dEXE is both an executable binary that can be run, and a library that can be used in Rust programs.

Installing the command-line executable

Assuming you have Rust/Cargo installed, run this command in a terminal:

cargo install dexe

It will make the dexe command available in your PATH if you've allowed the PATH to be modified when installing Rust. cargo uninstall dexe uninstalls.

Adding `dexe` library as a dependency

Run this command in a terminal, in your project's directory:

cargo add dexe

To add it manually, edit your project's Cargo.toml file and add to the [dependencies] section:

dexe = "0.1.1"

The dexe library will be automatically available globally. Read the dexe library documentation.

Back to the crate overview.

Readme

dEXE

An agentic x86_64 ELF/PE binary decompiler that converts machine instructions into functional C99 code.

dEXE accepts x86_64 ELF and PE binaries, disassembles them, lifts the assembly to an SSA-inspired intermediate representation, reconstructs control flow basic blocks, and outputs valid, compilable C99 source code.

Key Features

Format Agnostic: Supports both Linux ELF and Windows PE (portable executable) formats for x86_64 architectures using the object crate.
Robust Disassembly: Equipped with Capstone for accurate instruction parsing.
Basic Block & CFG Extraction: Rebuilds functions and their control flow graphs by analyzing jumps, calls, and returns.
SSA IR Lifter: Maps assembly instructions into an intermediate representation (IR) format while versioning registers to mimic Single Static Assignment.
C99 Output Generator: Translates IR logic into compilable C code preserving control flow structure using standard goto topologies and local register variables.

Project Architecture

dEXE is constructed with modular separation of concerns:

frontend: Parses the target binary, locates the .text section, and disassembles instructions.
cfg: Identifies Basic Blocks and constructs the Control Flow Graph.
ir: Parses operand variants, maps instructions to IR Opcodes, and manages register versions.
backend: Formats registers and stack access, then emits C99 structure with helper definitions.

Installation

From Crates.io

cargo install dexe

From Source

git clone https://github.com/turtle170/dEXE.git
cd dEXE
cargo build --release

Usage

# Decompile a binary and output the C source
dexe -i <PATH_TO_BINARY> -o <PATH_TO_OUTPUT_C>

# Output with detailed logging
RUST_LOG=info dexe -i test.exe -o test.c

Command Line Interface Options

Options:
  -i, --input <INPUT>    Path to the input binary (x86_64 ELF or PE)
  -o, --output <OUTPUT>  Path to write the decompiled C99 source file
  -h, --help             Print help
  -V, --version          Print version

Testing and Verification

dEXE has been verified against a variety of test fixtures including optimized Rust binaries containing complex features such as recursive Ackerman computations, bitwise chaotic LCGs, and Collatz conjecturing nested loops. A generated C output includes standard stack simulation:

BLOCK_0x140001120:
    {
        rsp = rsp - 0x48ULL;
        *(uint64_t*)((uintptr_t)rsp + 0x38) = rcx;
        rflags = ((uint64_t)(rcx) == (uint64_t)(0x1ULL)) | ...
        if ((rflags & 1) || (rflags & 2)) goto BLOCK_0x140001148;
    }

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

Installing the command-line executable

Adding dexe library as a dependency

Adding `dexe` library as a dependency