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AI USE CASES

How to check what an Android APK declares and does with rea

Inspect an APK's manifest, classes and decompiled methods to see what the app declares.

Authorization notice. rea is dual-use. Only use it on software, sites and systems you own or have explicit permission to test.

Who it is forIT admin or security reviewer vetting an Android app before approving it for staff devices

The problemYou cannot tell what permissions and components an APK declares or how its key methods behave.

The outcomeA report of manifest declarations, classes and decompiled methods you can review.

What you need first

  • Node.js 22.x (>=22.19), 24.x (>=24.11), or 26+, plus npm
  • An MCP-capable AI agent such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Gemini CLI
  • For native binaries: Hopper, Ghidra or IDA installed locally
  • For websites: a Chrome-family browser
  • On Linux: a procps-compatible ps on PATH for JavaScript/Electron analysis

Steps

  1. Install headless JADX if you do not have it.
  2. Run npx rea-agents setup and restart your agent.
  3. Ask the agent to analyze the APK with REA and list manifest declarations.
  4. Ask it to decompile and explain the methods that handle the behavior you worry about.

Prompt for your agent

Use REA to analyze the APK at <path to apk>, list its manifest declarations and explain what <suspicious behavior> does in the decompiled methods. Verify each claim cites a class or method.

Caveat. APK analysis depends on JADX being available. Only inspect apps you are authorized to review; decompiled output is an approximation of the original code.

About rea

A plug-in that lets your AI agent take apart an app and explain how a feature works. Part of this week's top 10 repos: ranked #1 on Repo Radar. View morluto/rea on GitHub.

More with rea

See all use cases for morluto/rea

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