rea/docs/installation.md

Installation and setup

Run REA, connect your selected agents, and check the tools needed for your task. Setup previews configuration changes and asks for approval before applying them.

Task	Section
Connect an agent	Start setup, then review changes
Install a Claude Code/Codex plugin	Agent plugins and marketplaces
Diagnose one task	Scoped readiness checks
Configure an analysis engine	Hopper, Ghidra, the IDA guide, or Kuna
Update or remove REA	Maintenance
Resolve a client-specific problem	Client configuration

Start setup

npx rea-agents setup

Choose the agents to configure, review the proposed paths and changes, and approve the plan. npm's package-download approval and REA's setup approval are separate. Setup asks before changing agent configuration or installing Hopper. Restart the agents named in the completion message. Quit Claude Desktop fully before approving, because a running app can overwrite the registration; on Windows, see where Claude Desktop reads its configuration.

During package resolution, npm may print a deprecation warning for prebuild-install from transitive native dependencies (such as Frida). This warning originates from the upstream dependency tree and does not affect REA or indicate setup failure.

For the latest published release, use npx rea-agents@latest setup. Package-runner and global-installation options cover explicit versions, Bun, runtime requirements, and the curl wrapper.

Review setup changes

rea setup first offers the supported agents in a multi-select. Existing REA registrations are selected by default. Newly detected clients remain available but unselected: detection gives setup context, not permission to add a new registration. Clients without a detected configuration can still be selected. Explicit --client flags skip this question.

Setup adds MCP access for selected clients. It installs REA's bundled workflow with those integrations by default; use --skill=false to omit it. If no agent is selected, setup offers the workflow separately for CLI use, with No as the default. Hopper is a separate optional choice: setup shows its proposed installation or connection and requires its own explicit approval. It can also save verified paths for an existing Ghidra installation.

After selection, review the plan's exact paths and changes and approve before REA writes files or installs Hopper. You can cancel at any prompt.

Before applying changes, REA checks your current configuration. The plan lists:

• an existing Hopper installation, a verified existing Ghidra installation, or the official Hopper package it proposes to install;
• each detected agent configuration path;
• each selected REA skill destination;
• external software, network origins, integrity evidence