How to install REA (rea-agents)

Unofficial guide. This site is an independent community guide and is not affiliated with the REA project. For authoritative docs see the official REA website and the morluto/rea GitHub repository. Commands here are taken from the official README/docs (checked 2026-10-13); REA changes quickly, so verify against the official docs.

1. Check Node.js

REA requires Node.js 22.x (≥22.19), 24.x (≥24.11), or 26+, plus npm. Check with:

node -v
npm -v

2. Run setup

npx rea-agents setup

Choose your agents, review the proposed changes and approve them. Setup adds REA's MCP server and workflow instructions (a skill), backs up existing configuration, and asks separately before installing Hopper. Restart your agent afterward. For the newest release use npx rea-agents@latest setup; with Bun use bunx rea-agents@latest.

3. (Optional) Install the rea CLI globally

npm install --global rea-agents
rea --help

4. Try it from the terminal

Inspect an extracted JavaScript/Electron app directory or ASAR (no native engine needed):

npx -y rea-agents@latest analyze-javascript-application /absolute/path/to/app --json

5. Native analysis engine (optional)

For native binaries REA uses an existing Hopper, Ghidra or IDA installation; setup can install Hopper on approval. Check one engine with:

rea doctor --provider ghidra --json

Update

rea update                      # npm/bun global install
npx rea-agents@latest setup     # npx users: refresh agent setup

Bun global updates need Bun 1.2.17+.

Uninstall

rea uninstall
rea uninstall --purge-data   # also removes REA cache/state under ~/.rea

Uninstall keeps Hopper, Node.js, evidence files and other MCP servers.

FAQ