IDA Pro MCP: AI-Powered Reverse Engineering That Actually Works

Stop switching between IDA Pro and your AI assistant. This MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other AI tools directly control IDA Pro's reversing capabilities—decompiling functions, renaming variables, setting breakpoints, and analyzing binaries without you copying and pasting disassembly back and forth.

Why This Changes Everything

Reverse engineering is inherently iterative. You analyze a function, rename variables, add comments, check cross-references, then repeat. But every time you want AI help, you're stuck copying disassembly into chat windows and manually applying suggested changes back in IDA.

IDA Pro MCP eliminates this friction entirely. Your AI assistant can directly:

• Decompile and analyze functions
• Rename variables and functions with meaningful names
• Add comments explaining complex logic
• Navigate cross-references and function calls
• Even control the debugger to trace execution

Real-World Impact

Instead of spending hours manually analyzing a crackme or malware sample, you can prompt your AI assistant:

"Analyze this crackme starting from the main function. Rename variables to meaningful names, add comments explaining the logic, and find the password validation routine."

The AI will methodically work through IDA Pro, decompiling functions, following the execution flow, renaming variables like sub_401000 to validate_password, and documenting its findings—all without you lifting a finger.

Core Capabilities

Function Analysis

• Decompile functions with Hex-Rays decompiler
• Get disassembly with full context
• Navigate function calls and cross-references
• List all functions, strings, and global variables

Interactive Improvements

• Rename functions, variables, and struct members
• Set function prototypes and variable types
• Add comments to document findings
• Declare custom C types

Advanced Debugging (with --unsafe flag)

• Control debugger execution (start/stop/continue)
• Set and manage breakpoints
• Inspect registers and call stack
• Step through code with AI guidance

Installation Takes 30 Seconds

pip install git+https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp
ida-pro-mcp --install

That's it. Restart IDA Pro and your AI client—the plugin auto-installs and MCP server configurations are handled automatically.

Works With Your Existing Workflow

Compatible with every major AI coding assistant:

• Cline - Perfect for systematic reverse engineering sessions
• Cursor - Excellent for analyzing specific functions
• Claude Desktop - Great for interactive analysis
• VS Code Agent Mode - Seamless integration with your editor

Architecture That Makes Sense

Unlike other IDA Pro MCP servers that require complex setup or have limited functionality, this implementation prioritizes developer experience:

• Zero boilerplate - Adding new IDA Pro functions to the MCP interface takes literally one decorator
• Automatic installation - No manual plugin copying or configuration files
• Streamlined communication - Direct JSON-RPC between IDA and your AI assistant
• Headless support - Run analysis on servers without IDA GUI using idalib

Proven Results

With 2,400+ GitHub stars and active development, this isn't experimental—it's a production-ready tool that reverse engineers are already using to dramatically speed up their analysis workflows.

The developer has also created a reversing dataset with examples showing AI successfully solving real crackmes and analyzing malware samples.

Start Your Next Analysis Session

Load a binary in IDA Pro, start your AI assistant, and prompt it to begin analysis. Watch as it systematically works through functions, applies meaningful names, and documents its findings—turning hours of manual work into minutes of guided analysis.

This is what reverse engineering with AI should feel like: seamless, powerful, and actually useful.