DEDUPEDAuthorization notice. rea is dual-use. Only use it on software, sites and systems you own or have explicit permission to test.
Who it is forIndie developer who likes a feature in a desktop app and wants to understand how it is built
The problemThe app has no public source code, so you cannot tell how the feature is put together.
The outcomeA written explanation of how the feature works, with the evidence listed and unknowns flagged.
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
- Run npx rea-agents setup, pick your agent, approve the changes, then restart the agent.
- Ask your agent to investigate one specific feature in the target app using REA.
- Ask it to show the evidence for each claim and mark anything it is guessing.
- Read the explanation and ask follow-up questions about the parts you will reuse.
Prompt for your agent
Use REA to work out how <feature> works in <app> at <path>. Show the evidence, flag what you are guessing, and summarize the design in plain words. Verify every claim points to a file, symbol or observed behavior.
Caveat. Only analyze software you own or are licensed to inspect, and check the app's license terms. REA can only infer backend logic from what the client exposes.
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
- Rebuild a feature you saw, in your own project Have your agent study a feature in an app, then write and test a version for your codebase.
- Map how a website's front end behaves Let your agent inspect a site's page structure, scripts and network calls and explain what the client does.
- Pull apart a game's web build Use your agent to inspect a game's WASM web build and surface what it contains.
- Understand traffic from a saved HAR or SAZ file Feed a saved network capture to your agent to see requests, responses and the payloads they expose.
- List modules and IPC in an Electron app Run one command on an extracted Electron app or ASAR to see its modules, imports and process boundaries.
- List types and methods in a Unity game Decode a Unity IL2CPP metadata file to see assembly images, type names and method names.
- Get readable pseudocode from a native binary Connect your agent to Hopper, Ghidra or IDA and ask what a native program's function does.
- Check what an Android APK declares and does Inspect an APK's manifest, classes and decompiled methods to see what the app declares.
Disclaimer
Deduped lists open-source repositories that belong to other people. We do not own, maintain, audit, or vouch for any of them, and a repo appearing here is not an endorsement or a safety check. The use cases, steps, and prompts are written by AI and may be incomplete, outdated, or just wrong. Where a use case is marked "Seen in the wild", we link to public posts where someone described something similar, but we have not verified those posts and the use case itself is still our AI's own write-up. Use all of this at your own risk. Only run code, commands, or agents on systems and accounts you are authorized to use, and read the code and every command before you run it, especially anything that touches credentials, files, or the network. Nothing here is professional, security, legal, or financial advice. All trademarks and project names belong to their respective owners, and their use here does not imply affiliation. Content is provided as is, without warranties of any kind. Found a mistake, a safety problem, or something you want removed? Email [email protected] and we will look at it promptly. Full disclaimer page