IDA Pro MCP server

IDA Pro MCP Server is a plugin that enables AI assistants like Claude to interact directly with IDA Pro for binary analysis tasks. It provides a standardized interface through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) that allows querying and controlling IDA Pro remotely, giving AI tools the ability to assist with disassembly, decompilation, and other binary analysis operations.

Installation

Prerequisites: IDA Pro version 9.0 or higher

1. Install the required Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Copy the ida-mcp-server.py file to the appropriate IDA Pro plugins directory based on your operating system:

Windows: %Programfiles%\IDA Pro 9.0\plugins\
Linux: ~/.idapro/plugins/
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/IDA Pro/plugins/

Configuration

Setting up Claude or VSCode

To connect an AI assistant to the IDA Pro MCP Server, add the following configuration to the mcp.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "IDAPro": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3000/sse",
      "type": "sse"
    }
  }
}

Using IDA Pro MCP Server

1. Open a binary file in IDA Pro
2. The plugin will automatically load and start the MCP server on port 3000
3. Connect your AI assistant to this server
4. Begin analyzing the binary through the AI assistant interface

Available Analysis Tools

The MCP server provides numerous functions for binary analysis:

Basic Information

• get_bytes: Retrieve raw byte data from a specific address
• get_segments: Get information about all segments in the binary
• get_entry_point: Identify the entry point of the binary

Code Analysis

• get_disasm: Get disassembly at a specified address
• get_decompiled_func: Get C-like pseudocode for the function at a specified address

Function Management

• get_function_name: Get the name of a function at a specific address
• get_functions: List all functions in the binary
• make_function: Define a new function at a specified address
• undefine_function: Remove a function definition

Cross-References

• get_xrefs_to: Find all cross-references to a specified address

Imports and Exports

• get_imports: View all imported functions
• get_exports: View all exported functions

Data Type Retrieval

• get_dword_at: Get the dword (4 bytes) at a specified address
• get_word_at: Get the word (2 bytes) at a specified address
• get_byte_at: Get a single byte at a specified address
• get_qword_at: Get the qword (8 bytes) at a specified address
• get_float_at: Get a float value at a specified address
• get_double_at: Get a double value at a specified address

String Analysis

• get_string_at: Get the string at a specified address
• get_string_list or get_strings: Get all strings in the binary (with addresses)

Best Practices for Binary Analysis

When analyzing binaries through the MCP server, consider this workflow:

1. Start by examining the entry point
2. Review the import table to understand external dependencies
3. Analyze strings to identify potential functionality
4. Identify and examine key functions
5. Use cross-references to understand control flow
6. Examine decompiled code for critical sections
7. Progressively build understanding of the binary's structure and behavior

By following a structured approach and leveraging the MCP server's capabilities, you can efficiently analyze binaries with AI assistance.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.