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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This guide walks you through the fastest path from a fresh install to asking an AI to analyze a binary in IDA Pro. By the end you will have the plugin running, an MCP client connected, and a working analysis session.

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Before you begin

  • IDA Pro 8.3 or higher (IDA Pro 9 recommended)
  • Python 3.11 or higher — run idapyswitch to switch if needed
  • One of the supported MCP clients listed below
IDA Free does not support the plugin API and cannot be used with IDA Pro MCP.

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Full setup walkthrough

1

Install the package

Install ida-pro-mcp from PyPI using pip or uv:
pip install https://github.com/mrexodia/ida-pro-mcp/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
This places the ida-pro-mcp command on your PATH.
2

Install the IDA plugin and configure your MCP client

Run the installer. It copies the plugin into IDA’s plugin directory and writes the MCP server entry into your client’s configuration file:
ida-pro-mcp --install
The command opens an interactive selector so you can choose your MCP client and transport. To install for a specific client non-interactively, pass the client name:
ida-pro-mcp --install claude,cursor
To print the raw JSON config for clients not listed in the installer, run:
ida-pro-mcp --config
3

Restart IDA Pro and your MCP client

The plugin does not load until IDA restarts. Some clients (like Claude desktop) run in the system tray and must be quit fully before the new MCP server entry takes effect.
On Claude desktop, quit from the tray icon rather than just closing the window. On VS Code, reload the window with Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window.
4

Open a binary in IDA Pro

Open or load any binary in IDA Pro as you normally would. The MCP plugin starts an HTTP server on 127.0.0.1:13337 automatically when IDA loads.To verify the server is running, check the IDA output window for a line like:
[MCP] Server started
5

Run your first analysis

In your MCP client, start a new conversation and give the AI a task. Here is a minimal prompt to get started:
Your task is to analyze the binary open in IDA Pro. Use the MCP tools to inspect the
decompilation, rename variables to sensible names, and add comments with your findings.
NEVER convert number bases yourself — use the int_convert MCP tool if needed.
Create a report.md with your findings at the end.
The AI will call tools like decompile, rename, set_comments, and xrefs_to automatically. Watch the IDA output window to see each tool call as it happens.

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Supported MCP clients

IDA Pro MCP works with any client that supports the Model Context Protocol. The installer can configure these clients automatically: For any other client, run ida-pro-mcp --config to print the JSON configuration block to paste in manually.

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Next steps

Installation options

Explore the GUI plugin, headless idalib, and Claude Code installation methods.

Prompt engineering

Learn how to write prompts that get accurate, reliable analysis results.

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