open-source-cli-flag
Trace a CLI flag in an open-source tool
Ask your agent to locate where a documented flag is parsed — on a repo you already cloned.
Call-site reveal
flag --verbose
parse parseArgs()
use Logger.setLevel()
Community guide
Give your coding agent eyes for software you may inspect.
rea.run is an unofficial bilingual home for REA (Reverse Engineer Anything) — MCP + CLI workflows, install notes, and original teaching examples. Source of truth stays on GitHub.
Agent prompt
Paste into your coding agent
› Install REA for this agent with npx rea-agents@latest setup. Show the setup plan for my approval, then verify the MCP connection. Use only targets I am authorized to analyze.
CLI
Or run setup yourself
$ npx rea-agents@latest setup
What is reverse engineering?
Understand a rule by reading the program — not the brochure.
Original puzzle: a local job runner retries failed tasks. Why do waits look like 1s → 2s → 4s → stop?
Backoff lab
Micro-demo of the observed wait pattern — not a live REA session.
1s2s4sstop
01
Find the scheduler
Hunt config keys and log lines by hand.
02
Decode the delay
Linear, capped, or exponential?
03
Name the stop rule
Max attempts? Max delay? Both?
Ask in plain language. REA returns Evidence from a target you may inspect; the agent explains the branch and cites locations.
› Use REA on /abs/path/to/our-job-runner. Why do retries wait 1s, 2s, then 4s and stop? Show the delay function and limits. Do not modify files.
Examples
Two teaching blocks — original scenarios
your-electron-export-path
Find an export path in your Electron app
- Goal
- List entry modules and the function that writes the export file.
- Why reverse engineer
- Support asked “where does CSV leave the app?” and you want the agent to gather the graph first.
- Sample prompt
- Use REA to inspect /absolute/path/to/our-electron-app (or the .asar we ship). Show export-related entry points, calls, and source locations. Mark anything unresolved.
Capabilities
Chunked by target surface
Native
Binaries via BYO engines
Ghidra, Hopper, or IDA you already own. REA does not install them for you.
JS · Electron
Static app graphs
Inspect folders or ASAR-style artifacts without a native decompiler.
Browser · agent
MCP-connected workflows
Coding agents call local tools; humans keep approvals and verification.