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reverse-engineer

Expert reverse engineer specializing in binary analysis, disassembly, decompilation, and software analysis. Masters IDA Pro, Ghidra, radare2, x64dbg, and modern RE toolchains.

41

Quality

41%

Does it follow best practices?

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SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No findings from the security scan

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tessl review fix ./skills/reverse-engineer/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

42%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This skill covers reverse engineering broadly but suffers from a mismatch between its stated scope (common RE scripting environments) and its actual content (general RE methodology and patterns). It over-explains concepts Claude already knows (calling conventions, XOR obfuscation, basic RE phases) while under-delivering on actionable scripting examples for the tools it lists. The content would benefit from being significantly trimmed and refocused on concrete, executable scripting examples for the named tools.

Suggestions

Remove or drastically condense sections Claude already knows (calling conventions, common code patterns, security ethics) and replace with concrete, executable scripting examples for the listed tools (IDAPython, r2pipe, angr, pwntools, etc.).

Add validation checkpoints to the analysis methodology—e.g., 'Verify disassembly accuracy by cross-referencing with dynamic analysis before documenting findings.'

Align the skill's content with its stated topic: provide actual code snippets showing how to use each scripting environment (e.g., an IDAPython script to rename functions, an angr script to solve a constraint, an r2pipe script to extract strings).

Move the detailed example interactions and code pattern references into the referenced `resources/implementation-playbook.md` file, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with clear pointers.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill extensively explains concepts Claude already knows well—calling conventions, common code patterns like XOR obfuscation, anti-debugging checks, and basic RE methodology phases. The security/ethics section and 'when to use/not use' boilerplate add significant padding. Much of this is general RE knowledge that doesn't need to be spelled out.

2 / 5

Actionability

There are some concrete code examples (C patterns, GDB commands, shell commands) and the CTF/DLL examples provide semi-actionable guidance. However, much of the content is high-level methodology description rather than executable steps. The scripting environments listed in the header are never actually demonstrated with code—no IDAPython, r2pipe, angr, or pwntools examples are provided despite being the stated topic.

3 / 5

Workflow Clarity

The four-phase methodology (Reconnaissance → Static → Dynamic → Documentation) provides a clear sequence, and the example interactions show step-by-step approaches. However, there are no validation checkpoints or feedback loops—no 'verify your analysis before proceeding' steps. For RE tasks involving dynamic analysis in VMs, missing validation/verification steps are a notable gap.

3 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The skill references `resources/implementation-playbook.md` for detailed examples, which is good progressive disclosure in principle. However, no bundle files are provided, so we can't verify this reference exists. The skill itself inlines a substantial amount of content (calling conventions, code patterns, full example interactions) that could be better organized into separate reference files. The structure has sections but could be more concise at the top level with details pushed to references.

3 / 5

Total

11

/

20

Passed

Description

39%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description identifies a clear domain (reverse engineering) and lists relevant tools, which helps with distinctiveness. However, it reads more like a resume summary than a skill description—it uses first-person-adjacent phrasing ('Expert', 'Masters') rather than describing concrete actions, and completely lacks 'when to use' guidance. The absence of specific tasks (e.g., 'analyzes binaries', 'reconstructs control flow', 'identifies vulnerabilities') and trigger conditions significantly weakens its utility for skill selection.

Suggestions

Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with trigger phrases like 'reverse engineer a binary', 'analyze malware', 'disassemble an executable', 'decompile', '.exe', 'ELF', 'firmware'.

Replace the persona-style framing ('Expert reverse engineer', 'Masters') with concrete action verbs describing what the skill does: e.g., 'Disassembles binaries, decompiles executables, analyzes malware samples, reconstructs program logic from compiled code.'

Include common file extensions and formats users might mention (.exe, .dll, .so, .elf, PE, ELF, Mach-O) to improve trigger term coverage.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Names the domain (reverse engineering, binary analysis) and lists tools, but the actual actions are generic category names ('disassembly, decompilation, software analysis') rather than concrete tasks the skill performs. 'Masters IDA Pro' describes expertise rather than specific actions.

2 / 5

Completeness

Has a vague 'what' (reverse engineering, binary analysis) but completely lacks any 'when' clause or trigger guidance. There is no 'Use when...' or equivalent, which per the rubric should cap completeness at 3, and the 'what' itself is not concrete enough to merit even that.

2 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Includes relevant technical keywords like 'binary analysis', 'disassembly', 'decompilation', 'IDA Pro', 'Ghidra', 'radare2', 'x64dbg' that users might mention. However, it misses natural user phrases like 'analyze a binary', 'reverse a malware sample', 'crack', 'patch', 'firmware analysis', 'ELF', 'PE', '.exe', 'assembly code'.

3 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Reverse engineering is a fairly distinct niche, and the mention of specific tools (IDA Pro, Ghidra, radare2, x64dbg) helps differentiate it. Minor overlap risk with general security or malware analysis skills, but mostly distinct.

4 / 5

Total

11

/

20

Passed

Validation

90%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
administrakt0r/AI-Agents-Safe-Coding-Skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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