Show HN: Ghidra MCP Server – 110 tools for AI-assisted reverse engineering

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A production-ready Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges Ghidra's powerful reverse engineering capabilities with modern AI tools and automation frameworks.

• Full MCP Compatibility - Complete implementation of Model Context Protocol
• 110 MCP Tools Available - Comprehensive API surface for binary analysis
• Production-Ready Reliability - Tested batch operations and atomic transactions
• Real-time Analysis - Live integration with Ghidra's analysis engine

• Function Analysis - Decompilation, call graphs, cross-references
• Data Structure Discovery - Automatic struct/union/enum creation
• String Extraction - Comprehensive string analysis and categorization
• Import/Export Analysis - Symbol table and library dependency mapping
• Memory Mapping - Complete memory layout documentation
• Cross-Binary Documentation - Function hash matching across binary versions

• Automated Development Cycle - Complete build-test-deploy-verify pipeline
• Ghidra Script Management - Create, run, and manage Ghidra scripts via MCP
• Multi-Program Support - Switch between and compare multiple open programs
• Batch Operations - Efficient bulk renaming, commenting, and typing

• Java 21 LTS (OpenJDK recommended)
• Apache Maven 3.9+
• Ghidra 12.0.2 (or compatible version)
• Python 3.8+ with pip

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/bethington/ghidra-mcp.git
   cd ghidra-mcp

2. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Copy Ghidra libraries (see Library Dependencies for full list):

   # Windows - run the provided batch script
   copy-ghidra-libs.bat "C:\path\to\ghidra_12.0.2_PUBLIC"
   
   # Linux/Mac - copy manually from your Ghidra installation
   # See Library Dependencies section below for all 14 required JARs

4. Build the plugin:

   mvn clean package assembly:single -DskipTests

5. Deploy to Ghidra:

   # Windows (automated)
   .\deploy-to-ghidra.ps1
   
   # Or manually copy to Ghidra Extensions
   Copy-Item target\GhidraMCP-2.0.0.zip "C:\ghidra\Extensions\Ghidra\"

python bridge_mcp_ghidra.py

python bridge_mcp_ghidra.py --transport sse --mcp-host 127.0.0.1 --mcp-port 8081

1. Start Ghidra and load a binary
2. Go to Tools > GhidraMCP > Start MCP Server
3. The server runs on http://127.0.0.1:8080/ by default

• MCP Tools: 110 tools fully implemented
• Speed: Sub-second response for most operations
• Efficiency: 93% reduction in API calls via batch operations
• Reliability: Atomic transactions with all-or-nothing semantics
• Deployment: Automated version-aware deployment script

• check_connection - Verify MCP connectivity
• get_metadata - Program metadata and info
• get_version - Server version information
• get_entry_points - Binary entry points discovery

• list_functions - List all functions (paginated)
• search_functions_by_name - Search functions by name/pattern
• search_functions_enhanced - Advanced function search with filters
• decompile_function - Decompile function to C pseudocode
• get_decompiled_code - Get decompiled code by address
• get_function_callers - Get function callers
• get_function_callees - Get function callees
• get_function_call_graph - Function relationship graph
• get_full_call_graph - Complete call graph for program
• analyze_function_complete - Comprehensive function analysis
• analyze_function_completeness - Documentation completeness score

• list_segments - Memory segments and layout
• get_function_by_address - Function at address
• disassemble_function - Disassembly listing
• disassemble_bytes - Raw byte disassembly
• get_xrefs_to - Cross-references to address
• get_xrefs_from - Cross-references from address
• get_bulk_xrefs - Bulk cross-reference lookup
• analyze_data_region - Analyze memory region structure
• inspect_memory_content - View raw memory content
• detect_array_bounds - Detect array boundaries

• get_function_hash - SHA-256 hash of normalized function opcodes
• get_bulk_function_hashes - Paginated bulk hashing with filter
• get_function_documentation - Export complete function documentation
• apply_function_documentation - Import documentation to target function
• build_function_hash_index - Build persistent JSON index
• lookup_function_by_hash - Find matching functions in index
• propagate_documentation - Apply docs to all matching instances

• list_data_types - Available data types
• search_data_types - Search for data types
• create_struct - Create custom structure
• add_struct_field - Add field to structure
• modify_struct_field - Modify existing field
• remove_struct_field - Remove field from structure
• create_enum - Create enumeration
• get_enum_values - Get enumeration values
• create_array_type - Create array data type
• apply_data_type - Apply type to address
• delete_data_type - Delete a data type
• consolidate_duplicate_types - Merge duplicate types
• get_valid_data_types - Get list of valid Ghidra types

• list_imports - Imported symbols and libraries
• list_exports - Exported symbols and functions
• list_external_locations - External location references
• list_strings - Extracted strings with analysis
• list_namespaces - Available namespaces
• list_globals - Global variables
• create_label - Create label at address
• batch_create_labels - Bulk label creation
• delete_label - Delete label at address
• batch_delete_labels - Bulk label deletion
• rename_label - Rename existing label
• rename_or_label - Rename or create label

