ghidraMCP for Claude Desktop: Setup & Config

What you can do with ghidraMCP in Claude Desktop

Choose it to bring Ghidra decompilation and renaming into an assistant workflow through a plugin bridge.

• Ask an assistant to decompile and inspect binaries in Ghidra.
• Rename methods and data during reverse-engineering analysis.

Before you start: ghidraMCP in Claude Desktop

• Ghidra
• Python 3
• MCP Python SDK
• The installed and enabled GhidraMCP plugin
• The Python bridge from a project release

Replace the README’s absolute-path placeholder with the bridge location. The HTTP URL is the bridge’s Ghidra backend, not a remote MCP endpoint. Cline can instead use the documented SSE bridge mode.

ghidraMCP Claude Desktop configuration

1. Choose Claude Desktop configuration scope

   For ghidraMCP, open macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Merge under mcpServers via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

2. Add ghidraMCP to Claude Desktop

   Use the GhidraMCP entry below in mcpServers. Keep ghidraMCP's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Desktop entries.

3. Check ghidraMCP in Claude Desktop

   ghidraMCP: Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop; check developer diagnostics.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "GhidraMCP": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "/ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO/bridge_mcp_ghidra.py",
        "--ghidra-server",
        "http://127.0.0.1:8080/"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting ghidraMCP in Claude Desktop

• Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop for ghidraMCP. If python (Python) is missing, check the desktop process's PATH, which may differ from your terminal.
• ghidraMCP uses stdio here: Claude Desktop must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: Requires Ghidra extension installation, restart, and plugin enablement.
• Known limitation: Building from source requires Ghidra JAR files and Maven packaging.
• Known limitation: Individual MCP tool identifiers are Not stated in the README.
• General Claude Desktop troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-desktop guide.

Frequently asked questions