IDAPython Skill | Agent Skills

IDAPython

Use modern ida_* modules. Avoid legacy idc module.

Module Router

| Task | Module | Key Items | |------|--------|-----------| | Bytes/memory | ida_bytes | get_bytes, patch_bytes, get_flags, create_* | | Functions | ida_funcs | func_t, get_func, add_func, get_func_name | | Names | ida_name | set_name, get_name, demangle_name | | Types | ida_typeinf | tinfo_t, apply_tinfo, parse_decl | | Decompiler | ida_hexrays | decompile, cfunc_t, lvar_t, ctree visitor | | Segments | ida_segment | segment_t, getseg, add_segm | | Xrefs | ida_xref | xrefblk_t, add_cref, add_dref | | Instructions | ida_ua | insn_t, op_t, decode_insn | | Stack frames | ida_frame | get_frame, define_stkvar | | Iteration | idautils | Functions(), Heads(), XrefsTo(), Strings() | | UI/dialogs | ida_kernwin | msg, ask_*, jumpto, Choose | | Database info | ida_ida | inf_get_*, inf_is_64bit() | | Analysis | ida_auto | auto_wait, plan_and_wait | | Flow graphs | ida_gdl | FlowChart, BasicBlock | | Register tracking | ida_regfinder | find_reg_value, reg_value_info_t |

Core Patterns

Iterate functions

for ea in idautils.Functions():
    name = ida_funcs.get_func_name(ea)
    func = ida_funcs.get_func(ea)

Iterate instructions in function

for head in idautils.FuncItems(func_ea):
    insn = ida_ua.insn_t()
    if ida_ua.decode_insn(insn, head):
        print(f"{head:#x}: {insn.itype}")

Cross-references

for xref in idautils.XrefsTo(ea):
    print(f"{xref.frm:#x} -> {xref.to:#x} type={xref.type}")

Read/write bytes

data = ida_bytes.get_bytes(ea, size)
ida_bytes.patch_bytes(ea, b"\x90\x90")

Names

name = ida_name.get_name(ea)
ida_name.set_name(ea, "new_name", ida_name.SN_NOCHECK)

Decompile function

cfunc = ida_hexrays.decompile(ea)
if cfunc:
    print(cfunc)  # pseudocode
    for lvar in cfunc.lvars:
        print(f"{lvar.name}: {lvar.type()}")

Walk ctree (decompiled AST)

class MyVisitor(ida_hexrays.ctree_visitor_t):
    def visit_expr(self, e):
        if e.op == ida_hexrays.cot_call:
            print(f"Call at {e.ea:#x}")
        return 0

cfunc = ida_hexrays.decompile(ea)
MyVisitor().apply_to(cfunc.body, None)

Apply type

tif = ida_typeinf.tinfo_t()
if ida_typeinf.parse_decl(tif, None, "int (*)(char *, int)", 0):
    ida_typeinf.apply_tinfo(ea, tif, ida_typeinf.TINFO_DEFINITE)

Create structure

udt = ida_typeinf.udt_type_data_t()
m = ida_typeinf.udm_t()
m.name = "field1"
m.type = ida_typeinf.tinfo_t(ida_typeinf.BTF_INT32)
m.offset = 0
m.size = 4
udt.push_back(m)
tif = ida_typeinf.tinfo_t()
tif.create_udt(udt, ida_typeinf.BTF_STRUCT)
tif.set_named_type(ida_typeinf.get_idati(), "MyStruct")

Strings list

for s in idautils.Strings():
    print(f"{s.ea:#x}: {str(s)}")

Wait for analysis

ida_auto.auto_wait()  # Block until autoanalysis completes

Key Constants

| Constant | Value/Use | |----------|-----------| | BADADDR | Invalid address sentinel | | ida_name.SN_NOCHECK | Skip name validation | | ida_typeinf.TINFO_DEFINITE | Force type application | | o_reg, o_mem, o_imm, o_displ, o_near | Operand types | | dt_byte, dt_word, dt_dword, dt_qword | Data types | | fl_CF, fl_CN, fl_JF, fl_JN, fl_F | Code xref types | | dr_R, dr_W, dr_O | Data xref types |

Critical Rules

NEVER convert hex/decimal manually — use int_convert MCP tool
Wait for analysis: Call ida_auto.auto_wait() before reading results
Thread safety: IDA SDK calls must run on main thread (use @idasync)
64-bit addresses: Always assume ea_t can be 64-bit

Anti-Patterns

| Avoid | Do Instead | |-------|------------| | idc.* functions | Use ida_* modules | | Hardcoded addresses | Use names, patterns, or xrefs | | Manual hex conversion | Use int_convert tool | | Blocking main thread | Use execute_sync() for long ops | | Guessing at types | Derive from disassembly/decompilation |

Detailed API Reference

For comprehensive documentation on any module, read docs/<module>.md:

High-use: ida_bytes, ida_funcs, ida_hexrays, ida_typeinf, ida_name, idautils
Medium-use: ida_segment, ida_xref, ida_ua, ida_frame, ida_kernwin
Specialized: ida_dbg (debugger), ida_nalt (netnode storage), ida_regfinder (register tracking)

Full RST sources from hex-rays.com available at docs/<module>.rst.

Agent Skills: IDAPython

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