About IDA MCP Server

What is IDA MCP Server: Future-Proof AI Workflows & Enterprise Model Scaling?

IDA MCP Server is a cutting-edge Model Context Protocol (MCP) server engineered to bridge human expertise with Large Language Models (LLMs) for intelligent reverse engineering workflows. By leveraging IDA Pro's database capabilities, this server empowers organizations to automate complex analysis tasks while ensuring seamless scalability for enterprise-grade model deployments. Designed for forward-thinking teams, it offers a dynamic interface for AI-driven disassembly and code comprehension without requiring manual plugin installations or IDA Pro version gymnastics.

How to Use IDA MCP Server: Future-Proof AI Workflows & Enterprise Model Scaling?

Adopting this solution involves three core steps:

Installation: Choose between the robust uv framework for rapid setup or traditional pip installation, ensuring compatibility with your existing tech stack
Configuration: Integrate with Claude Desktop via YAML profiles, enabling bidirectional communication between analysts and LLMs
Optimization: Deploy debug tools to monitor real-time performance metrics, maintaining operational efficiency even during large-scale disassembly campaigns

For advanced users, the development documentation provides hooks for custom middleware implementations.

IDA MCP Server Features

Key Features of IDA MCP Server

Version-Agnostic Architecture: Works across IDA Pro versions 7.0+ without legacy compatibility layers
Contextual Querying: Enables precise LLM interactions using disassembly context fingerprints
Scalable Debugging: Built-in profiling tools for pinpointing performance bottlenecks during large-scale analysis
Community-Backed: Actively maintained with quarterly roadmap updates based on user feedback

Use Cases for Enterprise Adoption

Organizations leverage this platform in:

Automating malware triage by correlating disassembly patterns with threat intelligence feeds
Accelerating firmware analysis for IoT device security audits
Enabling collaborative analysis workflows between red teams and reverse engineering specialists

IDA MCP Server FAQ

FAQ: Getting the Most from IDA MCP Server

Q: Does this require IDA Pro licenses?: A: Full functionality requires valid IDA Pro licenses, though evaluation modes allow limited use for proof-of-concepts
Q: Can I use custom LLM models?: A: Yes! The MCP framework supports plugin-based integrations for enterprise LLM deployments
Q: What's the recommended deployment size?: A: Works effectively from single-analyst workstations up to distributed clusters for 100k+ function analysis

System Architecture Overview

Content

IDA MCP Server

[!NOTE] The idalib mode is under development, and it will not require installing the IDA plugin or running IDA (idalib is available from IDA Pro 9.0+).

Overview

A Model Context Protocol server for IDA interaction and automation. This server provides tools to read IDA database via Large Language Models.

Please note that mcp-server-ida is currently in early development. The functionality and available tools are subject to change and expansion as we continue to develop and improve the server.

Installation

Using uv (recommended)

When using uv no specific installation is needed. We will use uvx to directly run mcp-server-ida.

Using PIP

Alternatively you can install mcp-server-ida via pip:

pip install mcp-server-ida

After installation, you can run it as a script using:

python -m mcp_server_ida

IDA-Side

Copy repository/plugin/ida_mcp_server_plugin.py into IDAs plugin directory.

Configuration

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Using uvx

"mcpServers": {
  "git": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": [
        "mcp-server-ida"
    ]
  }
}

Using pip installation

"mcpServers": {
  "git": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": [
        "-m", 
        "mcp_server_ida"
    ]
  }
}

Debugging

You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-ida

Or if you've installed the package in a specific directory or are developing on it:

cd path/to/mcp-server-ida/src
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-ida

Running tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log will show the logs from the server and may help you debug any issues.

Development

If you are doing local development, there are two ways to test your changes:

Run the MCP inspector to test your changes. See Debugging for run instructions.
Test using the Claude desktop app. Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

UVX

{
"mcpServers": {
  "git": {
    "command": "uv",
    "args": [ 
      "--directory",
      "/<path to mcp-server-ida>/src",
      "run",
      "mcp-server-ida"
    ]
  }
}

Screenshots

Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2 Screenshot 3

IDA MCP Server: Future-Proof AI Workflows & Enterprise Model Scaling