| Compare approaches | Mechanism | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| REA | An open-source MCP server: your agent calls REA to inspect a local target (native binaries, JavaScript and Electron apps, .NET, websites and more) and gets findings with their evidence. | Choose REA when you want your agent to investigate software you own or may examine and explain it with evidence. |
| IDA Pro MCP | An MCP server for IDA Pro (MIT). It needs IDA Pro 8.3 or later (9 recommended) and Python 3.11+; IDA Free is not supported. It installs as a plugin for Claude Code, Codex or Kimi Code, or through IDA's Python. Its README now recommends the official Hex-Rays IDA MCP server instead. | Choose it when you work in IDA Pro and want your agent inside that database. The two can work together: REA's IDA support connects to an existing IDA MCP server, and its documentation names this project. |
Practical setup notes for running REA on Fedora-based Linux, with the problems hit along the way and a queue of tests.
How to run REA with local models on a single 12 GB GPU, and how five models compared.
A show-and-tell thread on keeping token use down in REA workflows and what other people are using.
Often yes, but check each tool's documentation for supported targets and setup, and analyse only software you own or are authorised to examine.