jadx-ai-mcp MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: jadx-ai-mcp MCP Server
Author: zinja-coder

Why use it

Key features

25+ MCP tools for Android APK analysis, refactoring, and debugging
Real-time decompiled code access with AI recommendations
Cross-reference tracking for classes, methods, and fields with pagination
Code refactoring: rename classes, methods, fields, packages, and variables
Debugger integration with stack frames, threads, and variable inspection

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

jadx-ai-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": {
    "jadx-ai-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jadx-ai-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jadx-ai-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jadx-ai-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "jadx-ai-mcp",
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

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

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "jadx-ai-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "TODO",
        "args": [
          "See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add jadx-ai-mcp -- TODO 'See README: https://github.com/zinja-coder/jadx-ai-mcp'

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

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use jadx-ai-mcp

How to analyze an Android APK with AI assistance using JADX

👤 Mobile security researchers analyzing APKs they have authorization to test ⏱ ~45 min intermediate

When to use: You have an APK to analyze and want AI to help understand its behavior.

Prerequisites

JADX with jadx-ai-mcp plugin — jadx plugins --install 'github:zinja-coder:jadx-ai-mcp'
JADX MCP Server running — Set up the Python MCP server with uv

Flow

Check the manifest

Get the AndroidManifest.xml. What permissions does this app request and what components (activities, services, receivers) does it declare?✓ Copied

→ Parsed manifest with permission analysis
Find interesting classes

Search for classes related to network communication or encryption. List them with their methods.✓ Copied

→ Filtered class list with method signatures
Analyze and rename

Get the source code of the main network class. Rename obfuscated methods to descriptive names based on their behavior.✓ Copied

→ Decompiled code with meaningful names applied

Outcome: An annotated view of the APK with key functionality understood and obfuscation partially reversed.

Pitfalls

Heavily obfuscated apps resist decompilation — Use get_smali_of_class for bytecode-level analysis when decompilation fails

Combine with: filesystem

Debug an Android app with AI-assisted breakpoint analysis

👤 Android developers and security researchers debugging app behavior ⏱ ~30 min advanced

When to use: You need to understand runtime behavior that isn't clear from static analysis.

Prerequisites

JADX configured for debugging — Connect JADX debugger to a running Android app or emulator

Flow

Set breakpoints and inspect

I'm debugging the login flow. Show me the current stack frames and local variables at the authentication method.✓ Copied

→ Stack trace with variable values at the breakpoint

Outcome: Runtime understanding of app behavior at critical code points.

Pitfalls

App detects debugger and exits — Look for anti-debugging checks in the code and bypass them before attaching

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

jadx-ai-mcp + filesystem

Export decompiled and annotated code for documentation

Export the decompiled source of the authentication module and save it to ~/analysis/auth-module.java.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
fetch_current_class	none	Get the currently selected class source code
search_classes_by_keyword	keyword: str	Find classes matching a keyword
get_android_manifest	none	Retrieve the AndroidManifest.xml
rename_class	old_name: str, new_name: str	Rename an obfuscated class
xrefs_to_method	class_name: str, method_name: str	Find all references to a method
get_smali_of_class	class_name: str	Get Dalvik bytecode (smali) for a class
debug_get_stack_frames	none	Get current debugger stack frames

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A — fully local
Tokens per call: 200–2000 tokens per tool call
Monetary: Free — both JADX and the plugin are open source
Tip: Use search_classes_by_keyword to narrow targets before fetching full class sources.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: N/A

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.
Only analyze APKs you have legal right to reverse engineer.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Plugin not loading in JADX

Ensure JADX version is compatible. Try reinstalling with: jadx plugins --install 'github:zinja-coder:jadx-ai-mcp'

Verify: jadx plugins --list

MCP server connection failed

Ensure the JADX MCP Server is running and the port matches your client config.

Verify: Check the server terminal for startup messages

Class not found in search

Obfuscated names may not match your search. Try broader patterns or search by method signatures.

Verify: get_all_classes to see available class names

Alternatives

jadx-ai-mcp vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
jadx-mcp-server	You only need the MCP server component without the JADX plugin	Server-only — still needs the jadx-ai-mcp plugin in JADX
GhidrAssistMCP	You want to analyze native binaries rather than Android Dalvik bytecode	Native binary focus vs Android-specific tools

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills