| # Getting started with REA |
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| These steps follow the official [REA Get Started guide](https://rea.tools/get-started/). Commands can change between releases, so check the official guide if anything here doesn't work. This repository was tested with `rea-agents` 6.7.0 and Node.js 22. |
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| ## What you need |
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| - **Node.js 22.19+, 24.11+ or 26+** (npm is included). Check with: |
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| ```bash |
| node -v |
| npm -v |
| ``` |
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| - **A coding agent** that supports local MCP servers, such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code or OpenCode |
| - **A terminal:** PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS, any terminal on Linux |
| - **For native binaries only:** an existing Hopper, Ghidra or IDA installation. JavaScript and .NET inspection don't need one. |
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| ## 1. Install Node.js (if needed) |
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| **Windows (PowerShell)** |
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| ```powershell |
| winget install --exact --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS |
| ``` |
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| **macOS** |
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| ```bash |
| brew install node |
| ``` |
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| Or install the LTS `.pkg` from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/). |
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| **Linux** (from the official guide, using fnm) |
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| ```bash |
| curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash |
| # reopen the terminal, then: |
| fnm install 24 |
| fnm use 24 |
| fnm default 24 |
| ``` |
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| ## 2. Connect REA to your agent |
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| ```bash |
| npx rea-agents@latest setup |
| ``` |
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| To set up one specific client: |
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| ```bash |
| npx rea-agents@latest setup --client codex |
| ``` |
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| On Windows, if PowerShell blocks scripts: |
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| ```powershell |
| npx.cmd rea-agents@latest setup |
| ``` |
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| Setup shows you a plan first and changes nothing until you approve. It adds the MCP connection and an investigation skill, and backs up your existing configuration. |
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| Then **fully restart your agent**: start a new terminal session, or quit and reopen the desktop app. |
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| ## 3. Check the connection |
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| Replace `codex` with your client's setup ID: |
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| ```bash |
| npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --client codex --json |
| ``` |
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| A healthy setup reports `"healthy": true`. Then ask your agent: |
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| > Check that REA is connected and show me which REA tools you can use. |
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| ## 4. Try it |
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| - Follow this repo's [hands-on walkthrough](../walkthrough/README.md), or |
| - Try the official [Notes example app](https://rea.tools/examples/notes-example.zip) |
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| You can also analyse a JavaScript or Electron app directly from the terminal, without an agent: |
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| ```bash |
| npx -y rea-agents@latest analyze-javascript-application "/absolute/path/to/app" --json |
| ``` |
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| ## Updating |
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| - Global install: `rea update` |
| - npx setup: run `npx rea-agents@latest setup` again, then restart your agent |
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| ## Troubleshooting |
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| - **Tools don't show up in the agent:** run the `doctor` command above, then rerun setup for that client and restart it. |
| - **Output is huge:** REA's JSON evidence can be very large. Save it to a file and use `demo/scripts/summarize-rea-output.js` for JavaScript/Electron results. |
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