Headless IDA
Install
pip install headless-ida
Usage
Use it as a normal Python module.
# Initialize HeadlessIda
from headless_ida import HeadlessIda
headlessida = HeadlessIda("/path/to/idat64", "/path/to/binary")
# Import IDA Modules (make sure you have initialized HeadlessIda first)
import idautils
import ida_name
# Or Import All IDA Modules at Once (idaapi is not imported by default)
# from headless_ida.ida_headers import *
# Have Fun
for func in idautils.Functions():
print(f"{hex(func)} {ida_name.get_ea_name(func)}")
Run a function inside IDA
run() executes a synchronous function in IDA and returns its pickleable result. Put imports inside the function.
def analyze(prefix="", *, limit=100):
import idautils
import ida_name
return tuple(
(ea, ida_name.get_ea_name(ea))
for ea in idautils.Functions()
if ida_name.get_ea_name(ea).startswith(prefix)
)[:limit]
result = headlessida.run(analyze, "sub_", limit=50)
Use it as a command line tool.
# Interactive Console
$ headless-ida /path/to/idat64 /path/to/binary
Python 3.8.10 (default, Nov 14 2022, 12:59:47)
[GCC 9.4.0] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
(InteractiveConsole)
>>> import idautils
>>> list(idautils.Functions())[0:10]
[16384, 16416, 16432, 16448, 16464, 16480, 16496, 16512, 16528, 16544]
>>>
# Run IDAPython Script
$ headless-ida /path/to/idat64 /path/to/binary idascript.py
# One-liner
$ headless-ida /path/to/idat64 /path/to/binary -c "import idautils; print(list(idautils.Functions())[0:10])"
# In case you like IPython
$ headless-ida /path/to/idat64 /path/to/binary -c "import IPython; IPython.embed();"
Advanced Usage
Remote Server
Start a Headless IDA server
$ headless-ida-server /path/to/idat64 localhost 1337 &
Connect to the server in Python script
# Initialize HeadlessIda
from headless_ida import HeadlessIdaRemote
headlessida = HeadlessIdaRemote("localhost", 1337, "/path/to/local/binary")
# Import IDA Modules (make sure you have initialized HeadlessIda first)
import idautils
import ida_name
# Have Fun
for func in idautils.Functions():
print(f"{hex(func)} {ida_name.get_ea_name(func)}")
Connect to the server in command line
# Interactive Console
$ headless-ida localhost:1337 /path/to/local/binary
# Run IDAPython Script
$ headless-ida localhost:1337 /path/to/local/binary idascript.py
# One-liner
$ headless-ida localhost:1337 /path/to/local/binary -c "import idautils; print(list(idautils.Functions())[0:10])"
Resources
- Headless IDA Examples
- IDAPython Official Documentation
- IDAPython Official Examples: 1, 2
Known Issues
from XXX import *
- Using
from XXX import *syntax with certain ida modules (like idaapi, ida_ua, etc.) is currently unsupported due to SWIG and RPyC compatibility issues. We recommend importing specific items withfrom XXX import YYY, ZZZ, or importing the entire module usingimport XXX. - The issue arises because SWIG, employed for creating Python bindings for C/C++ code, generates intermediary objects (SwigVarlink) that RPyC, our remote procedure call mechanism, cannot serialize or transmit correctly.
1 maintainer
Metadata
1 maintainer
Release files for headless-ida 0.6.8
For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.
Source distribution (sdist)
| File | Size | Uploaded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| headless_ida-0.6.8.tar.gz | 176.9 kB | Details |
Built distribution (wheel)
| File | Interpreter | ABI | Platform | Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| headless_ida-0.6.8-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details |
Total release size: 189.8 kB
Release files / headless_ida-0.6.8.tar.gz
| Download URL | headless_ida-0.6.8.tar.gz |
|---|---|
| Size | 176.9 kB |
| Tags | Source |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
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Transparency logRelease files / headless_ida-0.6.8-py3-none-any.whl
| Download URL | headless_ida-0.6.8-py3-none-any.whl |
|---|---|
| Size | 12.9 kB |
| Tags | Python 3 |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
627fa81c2bdf4cc5b5848f6b2ff7ad3f8f4281affc512510320ecbdbbbba60e6
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Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14
|
Provenance
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PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Sep 8, 2026.
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