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Use when Miller search misses expected results, ranks surprising hits, returns noisy output, or needs mode/content/region troubleshooting.
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Based on SOC occupation classification
Use before changing existing indexed files with Miller edit, especially symbol rewrites, text replacements, renames, or refactors.
Use when an agent needs extractor-recognized code-shape facts such as routes, htmx attributes, Alpine directives, SQL DDL/DML, or data-document structure.
Use when starting a Miller task, choosing a Miller tool, or choosing a Miller search mode.
Use when tracing Miller bridge paths in supported providers: dotnet-web URL literals and fetch/axios client requests to ASP.NET signals, client requests to Next.js route handlers or Nuxt server routes, Next.js/Nuxt route references to file routes, Vue/React references to route definitions, or backend-http client requests to Express/FastAPI/Flask/Django/Spring/Go/gin/echo/Rails/NestJS/Laravel/Phoenix/axum/actix/Symfony/Ktor route facts.
Use when orienting on an unfamiliar code area with Miller, explaining a module, finding entry points, or gathering context before a change.
Use when assessing blast radius with Miller, choosing tests for a change, answering who uses a symbol, or planning a refactor.
| name | miller-search-debug |
| description | Use when Miller search misses expected results, ranks surprising hits, returns noisy output, or needs mode/content/region troubleshooting. |
| user-invocable | true |
| arguments | <query and expected result> |
| allowed-tools | mcp__miller__search, mcp__miller__inspect, mcp__miller__context, mcp__miller__trace, mcp__miller__workspace |
Diagnose search behavior by checking the query mode, index freshness, projection limits, and whether the expected result exists.
search(query="<original>", limit=20)
search(query="<symbol-ish>", mode="symbol")
search(query="<path-ish>", mode="file")
search(query="<docs or prose>", mode="content")
search(query="<source body text>", mode="source")
search(query="<imported log text>", mode="external")
search(query="<imported web text>", mode="web")
search(query="<broad text>", mode="all-text")
search(query="<comment or literal>", regions="comment|string_literal|doc_comment")
search(query="<known area>", file_pattern="src/ui/**", language="typescript")
exclude_tests=false when tests are expected.name + signature; docs/prose belong in mode=content.mode=source; imported logs/reports and web markdown belong in mode=external or mode=web.content search "<term>" --workspace-id all --kind source|docs|config|external_file|web.mode=file when auto mode looks noisy.file_pattern and language before raising limit.workspace(operation="refresh").search(query="<exact symbol or file>", mode="auto", exclude_tests=false)
inspect(target="<expected-symbol-or-file>")
trace(target="<nearby-symbol>")
context(query="<workflow around expected result>")
Use this shape:
Search Debug: "<query>"
Expected: <symbol/file/text>
Observed:
- <top results or failure>
Diagnosis:
- <wrong mode, stale index, hidden tests, projection limit, region disabled, or true miss>
Next:
- <specific query, refresh, or implementation follow-up>
Do not widen Miller's symbol ranking as a first response. First prove that mode=content, regions=..., file mode, or refresh does not solve the workflow.