysis returns modules, their relationships and source locations.

Your agent uses these findings to explain the behavior or write and test an implementation. The DX-Ball calculation and CTF flag checker show how that process works.

Give it a local target and one behavior to investigate. For a JavaScript or Electron app:

Replace the path with your target. The guides provide prompts for native, Electron and browser examples.

Restart or reconnect your agent after setup. Check its REA registration with doctor; for Codex:

npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --client codex --json

Replace codex with your client ID, such as claude_code or cursor. If the report shows a missing or stale registration, run setup for that client:

npx rea-agents@latest setup --client codex

Review its plan and restart the client. If registration is healthy but tools remain absent, check the client's MCP connection error. More setup diagnostics.

REA starts Hopper when an operation needs it. On macOS, complete the first-run choice of demo mode or license activation before unattended analysis. See native provider setup.

Update REA, restart your agent and retry the same task. A recent release may already fix the problem.

If it persists, open an issue with your REA version, operating system, target type, steps to reproduce and error output. Include the provider name when the problem involves native analysis.

REA analyzes targets on your machine. Your agent receives the results, and its model provider's data policy applies to those results.

Have a useful REA example? We'd love to see it. Share the target, your question, the findings and how you checked them in an issue or pull request. Short code excerpts and figures help others follow the investigation.

Bug reports, feature requests, documentation and code improvements are welcome too. You can also discuss an example in the community.