• rename_function - Rename function by name
• rename_function_by_address - Rename function by address
• rename_data - Rename data item
• rename_variables - Rename function variables
• rename_global_variable - Rename global variable
• rename_external_location - Rename external reference
• batch_rename_function_components - Bulk renaming
• set_decompiler_comment - Set decompiler comment
• set_disassembly_comment - Set disassembly comment
• set_plate_comment - Set function plate comment
• get_plate_comment - Get function plate comment
• batch_set_comments - Bulk comment setting

• set_function_prototype - Set function signature
• set_local_variable_type - Set variable type
• set_parameter_type - Set parameter type
• batch_set_variable_types - Bulk type setting
• set_variable_storage - Control variable storage location
• set_function_no_return - Mark function as non-returning
• list_calling_conventions - Available calling conventions
• get_function_variables - Get all function variables
• get_function_labels - Get labels in function

• list_scripts - List available scripts
• run_script - Run a script
• list_ghidra_scripts - List custom Ghidra scripts
• save_ghidra_script - Save new script
• get_ghidra_script - Get script contents
• run_ghidra_script - Execute Ghidra script
• update_ghidra_script - Update existing script
• delete_ghidra_script - Delete script

• list_open_programs - List all open programs
• get_current_program_info - Current program details
• switch_program - Switch active program
• list_project_files - List project files
• open_program - Open program from project
• compare_programs_documentation - Compare documentation between programs

• find_next_undefined_function - Find undefined functions
• find_undocumented_by_string - Find functions by string reference
• batch_string_anchor_report - String anchor analysis
• search_byte_patterns - Search for byte patterns
• get_assembly_context - Get assembly context
• analyze_struct_field_usage - Analyze structure field access
• get_field_access_context - Get field access patterns
• create_function - Create function at address
• get_function_jump_target_addresses - Get jump targets

See docs/README.md for complete documentation.

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   AI/Automation │◄──►│   MCP Bridge    │◄──►│  Ghidra Plugin  │
│     Tools       │    │ (bridge_mcp_    │    │ (GhidraMCP.jar) │
│  (Claude, etc.) │    │  ghidra.py)     │    │                 │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
        │                       │                       │
   MCP Protocol            HTTP REST              Ghidra API
   (stdio/SSE)          (localhost:8080)      (Program, Listing)

• bridge_mcp_ghidra.py - Python MCP server that translates MCP protocol to HTTP calls
• GhidraMCP.jar - Ghidra plugin that exposes analysis capabilities via HTTP
• ghidra_scripts/ - Collection of 70+ automation scripts for common tasks

# Build the plugin (skip integration tests)
mvn clean package assembly:single -DskipTests

# Deploy to Ghidra
.\deploy-to-ghidra.ps1

ghidra-mcp/
├── bridge_mcp_ghidra.py     # MCP server (Python)
├── src/main/java/           # Ghidra plugin (Java)
├── lib/                     # Ghidra library dependencies
├── ghidra_scripts/          # 70+ automation scripts
├── docs/                    # Documentation
│   ├── prompts/            # AI workflow prompts
│   ├── releases/           # Version release notes
│   └── project-management/ # Project docs
├── examples/                # Example usage
└── scripts/                 # Build/utility scripts

The lib/ folder must contain Ghidra JAR files for compilation. Run the provided script to copy them from your Ghidra installation:

# Windows
copy-ghidra-libs.bat "C:\path\to\ghidra_12.0.2_PUBLIC"

# Or manually copy from your Ghidra installation

Required Libraries (14 JARs, ~37MB):

Note: Libraries are NOT included in the repository (see .gitignore). You must copy them from your Ghidra installation before building.

• Automated Deployment: Version-aware deployment script
• Batch Operations: Reduces API calls by 93%
• Atomic Transactions: All-or-nothing semantics
• Comprehensive Logging: Debug and trace capabilities

• Documentation Index - Complete documentation navigation
• Project Structure - Project organization guide
• Naming Conventions - Code naming standards
• Hungarian Notation - Variable naming guide

• Prompts Overview - AI prompting system guide
• Function Documentation Workflow - Complete workflow
• Quick Start Prompt - Simplified beginner workflow
• Cross-Version Matching - Hash-based matching

• Complete Changelog - All version release notes
• Release Notes - Detailed release documentation

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed contribution guidelines.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Build and test your changes (mvn clean package assembly:single -DskipTests)
4. Update documentation as needed
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and release notes.

• Ghidra Team - For the incredible reverse engineering platform
• Model Context Protocol - For the standardized AI integration framework
• Contributors - For testing, feedback, and improvements

• re-universe — Ghidra BSim PostgreSQL platform for large-scale binary similarity analysis. Pairs perfectly with GhidraMCP for AI-driven reverse engineering workflows.
• cheat-engine-server-python — MCP server for dynamic memory analysis and debugging.

Ready for production deployment with enterprise-grade reliability and comprehensive binary analysis capabilities.