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IDA Pro MCP

Lets AI assistants like Claude or Cursor control IDA Pro for reverse engineering through MCP.

GitHub Download 1.4.0
Stars
13.3k
Forks
1.6k
Licence
MIT
Language
Python
Last update
1 months ago
Type
App

What it is

This is an MCP server that connects IDA Pro, a widely used disassembler and decompiler for analyzing compiled programs, to AI language models. An MCP client such as Claude Code or Cursor can then use tools to read and rename functions, add comments, and inspect decompiled code inside an IDA database. The README describes this as a way to do AI-assisted reverse engineering. The README also recommends the official Hex-Rays IDA MCP Server instead, and says the GUI plugin is no longer recommended.

  • Ask an AI client to inspect a decompiled function and add comments and descriptive names inside IDA
  • Have the assistant rename variables and fix pointer or array types across a binary
  • Run a headless idalib-mcp server on a binary and query it from an MCP client
  • Generate a written report of findings from an analysis session, as in the README's example prompts

Great for

  • Reverse engineers who already use IDA Pro 8.3 or newer and want an AI assistant to help with analysis
  • Researchers who want to script or run headless analysis with idalib-mcp
  • People using a supported MCP client such as Claude Code, Cursor, or VS Code
  • Analysts working on crackme-style exercises, as the README's example prompts suggest

Not ideal for

  • People without a paid IDA Pro license, since the README says IDA Free is not supported
  • Anyone expecting the README's recommended path: the author suggests the official Hex-Rays IDA MCP Server instead
  • Users who need guaranteed accurate results, because the README warns LLMs hallucinate and struggle with obfuscated code
  • Users on Python older than 3.11, which the README requires
Step-by-step guide: how to use IDA Pro MCPInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs
IDA Pro MCP alternativesAI Website Cloner vs IDA Pro MCP

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    You'll need: Python 3.11 or higher · IDA Pro 8.3 or higher (9 recommended); IDA Free is not supported · uv (https://astral.sh/uv) · An activated idalib installation

    Install from GitHub archive (GUI setup, per README)

    pip install https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

    Configure MCP servers and install the IDA plugin

    ida-pro-mcp --install

    Install in Claude Code (plugin marketplace)

    claude plugin install ida-pro-mcp@mrexodia
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Activate idalib globally with the py-activate-idalib.py script for your OS, as shown in the README
    • Run ida-pro-mcp --install to configure your MCP client and the IDA plugin
    • Completely restart IDA and your MCP client
    • Open a binary in IDA and ask your MCP client to analyze a function
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Tell the assistant to use the int_convert MCP tool for number base conversions, since the README says LLMs should not do this themselves
    • Use the README's example prompts as a starting point for structured analysis
    • Run idalib-mcp headless with a binary path for scripted or remote workflows
    • Clean up obfuscation and resolve library code with Lumina or FLIRT before asking the LLM, per the README

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHubRelease 1.4.0Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docsplugins.hex-rays.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp

Strengths

  • Open source under the MIT license with a large community, about 13,000 stars
  • Works with many MCP clients, and the README includes setup helpers like ida-pro-mcp --config
  • Supports both GUI-based IDA use and headless analysis through idalib

Trade-offs

  • The README says the GUI plugin is deprecated and recommends the official Hex-Rays server instead
  • Requires a licensed IDA Pro 8.3+ install plus idalib activation, which adds setup work
  • The README warns that LLM output can be inaccurate, especially on obfuscated code

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
ida-pro-mcp (this)13.3kAppintermediate1 months agoReverse engineers who already use IDA Pro 8.3 or newer and want an AI assistant to help with analysis
mcp-for-beginners17.6kLearning resourcebeginner4 days agoDevelopers new to MCP who want guided lessons
fastapi_mcp12kLibraryintermediate12 months agoPython developers who already have a FastAPI app and want AI assistants to use it
mcp-use10.8kLibraryintermediate7 days agoTypeScript developers who want to build MCP servers
context764.1kAI model / agentbeginner4 days agoDevelopers who use AI coding agents such as Claude, Cursor, or VS Code for libraries that change often
codebase-memory-mcp48kDev toolintermediate4 days agoDevelopers who use an MCP-capable AI coding agent on a large codebase

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.