rea/docs/cli.md

# CLI and Evidence

Use the CLI for a direct inspection or a script. It uses the same application
workflows and evidence contracts as REA's MCP server. Each CLI invocation is a
separate process; save results when you want to use them in a later command.

## Run a command

After [installing REA](installation.md), use `rea`. You can also run a command
without a global installation:

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

Use an extracted application directory or an ASAR as the target. Static
JavaScript analysis returns the application graph and Evidence directly.
Generic `rea analyze PATH` selects this workflow for directories and `.asar`
files when neither `--provider` nor `--snapshot` is supplied. See
[JavaScript artifact reconstruction](javascript-artifact-reconstruction.md)
for results, integrity checks and coverage.

The complete application Evidence can be hundreds of megabytes for a real
application. When an agent or a person reads the result, save it to a file and
project a summary, a module page or one module from the saved Evidence:

```bash
rea analyze-javascript-application /absolute/path/to/app --json > app-evidence.json
jq -c '{source: {kind: "inline", evidence: .}, view: {kind: "summary"}}' app-evidence.json > app-view.json
rea inspect-analysis-view app-view.json
```

For example, a 334 MB Obsidian application Evidence file yields a summary view
of about 10 KB. Replace the view with
`{"kind": "page", "collection": "modules", "offset": 0, "limit": 32}` for a
module page. See
[JavaScript application workflows](javascript-application-workflows.md) for
views, feature traces and comparisons that take the same saved Evidence.

## Native analysis

Inspect embedded Go build metadata without installing Go or configuring a
disassembler:

```bash
rea inspect-go-binary /absolute/path/to/program --json
```

The shared CLI/MCP workflow reports compiler version, modules, replacements,
build settings, original bytes and SHA-256. See [Go binaries](go-binaries.md)
for supported containers and absent or malformed metadata.

Configure [Hopper or Ghidra](installation.md#hopper), or the
[IDA adapter](ida-provider.md), before analyzing a native target. Substitute
your target, search text and function name or address in these examples:

```bash
rea analyze /absolute/path/to/program --provider ghidra --json
rea search /absolute/path/to/program "search" --provider ghidra --json
rea function /absolute/path/to/program main --provider ghidra --json
rea decompile /absolute/path/to/program 0x1000 --provider ghidra --json
rea xrefs /absolute/path/to/program 0x1000 --provider ghidra --json
rea trace /absolute/path/to/program "search" --provider ghidra --json
```

`analyze` and `inspect` share the native overview workflow. `function` returns
a function dossier; `decompile` returns pseudocode. For assembly instructions
alone, use `rea instructions`. A macOS `.app` bundle can be supplied directly.

Run `rea --help` or a command's `--help` for arguments and output options.
The [generated catalog](product-catalog.json) lists all CLI commands and MCP
tools. Provider-specific target support is described in the
[native guide](native-investigation.md), [DOS guide](ghidra-dos.md),
[raw binary guide](raw-binary.md), and
[Windows Ghidra guide](windows-ghidra-p0.md).

## Choose a provider

List the available providers and their supported operations:

```bash
rea providers --json
rea capabilities --json
```

These commands describe binary-session providers and auxiliary capabilities.
For the complete MCP surface, use the connected server's tool list and the
session's advertised availability; individual guides describe prerequisites.

With automatic selection, REA uses the single available provider that supports
the target. When several providers support it, select one explicitly:

```bash
rea analyze /absolute/path/to/program --provider hopper
```

Set `REA_ANALYSIS_PROVIDER` for a standing preference. An explicit `--provider`
overrides it. In MCP, pass `provider_id` to `open_binary`:

```json
{
  "path": "/absolute/path/to/program",
  "provider_id": "hopper"
}
```

The selected provider remains bound to the session until an explicit switch
or close. Provider failures are returned with their original reason. For an
`ambiguous` selection error, choose from `details.candidate_ids`; for
`provider_unavailable`, run `rea doctor --provider ID --json` to diagnose the
selected engine. See [task readiness](installation.md#check-readiness-for-your-task)
and [provider selection](mcp-contracts.md#identity-and-discovery).

The session reports work still in progress through `analysis_activity`.
A client timeout can end its wait while the provider continues analyzing.
`cleanup_incomplete` identifies resources whose shutdown or removal could not
be verified. See [MCP contracts](mcp-contracts.md) for session lifecycle and
[Ghidra first-query deadlines](mcp-contracts.md#ghidra-first-query-deadlines-and-recovery)
for import, client timeouts and recovery.

## Save and reuse analysis snapshots

A snapshot retains successful analysis results for later queries. REA reuses
an exact result when the target bytes, operation, parameters, provider and
settings match. Mutations and cursor-dependent calls are excluded from the
cache. Snapshot files are local and use owner-only permissions.

