Ghidra CLI

A high-performance Rust CLI for automating Ghidra reverse engineering tasks, designed for both direct usage and AI agent integration (like Claude Code).

Features

• Direct bridge architecture - CLI connects directly to a Java bridge running inside Ghidra's JVM
• Auto-start bridge - Import/analyze commands automatically start the bridge
• Fast queries - Sub-second response times with Ghidra kept in memory
• Comprehensive analysis - Functions, symbols, types, strings, cross-references
• Binary patching - Modify bytes, NOP instructions, export patches
• Call graphs - Generate caller/callee graphs, export to DOT format
• Search capabilities - Find strings, bytes, functions, crypto patterns
• Script execution - Run Java/Python Ghidra scripts, inline or from files
• Batch operations - Execute multiple commands from a file
• Flexible output - Human-readable, JSON, or pretty JSON formats
• Filtering - Powerful expression-based filtering (e.g., size > 100)

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│   CLI Command   │──TCP──▶ │  GhidraCliBridge.java                │
│   ghidra ...    │         │  (GhidraScript in analyzeHeadless)   │
│   --project X   │         │  ServerSocket on localhost:dynamic   │
└─────────────────┘         └──────────────────────────────────────┘

The CLI connects directly to a Java bridge running inside Ghidra's JVM. This provides:

• Consistent state - Single Ghidra process for all operations
• Fast queries - No JVM startup overhead per command
• Auto-start - Bridge starts automatically when needed
• Per-project isolation - Each project gets its own bridge process and port file, enabling concurrent analysis of multiple binaries
• Minimal dependencies - Only Ghidra + Java required (no Python/PyGhidra)

Installation

From Source

git clone https://github.com/akiselev/ghidra-cli
cd ghidra-cli
cargo install --path .

Requirements

• Ghidra 10.0+ - Download from ghidra-sre.org
• Java 17+ - Required by Ghidra
• Rust 1.70+ - For building from source

Set the Ghidra installation path:

export GHIDRA_INSTALL_DIR=/path/to/ghidra
# Or configure via CLI:
ghidra config set ghidra_install_dir /path/to/ghidra

Quick Start

# Check installation
ghidra doctor

# Import and analyze a binary (bridge auto-starts)
ghidra import ./binary --project myproject --program mybinary
ghidra analyze --project myproject --program mybinary

# Query functions (uses running bridge)
ghidra function list

# Decompile a function
ghidra decompile main

# Find interesting strings
ghidra find string "password"

# Get cross-references
ghidra x-ref to 0x401000

# Generate call graph
ghidra graph callers main --depth 3

Commands

Project & Program Management

ghidra project create <name>           # Create project
ghidra project list                    # List projects
ghidra project delete <name>           # Delete project
ghidra import <binary> --project <p>   # Import binary (auto-starts bridge)
ghidra analyze --project <p>           # Run analysis

Function Analysis

ghidra function list                   # List all functions
ghidra function list --filter "size > 100"  # Filter by size
ghidra decompile <name-or-addr>        # Decompile function
ghidra disasm <address> --instructions 20  # Disassemble instructions

Symbols & Types

ghidra symbol list                     # List symbols
ghidra symbol create <addr> <name>     # Create symbol
ghidra symbol rename <old> <new>       # Rename symbol
ghidra type list                       # List data types
ghidra type get <name>                 # Get type details

Cross-References

ghidra x-ref to <address>              # References TO address
ghidra x-ref from <address>            # References FROM address

Search

ghidra find string "pattern"           # Find strings
ghidra find bytes "90 90 90"           # Find byte patterns
ghidra find function "*crypt*"         # Find functions by name
ghidra find crypto                     # Find crypto constants
ghidra find interesting                # Find interesting patterns

Call Graphs

ghidra graph calls                     # Full call graph
ghidra graph callers <func>            # Who calls this? (--depth optional)
ghidra graph callees <func>            # What does this call? (--depth optional)
ghidra graph export dot                # Export to DOT format

Binary Patching

ghidra patch bytes <addr> "90 90"      # Patch bytes
ghidra patch nop <addr> --count 5      # NOP out instructions
ghidra patch export -o patched.bin     # Export patched binary

Note: patch nop --count is currently parsed by the CLI, but runtime uses single-address NOP behavior.

