ida-init

ida-init

Initialize the ida-headless-mcp plugin so the MCP server can start successfully.

CRITICAL RULES

• NEVER run shell commands to start, stop, or diagnose the MCP server process. No Start-Process, Get-Process, netstat, Get-NetTCPConnection, or direct binary execution. The server lifecycle is managed entirely by the MCP client (Claude Code / Codex).
• NEVER guess or construct paths to ida-mcp-server*.exe or launch.py — always use $ROOT/scripts/launch.py.
• When the plugin shows × failed or any MCP tool returns an error, run THIS skill — not shell commands.

Steps

1. Locate $ROOT: Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} if set. Otherwise search for the nearest directory containing .claude-plugin/plugin.json or .codex-plugin/plugin.json.

2. Run the initializer:

   python "$ROOT/scripts/launch.py" init --skip-build
   

   If python is unavailable, retry with python3.

3. Forward user flags verbatim if provided:

   • --ida-path "/path/to/IDA" — override IDA auto-detection
   • --skip-ida / --skip-python / --skip-build — skip individual steps Always keep --skip-build for plugin installs (prebuilt binaries are already shipped).

4. Stream the output to the user. Every step prints a checkmark or an actionable hint.

5. After success, tell the user to reconnect the MCP server:

   • Claude Code: run /mcp and click Reconnect, or restart Claude Code.
   • Codex: start a new session or run codex mcp list to confirm.

Common failures and fixes

Failure	Fix
IDA installation not found	Pass --ida-path "<absolute path>" or set IDA_PATH env var
idalib import fails	IDA version is too old: need IDA Pro 9.0+ or IDA Essential 9.2+
Prebuilt binary missing	This platform is not shipped. Rebuild from source: cd src && make prebuilt
pip install fails	Check network connectivity and Python version (need 3.10+)

IDA path examples

• Windows: C:\Program Files\IDA Pro 9.3 or F:\Tool\IDA Professional 9.3
• macOS: /Applications/IDA Pro 9.3.app/Contents/MacOS
• Linux: /opt/idapro-9.3 or ~/idapro-9.3

Do not silently proceed past errors — surface the actionable hint each failed step prints.