Snapshots retain eligible target-scoped question histories in full, including
mutation Evidence recorded while another target was active. Observations and
related questions must still belong to the saved target. If those dependencies
cannot be retained, the entire history is excluded instead of reverting the
question to an earlier revision or disposition.

```bash
rea analyze /absolute/path/to/program --provider ghidra --snapshot /absolute/path/to/analysis/program.json
# Repeat the same query to reuse its saved result.
rea analyze /absolute/path/to/program --provider ghidra --snapshot /absolute/path/to/analysis/program.json
```

An exact CLI cache hit is read before starting a provider process.
In MCP, `open_binary` accepts `snapshot_path` to import a snapshot atomically
for its matching target; an MCP provider may still start before returning a
cached result. `close_binary` accepts `snapshot_path` and optional
`overwrite: true` to save before releasing provider resources. A failed save
leaves the session open so the caller can resolve the output failure.

The MCP save receipt reports `primitive_entries`, `workflow_entries`, and
`evidence_records` separately. Zero primitive bindings can still accompany retained workflow
results and Evidence. These are cached observations, not a saved provider
database: only eligible exact queries can reuse a result, and new or live
queries can still require provider startup. The CLI uses the same snapshot
format and preserves these records when loading and updating it.

## Import, export and compare Evidence

Evidence records retain artifact identity, source locations, observations,
inferences and unresolved findings. Validate an existing bundle, export its
canonical form, or compare two supplied bundles:

```bash
rea evidence-import /absolute/path/to/evidence/bundle.json
rea evidence-export /absolute/path/to/evidence/bundle.json /absolute/path/to/evidence/canonical.json
rea compare /absolute/path/to/evidence/left.json /absolute/path/to/evidence/right.json
```

Exports preserve an existing destination unless `--overwrite` is explicit.
For application traces and version comparisons, see
[JavaScript application workflows](javascript-application-workflows.md).
MCP [retained Evidence references](mcp-contracts.md#retained-application-evidence-inputs)
belong to one connection. Separate CLI calls consume full saved records.

## Import historical source

Import an older source tree to compare with the current artifact:

```bash
rea import-reference-source /absolute/path/to/source
```

The import records hashes and metadata for the supplied files, separately
from observations of the current app. It honors the source tree's `.gitignore`
and applies default exclusions for common generated and dependency paths such
as `node_modules/`, `dist/`, and `*.log`. Pattern-based exclusions record the
matched pattern and whether it came from project, default, caller, or sensitive
path policy. Set `REA_REFERENCE_SECRET_PATTERNS_JSON` to a JSON array of ignore
patterns when you want to mark selected paths as sensitive; those patterns are
reported separately as configured-secret exclusions.

Re-import saved graphs whose pattern-based exclusions lack `pattern` before
using them in source-to-bundle comparisons.

JavaScript and TypeScript import parsing requires valid UTF-8. Malformed source
bytes retain their original hashes and sizes with a decoding diagnostic; REA
does not infer module targets from replacement characters.

Historical-source import requires safe no-follow file opens on Linux or
macOS. Native Windows returns `unsupported_host`; use Linux REA inside WSL
or another supported host. See
[source-to-bundle comparison](javascript-application-workflows.md#historical-source-to-bundle-comparison)
for mapping identities, inferences and unknowns.

## Capture runtime behavior

Choose the guide for the target and intended interaction:

- [Browser observation](browser-observation.md): inspect a selected page through CDP.
- [Browser scenarios](browser-scenario-contract.md): run declared interactions and capture their results.
- [Electron observation](electron-observation.md): inspect an Electron renderer or capture an application scenario.
- [Node/Electron Inspector](javascript-runtime-observation.md): record script locations and execution contexts.
- [Process capture](process-capture.md): run an executable and compare terminal, exit and filesystem observations.

Runtime requests name the target and actions. Launched targets run with your
user permissions; consult the chosen guide for host requirements and effects.

## Output and exit status

The default terminal format is TOON. Use `--json` when saving results for a
JSON consumer. `--json` is indented on a terminal and compact when piped or
redirected, which keeps large results smaller for agents and scripts; pipe
through `jq .` for indented files. Output selection and formatting do not change
operation status.

| Status    | Meaning                                                                                                                                              |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0`       | The operation completed. Its result may include partial evidence, warnings or unresolved questions.                                                  |
| `1`       | The operation could not complete. Structured output identifies invalid input, permissions, cancellation, timeouts or another failure when available. |
| `128 + N` | Signal `N` ended the process, where the shell or runtime preserves the conventional signal-derived status.                                           |

`setup --dry-run` returns `planned` and exits `0`; a cancelled setup also exits
`0`. Setup returns `1` for `needs_confirmation` or `needs_human`.
`doctor` returns `1` when required checks in its selected readiness scope fail;
unavailable optional providers remain informational for unrelated tasks.

Enable `pipefail` in a supporting shell so a downstream formatter preserves
REA's failure status:

```bash
set -o pipefail
rea inspect-artifact ./app.asar --json | jq . > inspection.json
```