Reverse engineering becomes accessible to coding agents with REA, a new tool that lets agents inspect programs and explain their function. The system allows agents to examine source code, decompile instructions, and reconstruct how software operates. Users can set up REA via a simple terminal command, after which the agent can analyze any target program.
The tool addresses the fundamental question of how software works by examining the program itself, enabling users to understand features well enough to explain, change, or rebuild them. A notable example involves the Windows Calculator, where REA revealed that the % button takes a percentage of the first number, explaining why 200 + 10% equals 220. The tool also applies to gaming, demonstrated with Chrome's dinosaur game, where REA inspected the running script to reveal speed rules.
The agent can then rebuild these rules in a new game with adjustable settings. REA works by reading the actual code and settings from the running program, returning them to the agent for analysis. The process involves inspecting the target, having the agent rebuild the rule, and allowing the user to change parameters and test the results.
The system successfully extracted acceleration parameters from the dinosaur game, showing it starts at 6, increases by 0.001 each update, and caps at 13.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing