ida_rename_global_variable

Rename global variables in IDA databases to improve code readability and maintain consistent naming conventions during reverse engineering analysis.

Instructions

Rename a global variable in the IDA database

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`old_name`	Yes
`new_name`	Yes

Implementation Reference

src/mcp_server_ida/server.py:47-49 (schema)
Pydantic input schema for the ida_rename_global_variable tool, defining old_name and new_name as strings.
```
class RenameGlobalVariable(BaseModel):
    old_name: str
    new_name: str
```

src/mcp_server_ida/server.py:963-967 (registration)

MCP tool registration in list_tools(), specifying name, description, and input schema.

Tool(
    name=IDATools.RENAME_GLOBAL_VARIABLE,
    description="Rename a global variable in the IDA database",
    inputSchema=RenameGlobalVariable.schema(),
),

src/mcp_server_ida/server.py:527-547 (handler)

MCP server-side handler in IDAProFunctions class that proxies the rename request to the IDA plugin via socket communication.

def rename_global_variable(self, old_name: str, new_name: str) -> str:
    """Rename a global variable"""
    try:
        response: Dict[str, Any] = self.communicator.send_request(
            "rename_global_variable", 
            {"old_name": old_name, "new_name": new_name}
        )
        
        if "error" in response:
            return f"Error renaming global variable from '{old_name}' to '{new_name}': {response['error']}"
        
        success: bool = response.get("success", False)
        message: str = response.get("message", "")
        
        if success:
            return f"Successfully renamed global variable from '{old_name}' to '{new_name}': {message}"
        else:
            return f"Failed to rename global variable from '{old_name}' to '{new_name}': {message}"
    except Exception as e:
        self.logger.error(f"Error renaming global variable: {str(e)}", exc_info=True)
        return f"Error renaming global variable from '{old_name}' to '{new_name}': {str(e)}"

plugin/ida_mcp_server_plugin.py:201-205 (handler)

Socket server dispatch in IDA plugin that routes 'rename_global_variable' requests to the core handler.

elif request_type == "rename_global_variable":
    response.update(self.core.rename_global_variable(
        request_data.get("old_name", ""),
        request_data.get("new_name", "")
    ))

plugin/ida_mcp_server_plugin/ida_mcp_core.py:369-398 (handler)

Core IDA plugin handler (@idawrite decorated) that implements the rename logic using IDA APIs: get_name_ea to find address and set_name to rename the global variable.

def rename_global_variable(self, old_name: str, new_name: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Rename a global variable"""
    return self._rename_global_variable_internal(old_name, new_name)
    
def _rename_global_variable_internal(self, old_name: str, new_name: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Internal implementation for rename_global_variable without sync wrapper"""
    try:
        # Get variable address
        var_addr: int = ida_name.get_name_ea(0, old_name)
        if var_addr == idaapi.BADADDR:
            return {"success": False, "message": f"Variable '{old_name}' not found"}
        
        # Check if new name is already in use
        if ida_name.get_name_ea(0, new_name) != idaapi.BADADDR:
            return {"success": False, "message": f"Name '{new_name}' is already in use"}
        
        # Try to rename
        if not ida_name.set_name(var_addr, new_name):
            return {"success": False, "message": f"Failed to rename variable, possibly due to invalid name format or other IDA restrictions"}
        
        # Refresh view
        self._refresh_view_internal()
        
        return {"success": True, "message": f"Variable renamed from '{old_name}' to '{new_name}' at address {hex(var_addr)}"}
    
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error renaming variable: {str(e)}")
        traceback.print_exc()
        return {"success": False, "message": str(e)}

ida-mcp-server