Begin with a small program you own or an explicitly permitted practice binary. Learn file formats, registers, memory, basic assembly and control flow before asking a decompiler to explain a function. Use Ghidra to navigate one string or decision, record the evidence trail, then add a debugger only when a question requires runtime observation.
Four practical stages
Identify the executable format and architecture. Compile a tiny program with one branch and compare source with instructions. Find that branch in Ghidra from a string or reference. Check your explanation with a controlled input.
Measure progress
A good first result is one claim supported by an address, instructions and an observed test. Keep the original binary and note your changes. Readable pseudocode is a reconstruction, not the original source or a guarantee for every input.
Requirements & evidence
- Resource type
- Guide
- Category
- Unknown
- Host platforms
- Unknown
- Targets
- native
- Level
- Beginner
- Source checked
- 2026-11-03T04:27:22.132323+00:00
Primary sources
Source descriptions establish documented scope. They do not establish that every workflow has been reproduced by AI Craft Pad.