Comments

ghidra comment get <address>           # Get comment
ghidra comment set <addr> "note" --comment-type EOL  # Set comment
ghidra comment list                    # List all comments

Note: --comment-type currently falls back to EOL due client/bridge argument key mismatch.

Scripts

ghidra script list                     # List available scripts
ghidra script run myscript.py          # Run script file
ghidra script python "print(currentProgram)"  # Inline Python

Batch Operations

ghidra batch commands.txt              # Run commands from file

Statistics

ghidra stats                           # Program statistics
ghidra summary                         # Program summary

Bridge Management

The bridge keeps Ghidra loaded in memory. It starts automatically when needed, but you can also control it manually:

# Start bridge with a program loaded
ghidra start --project myproject --program mybinary

# Check bridge status
ghidra status --project myproject

# All commands use the bridge automatically
ghidra function list --project myproject    # Fast!
ghidra decompile main --project myproject   # Fast!

# Stop bridge
ghidra stop --project myproject

# Restart with different program
ghidra restart --project myproject --program otherbinary

Multi-Project Support

Each project gets its own bridge process and port file, allowing concurrent analysis:

# Work on multiple projects simultaneously
ghidra import ./binary_a --project projA
ghidra analyze --project projA --program binary_a
ghidra import ./binary_b --project projB
ghidra analyze --project projB --program binary_b

# Query each independently
ghidra function list --project projA
ghidra function list --project projB

Output Formats

Default output is human-readable when connected to a terminal. When piped (non-TTY), output auto-detects to compact JSON for machine consumption. Use flags to override:

• Default (TTY): Compact human-readable format (designed for both humans and AI agents)
• Default (pipe): Compact JSON for machine parsing
• --json: Compact JSON for machine parsing
• --pretty: Pretty-printed JSON (indented, multi-line)

Override with flags:

# Force JSON output (compact, single-line)
ghidra function list --json

# Force pretty JSON (indented, multi-line)
ghidra function list --pretty

# Select specific fields
ghidra function list --fields "name,address,size"

Output Format Design

Format detection occurs at the CLI boundary rather than in daemon handlers. Handlers always return compact JSON for IPC efficiency and caching stability. The CLI applies format transformation (human-readable, pretty JSON) at the output boundary based on TTY detection or explicit flags. This design maintains a stable IPC protocol with a single format decision point, preventing daemon cache invalidation from format variations.

Filtering

Use expressions to filter results:

ghidra function list --filter "size > 100"
ghidra function list --filter "name contains 'main'"
ghidra strings list --filter "length > 20"

AI Agent Integration

Ghidra CLI is designed to work seamlessly with AI coding assistants like Claude Code. The structured output and comprehensive command set make it ideal for automated reverse engineering workflows.

Example workflow with an AI agent:

1. ghidra import suspicious.exe --project analysis + ghidra analyze --project analysis - Import, analyze, start bridge
2. ghidra find interesting - AI analyzes suspicious patterns
3. ghidra decompile <func> - AI examines specific functions
4. ghidra x-ref to <addr> - AI traces data flow
5. ghidra patch nop <addr> - AI patches anti-debug code
6. ghidra patch export -o patched.bin - Export patched binary

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Missing X11 Libraries (Linux/WSL)

If you see errors like libXtst.so.6: cannot open shared object file, install X11 libraries:

# Arch Linux / WSL with Arch
sudo pacman -S libxtst

# Ubuntu / Debian / WSL with Ubuntu
sudo apt install libxtst6

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install libXtst

Java Version Issues

Ghidra requires JDK 17 or higher (not just JRE):

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S jdk21-openjdk

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install openjdk-21-jdk

# Verify installation
java -version  # Should show 17+ and include "JDK"

WSL-Specific Notes

WSL requires X11 libraries even for headless operation because Java AWT is loaded during initialization:

1. Install X11 libraries (see above)
2. If using WSL1, consider upgrading to WSL2 for better compatibility
3. Bridge port/PID files are stored in ~/.local/share/ghidra-cli/

Running Doctor

Use the doctor command to verify your installation:

ghidra doctor

This checks:

• Ghidra installation directory
• analyzeHeadless availability
• Project directory configuration
• Config file status

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

License

GPL-3.0 License - See LICENSE for details.