Binary Ninja Headless
Headless Binary Ninja MCP server — giving AI agents deep reverse-engineering capabilities via 180 tools.
What is Binary Ninja Headless?
Binary Ninja Headless is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to headless binary ninja mcp server — giving ai agents deep reverse-engineering capabilities via 180 tools.
Headless Binary Ninja MCP server — giving AI agents deep reverse-engineering capabilities via 180 tools.
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Headless Binary Ninja MCP server — giving AI agents deep rev
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx binary-ninja-headlessConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Binary Ninja Headless
Binary Ninja Headless MCP Server exposes the full power of Binary Ninja's reverse-engineering engine to AI agents through 181 tools spanning disassembly, intermediate language (IL) analysis, type systems, cross-references, patching, scripting, and binary inspection — all without requiring Binary Ninja's GUI. Running in headless mode, the server lets Claude and other MCP clients orchestrate complex binary analysis workflows: lifting functions to BNIL, refining type information iteratively, searching for patterns, patching instructions, and executing arbitrary Binary Ninja Python scripts via binja.eval. Security researchers and malware analysts can use it to automate tedious reverse-engineering tasks through natural language.
Prerequisites
- A valid Binary Ninja license (headless or commercial) installed on your machine
- Python 3.10+ and pip
- The Binary Ninja Python API available in your Python environment (installed with Binary Ninja)
- Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP client
- A binary file to analyze
Install the binary-ninja-headless-mcp package
Clone the repository and install it with pip, or install directly from GitHub.
# Option A: clone and install
git clone https://github.com/mrphrazer/binary-ninja-headless-mcp.git
cd binary-ninja-headless-mcp
pip install .
# Option B: install directly from GitHub
pip install git+https://github.com/mrphrazer/binary-ninja-headless-mcp.gitVerify Binary Ninja headless access
Confirm that the Binary Ninja Python API is accessible in your Python environment. If the import fails, consult the Binary Ninja documentation for headless license activation.
python3 -c "import binaryninja; print(binaryninja.core_version())"Run the server in stdio mode
Start the server manually to verify it launches without errors before configuring your MCP client.
python3 binary_ninja_headless_mcp.pyTest with the fake backend (no license required)
If you do not yet have a Binary Ninja license, start the server with --fake-backend to confirm the MCP connection works. Tools will return stub data.
python3 binary_ninja_headless_mcp.py --fake-backend
# or via environment variable:
BINARY_NINJA_HEADLESS_MCP_FAKE_BACKEND=1 python3 binary_ninja_headless_mcp.pyConfigure Claude Desktop
Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json pointing to the Python script in your cloned repository.
Restart Claude Desktop and load a binary
Restart Claude Desktop and ask Claude to open a binary file for analysis. The server will use Binary Ninja headless to parse, disassemble, and analyze it.
Binary Ninja Headless Examples
Client configuration
Add this block to your claude_desktop_config.json. Replace the path with the absolute path to the binary_ninja_headless_mcp.py script in your cloned repository.
{
"mcpServers": {
"binary-ninja-headless": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/binary-ninja-headless-mcp/binary_ninja_headless_mcp.py"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts in Claude Desktop to perform reverse engineering tasks on loaded binaries.
- "Open /tmp/target.elf and list all functions with their addresses"
- "Disassemble the function at address 0x401234 and explain what it does"
- "Find all cross-references to the string 'password' in the binary"
- "Show me the BNIL (Binary Ninja IL) representation of the main function"
- "Rename the function at 0x401234 to 'parse_user_input' and add a comment explaining its purpose"
- "Search for all calls to 'strcpy' and list the calling functions"Troubleshooting Binary Ninja Headless
ImportError: No module named 'binaryninja' when the server starts
Binary Ninja installs its Python API into a specific location that may not be on your sys.path. Run 'python3 -c "import binaryninja"' using the same Python that runs the server. If it fails, add the Binary Ninja Python path: export PYTHONPATH=/path/to/binaryninja/python3:$PYTHONPATH, then retry.
License activation error in headless mode
Binary Ninja headless requires the license to be activated. Run the Binary Ninja GUI at least once to activate the license, or use the binaryninja.license module to activate headless. Check Binary Ninja's official headless licensing documentation for your platform.
Tools return empty results or analysis is incomplete
Binary Ninja's analysis runs asynchronously. Ask Claude to 'wait for analysis to complete' before querying functions or cross-references, or use the analysis-wait tool if exposed. Large binaries may take 30-60 seconds for initial analysis to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions about Binary Ninja Headless
What is Binary Ninja Headless?
Binary Ninja Headless is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that headless binary ninja mcp server — giving ai agents deep reverse-engineering capabilities via 180 tools. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Binary Ninja Headless?
Follow the installation instructions on the Binary Ninja Headless GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Binary Ninja Headless?
Binary Ninja Headless works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Binary Ninja Headless free to use?
Yes, Binary Ninja Headless is open source and available under the GPL-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Binary Ninja Headless in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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