ghidra: initial capa explorer extension MVP

[vaishakh787]

ghidra: Implement a capa explorer plugin as a Ghidra extension #1980

Summary

Hey @mike-hunhoff , This PR introduces an initial MVP implementation of a capa explorer Ghidra extension.

The purpose of this draft PR is to validate the overall architecture and
integration approach before implementing full capa analysis functionality.

This work aims to replace the current script-based Ghidra workflow with a
proper, installable Ghidra extension that mirrors the IDA Pro capa explorer
plugin experience.

---

Current functionality

• Ghidra extension packaged using the standard Ghidra extension mechanism
• Java Swing–based UI integration (no PyQt)
• Menu action: Tools ->Run capa analysis
• Plugin lifecycle and registration validated
• Java -> Python execution bridge implemented
• Extension data directory handling verified
• Minimal Python entry point for execution testing

This MVP confirms that the extension:

• installs cleanly
• enables correctly via Ghidra’s plugin manager
• executes code from the UI
• provides a stable foundation for further development

---

Non-goals for this PR

This PR intentionally does not implement:

• Full capa rule execution
• Feature extractor integration
• Rule management or selection UI
• Result tree view
• Program navigation, bookmarks, or highlighting
• Full parity with the IDA capa explorer plugin

These will be implemented incrementally after architectural review.

---

Design notes

• UI is implemented entirely in Java Swing, consistent with Ghidra plugin requirements
• Python is used only for capa execution logic
• No PyQt usage (Ghidra main-thread constraint)
• Architecture mirrors the IDA explorer separation of concerns:
  • Java: UI and Ghidra integration
  • Python: capa execution and result processing
• Extension is implemented alongside the existing script-based integration
  without breaking backward compatibility

---

Repository layout

capa/ghidra/
├── helpers.py
├── plugin/
│ ├── capa_explorer.py # existing script integration
│ └── extension/ # new Ghidra extension (this PR)
│ ├── Module.manifest
│ ├── extension.properties
│ ├── build.gradle
│ ├── data/
│ │ └── python/
│ └── src/
│ └── main/java/capa/ghidra/

---

Related to #1980

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[github-actions]

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[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @vaishakh787, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request lays the foundational architecture for integrating the capa analysis tool directly into Ghidra as a native extension. It transitions the existing script-based workflow into a more robust, installable plugin, providing a dedicated UI component and a menu action to initiate capa analysis. This MVP focuses on establishing the core framework and communication between Ghidra's Java environment and capa's Python logic, setting the stage for comprehensive feature development.

Highlights

• Initial MVP for Capa Explorer Extension: This pull request introduces the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for a capa explorer Ghidra extension, establishing the foundational architecture for integrating capa analysis directly into Ghidra.
• Transition from Script-based to Extension-based Workflow: The new implementation moves away from the existing script-based Ghidra workflow, providing a proper, installable Ghidra extension that mirrors the IDA Pro capa explorer plugin experience.
• Hybrid Architecture (Java UI, Python Logic): The extension utilizes Java Swing for its user interface and Ghidra integration, while employing a Python execution bridge to handle the core capa analysis logic, ensuring compatibility with Ghidra's main-thread constraints.
• New 'Run capa analysis' Menu Action: A new menu action, 'Tools → Run capa analysis', has been added, allowing users to trigger capa analysis directly from the Ghidra UI.
• Core Functionality Validation: The MVP successfully validates key functionalities, including clean installation, correct enablement via Ghidra’s plugin manager, and the ability to execute code from the UI, providing a stable base for future development.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces a solid MVP for a capa explorer Ghidra extension. The architecture with a Java Swing UI and a Python backend for analysis is a good approach. My review includes suggestions to clean up some boilerplate code, improve error handling and configuration, and some minor code style points. Specifically, I've pointed out unused template files in the capaexplorer package that should be removed, and suggested improvements for handling Python executable paths and exception logging.

[mike-hunhoff]

This seems reasonable so far, but we want to utilize PyGhidra to bridge Java and Python. This implementation creates a separate process to run Python. Additionally, the already analyzed Ghidra database (program object) should be passed to capa for analysis, so the initial binary analysis does not need to be completed twice.

[mike-hunhoff]

PyGhidra should serve as the Python <-> Java bridge. Running Python in a separate process doesn't count 🙂

[vaishakh787]

Thanks for the clarification @mike-hunhoff that makes sense.

You're right: launching Python as a separate process is not the intended model here.
I’ll rework the bridge to use PyGhidra directly for in-process Java ↔ Python execution.

The updated approach will be:

• Use PyGhidra as the execution bridge
• Pass the already-loaded Program object into Python
• Avoid reloading or reanalyzing the binary
• Reuse the existing Ghidra analysis database for capa

For this draft PR, my goal was to validate extension packaging and UI wiring.
I’ll update the implementation to follow the PyGhidra-based design next.

Thanks for pointing this out — I’ll push an update shortly.