IDA MCP Server

The IDA MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) service that bridges the gap between advanced binary analysis tools and large language models. By exposing IDA Pro’s rich database through a standardized MCP interface, it allows AI assistants such as Claude to interrogate and manipulate disassembly, decompiled code, and metadata without direct access to the IDA application. This eliminates the need for custom plugins or manual data exports, enabling developers to integrate deep reverse‑engineering insights directly into conversational AI workflows.

At its core, the server offers a collection of tools that let an LLM read and query IDA’s database. These include operations for retrieving function listings, examining control‑flow graphs, extracting symbol information, and even navigating cross‑references. The result is a seamless experience where the assistant can answer questions like “What does this function do?” or “Show me all calls to in the binary” while automatically pulling accurate data from the analysis engine. For developers, this means they can prototype new AI‑driven debugging or malware analysis features without writing low‑level IDA scripts themselves.

Key capabilities of the server are designed with simplicity and extensibility in mind. The MCP interface automatically handles authentication, request routing, and response formatting, so the assistant can treat IDA like any other data source. Developers can also define custom prompts and sampling strategies to tailor the assistant’s responses, ensuring that output is concise and relevant. Because the server runs independently of IDA, it can be deployed on a build machine or in a CI pipeline, making it ideal for automated code‑review bots or continuous security testing.

Real‑world use cases abound: a security analyst can ask an AI assistant to walk through the decompiled code of a suspicious executable, receive annotated explanations, and then trigger automated patch suggestions; a reverse engineer can request a high‑level overview of all API calls within a module and instantly get a summarized graph; or an educational platform could expose IDA’s internals to students via a conversational interface, lowering the barrier to learning binary analysis. In each scenario, the MCP server removes manual friction and lets developers focus on higher‑level logic.

What sets IDA MCP Server apart is its lightweight, plugin‑free operation. With the new mode (available from IDA Pro 9.0+), it no longer requires installing a dedicated plugin or running IDA in the background—just the server and the MCP client. This minimal footprint, combined with robust debugging tools like the MCP inspector, makes it a practical choice for both hobbyists and enterprise teams looking to embed deep binary analysis into AI‑powered applications.