rea/docs/managed-code-analysis.md

Managed-code analysis

REA inspects .NET PE/CLI artifacts without loading or executing their code. It can identify an assembly, inspect metadata and CIL, compare members across builds, and connect declared native calls to supplied native-analysis evidence. CIL is Common Intermediate Language, the instruction format used by managed assemblies.

The seven shipped tools are:

Task	MCP tool
Identify an artifact and its managed deployment form	inspect_managed_artifact
Inspect types, signatures, method bodies, calls, and field access	inspect_managed_members
List declared native calls and native implementation indicators	inspect_managed_native_boundaries
Compare members across builds and map build-local tokens	compare_managed_members
Check native call declarations against supplied export or function evidence	verify_managed_native_boundaries
Import decompiled code against verified static member identities	import_managed_reconstruction
Add managed findings to an application graph	project_managed_application_graph

Each has a matching CLI command: replace underscores with hyphens and prefix the name with rea, for example rea inspect-managed-artifact. Native-body bridge mapping and managed runtime execution are outside the current tool set.

The canonical tool inventory is the build-generated catalog.

Inspect an assembly

rea inspect-managed-artifact /absolute/path/Assembly.dll --json
rea inspect-managed-members /absolute/path/Assembly.dll --json

Use the artifact result to identify the assembly and its metadata coverage. Member results retain build-local tokens, signatures, CIL bodies, and decoded relationships. Use an exact reported full_name with --type when a focused inspection is needed; see selected member inspection. Compare separate builds with member comparison, preserving their paths, digests, and selection scope.

Metadata overview and retained rows

The existing CLI and omitted/complete MCP detail return complete metadata inventories. For identity and classification questions, select inspect_managed_artifact with {"path":"/absolute/path/Assembly.dll","detail":"summary"} on the first call. This keeps the complete source in the session and returns a distinct linked inspect_analysis_view overview with complete PE/CLI, classification and its evidence, metadata status, module/MVID, assembly, frameworks, returned-row counts, coverage/issues and limitations. No assembly is loaded or executed.