---
title: "Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) with Claude Code (Beginner's Guide)"
url: "https://reamcp.dev/en/cases/reverse-engineer-anything-rea-with-claude-code-beginner-s-gu-2666c2"
source: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvfmnI6wl5c"
source_type: "resource"
author: "Automate with Marc | AI Automation "
author_handle: "automatewithmarc"
stars: 0
category: "Tools & integrations"
categories: ["tools-integrations"]
tags: ["claude-code", "decompiler", "ghidra", "hopper", "mcp", "tutorial"]
added: "2026-10-16T02:14:49.943Z"
updated: "2026-10-15T12:58:11.000Z"
locale: "en"
content_locale: "en"
---

# Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) with Claude Code (Beginner's Guide)

A step-by-step beginner tutorial on the open-source REA MCP server, showing how to install it with Hopper and use Claude Code to reverse engineer the Mac Calculator app.

## Description

The video explains what REA (Reverse Engineer Anything) is, an MCP server that links AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Cursor to classic reverse engineering tools (Ghidra, IDA Pro, Hopper). It covers disassembler vs decompiler basics, installs REA via npx rea-agents setup, and runs a demo where Claude Code with REA recovers a hidden calculator rule (200 + 10% = 220) from decompiled pseudo-code, compared against plain Claude Code solving it by trial and error. Links to the official repo, the REA website and the disassembler tools are included, along with the caveat to only reverse engineer software you own or are authorised to analyse.

## Original README

Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) with Claude Code (Beginner's Guide)

Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) is the viral open-source GitHub project that lets Claude Code look inside any app without its source code. In this step-by-step tutorial, I explain how AI reverse engineering works in plain English, install REA with Hopper, and test Claude Code with REA against plain Claude Code by rebuilding the Mac Calculator app.

REA is an MCP server that connects AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex and Cursor to classic reverse engineering tools: Ghidra, IDA Pro and Hopper. Those tools aren't new. Ghidra came from the NSA and IDA Pro has been around since the 1990s. What's new is that AI can now read the disassembled and decompiled code for you, a job that used to take experts days.

Both versions rebuilt the calculator and got the hidden 200 + 10% = 220 rule right. The difference was how. Claude Code with REA pointed to the actual decompiled code behind the rule, while plain Claude Code worked it out by trial and error, testing the real app for about 44 minutes. Honest notes: you need a terminal and Node.js, IDA Pro is paid, and Hopper runs as a demo without a license. Only reverse engineer software you own or are allowed to analyze.

🔗 LINKS AND RESOURCES
◦ REA on GitHub (official repo, there are copies around): https://github.com/morluto/rea
◦ REA website: https://rea.tools
◦ Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code
◦ Hopper Disassembler: https://www.hopperapp.com
◦ Ghidra: https://ghidra-sre.org
◦ IDA Pro: https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro

I'm not sponsored by REA or any other tool in this video.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) Goes Viral on GitHub
00:38 What Is Reverse Engineering? (Simple Explanation)
01:12 Ghidra, IDA Pro and Hopper: Disassembler vs Decompiler
02:25 Why AI Changes Reverse Engineering
02:53 Claude Code With vs Without REA: The Mac Calculator Test
03:41 How to Install REA and Hopper (npx rea-agents setup)
04:48 Claude Code With REA: Reverse Engineering Demo
06:28 Hidden Rule Found in the Decompiled Code (Pseudo-code)
07:26 Plain Claude Code Without REA: Demo
09:41 Results: Is REA Hype or Real?
10:12 Wrap Up and REA Use Cases

❓ QUESTIONS THIS VIDEO ANSWERS
What is Reverse Engineer Anything (REA) on GitHub?
How does REA work with Claude Code?
How do you install REA and connect it to Claude Code?
What do Ghidra, IDA Pro and Hopper actually do?
What is the difference between a disassembler and a decompiler?
What is pseudo-code in reverse engineering?
Can Claude Code reverse engineer an app without REA?
Is the REA GitHub repo worth the hype?

💡 Connect with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automatewithmarc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marconi-darmawan
Email: automatewithmarc@gmail.com

☕️ Buy me Coffee:
https://buymeacoffee.com/automatewithmarc

#AutomateWithMarc #ClaudeCode #ReverseEngineering