ida-pro-mcp MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Full decompilation and disassembly access from AI assistants
Symbol management: rename functions/variables, declare types, set comments
Pattern search: find bytes, instructions, regex across the binary
Complete debugger control: breakpoints, stepping, register/memory access
Headless analysis support via SSE transport and idalib

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ida-pro-mcp.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ida-pro-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ida-pro-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ida-pro-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ida-pro-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "ida-pro-mcp",
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "ida-pro-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "TODO",
        "args": [
          "See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add ida-pro-mcp -- TODO 'See README: https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp'

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use ida-pro-mcp

How to reverse engineer a binary with AI assistance in IDA Pro

👤 Reverse engineers and security researchers analyzing binaries they own or have authorization to test ⏱ ~60 min advanced

When to use: You have a binary loaded in IDA Pro and want AI to help understand and annotate it.

Prerequisites

IDA Pro 8.3+ (not IDA Free) — Commercial license from Hex-Rays
ida-pro-mcp installed — pip install <repo-url> && ida-pro-mcp --install

Flow

Get an overview

List all functions in this binary. Which ones look like they handle network communication based on their names and imports?✓ Copied

→ Categorized function list with network-related functions highlighted
Decompile key functions

Decompile the main network handler function. Explain the protocol it implements and rename variables to be descriptive.✓ Copied

→ Decompiled C code with renamed variables and protocol analysis
Trace data flow

Find all cross-references to the encryption key buffer. Who reads it and who writes it?✓ Copied

→ Xref chain showing data flow from key generation to encryption calls

Outcome: A well-annotated IDB with key functions understood, renamed, and documented.

Pitfalls

Decompilation can be slow on large functions — Start with smaller callees and work up. Use disasm() for quick overviews.

Combine with: filesystem

Solve a CTF reverse engineering challenge using IDA Pro and AI

👤 CTF participants working on binary reversing challenges ⏱ ~45 min intermediate

When to use: You have a CTF binary that needs static and/or dynamic analysis to find the flag.

Prerequisites

IDA Pro with ida-pro-mcp — Install and connect

Flow

Find the validation logic

Search for strings containing 'flag', 'correct', 'wrong'. Decompile the functions that reference them.✓ Copied

→ Validation function with flag-checking logic
Debug to extract the flag

Set a breakpoint at the comparison. Run the binary with input 'AAAA' and show me what it compares against.✓ Copied

→ Expected flag value visible in registers or memory

Outcome: Flag extracted through combined static and dynamic analysis.

Pitfalls

Anti-debug tricks prevent breakpoint hits — Use find_insns to locate anti-debug checks and patch them with patch_asm

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

ida-pro-mcp + filesystem

Export decompiled code and analysis notes to files

Decompile all functions related to the crypto module and save the annotated code to ~/analysis/crypto.c.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
decompile	address_or_name: str	Decompile a function to C pseudocode
disasm	address: str, count?: int	Disassemble instructions at an address
rename	old_name: str, new_name: str	Rename a function or variable
xrefs_to	address: str	Find all cross-references to an address
find_bytes	pattern: str	Search for a byte pattern in the binary
patch_asm	address: str, asm: str	Patch assembly instructions at an address
dbg_run	none	Start the debugger
set_comments	address: str, comment: str	Add a comment at an address

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A — local IDA Pro instance
Tokens per call: 200–3000 tokens (decompilation output can be large)
Monetary: Requires IDA Pro commercial license ($). The MCP plugin itself is free.
Tip: Use list_funcs to identify targets before decompiling to avoid decompiling every function.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: N/A — local tool

Data egress: All analysis is local. No network calls from the MCP server.

⚠ This tool is designed for authorized security research, CTF competitions, and defensive analysis only. Do not use it against systems you don't own or have written authorization to test.
Patching binaries modifies the IDB. Use IDA's snapshot feature before making changes.
Debugger operations execute the target binary — only debug in sandboxed environments.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

ida-pro-mcp --install fails

Ensure Python 3.11+ and IDA Pro 8.3+ are installed. The installer needs to find IDA's plugin directory.

Verify: python3 --version && which idat

Decompilation fails

Not all functions decompile cleanly (obfuscation, hand-written assembly). Try disasm() as a fallback.

Verify: Try decompiling a simpler function first

Debugger won't start

Ensure IDA's debugger is configured for the target platform (local, remote, etc.). Check that the binary is not already running.

Verify: Check IDA's debugger settings

Alternatives

ida-pro-mcp vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
GhidrAssistMCP	You prefer free Ghidra over commercial IDA Pro	Ghidra is free but IDA Pro generally has faster analysis and wider format support
reverse-engineering-assistant	You want a Ghidra MCP with a tool-driven approach optimized for LLMs	Fewer tools but better context management for AI interaction

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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