REA is installed. Why can’t my agent use it?

“Installed” can mean a package exists in a cache, a command runs in a terminal, or an agent has a working MCP connection. Those are different states. Start by identifying which one you actually have.

The tools never appear in the agent

Check that setup targeted the client and profile you are now using. Then fully restart that client. A running session may not pick up a new MCP registration.

The matching workflow instructions and the MCP connection are also separate pieces. Installing only a skill does not make the server’s tools appear. Use the official setup flow if the registration is missing, and inspect its plan before applying changes.

If a scoped doctor report passes but your current session still has no tools, inspect the client’s MCP startup error. Doctor can inspect configuration; it cannot prove that this already-running agent connected.

A terminal command works, but the editor fails

Compare the runtime used by each environment. A GUI app may start with a different PATH from the terminal. Also check that you are reading the error from the intended profile rather than an older session.

The current package requires a supported Node patch release. “I have Node 22” is not enough if it is below the current minimum. Our setup guide includes the documented version floors checked for this launch.

Doctor says the environment is unhealthy

Read the failed scope. A missing native provider may be irrelevant to a static JavaScript task. The official documentation distinguishes explicit scope checks from informational checks.

For a client-specific investigation:

npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --client codex --json

For a Ghidra-specific investigation:

npx -y rea-agents@latest doctor --provider ghidra --json

These commands diagnose different questions. Choose one because of the failing workflow, not because a global report looks alarming.

Native analysis fails to start

Preserve the engine’s availability reason and target details. Confirm that the selected provider supports your host and artifact. A provider startup timeout and a client tool-call timeout are different deadlines.

Do not launch the same expensive operation repeatedly after a host timeout. A missing response does not establish that the previous operation stopped. Inspect the state and the documented recovery path before retrying.

For a large binary, a narrower function query may be more useful than asking for everything at once. If the error names a specific setting and its supported range, follow that remediation rather than changing unrelated limits.

The agent refuses the request

A refusal is not evidence of a broken REA installation. State the legitimate target, your authorization and the bounded learning objective. If the request remains unavailable, choose a permitted fixture or inspect an open-source example.

Reports of refusals vary by client, request and time. We link them as community experiences in the research roundup; they do not establish that every client rejects every REA task.

Make your bug report useful

Include the REA version, client, operating system, target format, exact failing command or operation, smallest reproduction and error output. Remove secrets before sharing logs. Include whether the same static CLI task works outside the agent.

Update through the official package workflow when the project recommends it, then refresh the setup and restart the relevant client if required. Keep the reproduction the same so you can tell whether the change actually resolved the problem.