| name | memtrace-search |
| description | Find source code with Memtrace hybrid BM25+semantic search: symbols, functions, classes, types, constants, definitions, implementations, logic, or error strings inside code. Use when the user wants to find, search, locate, or look up code or asks where code lives. Do not use Grep, Glob, rg, find, or manual file search for code discovery. If Memtrace returns 0 results, broaden the Memtrace query and diagnose/reindex; do not switch to grep. |
Overview
Find code using hybrid BM25 + semantic search (RRF). Primary discovery tool — use before relationship or impact analysis.
Quick Reference
| Tool | Best For |
|---|
find_code | Natural-language queries, broad searches |
find_symbol | Exact identifier names |
get_source_window | Bounded source read when harness lacks Read(offset, limit) |
Parameter types: Numbers must be JSON numbers — not strings.
find_code parameters
| Param | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|
query | yes | — | Natural language or symbol text |
repo_id | no | all repos | |
limit | no | 20 | Max 100 |
file_path | no | — | Path/directory substring filter |
as_of | no | now | ISO-8601 time-travel |
include_diagnostics | no | false | Set true for id, score in results |
No kind param on find_code — use find_symbol(kind=...) to filter by symbol type.
{ "query": "authentication middleware", "repo_id": "memdb", "limit": 20 }
find_symbol parameters
| Param | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|
name | yes | — | Symbol name to search |
repo_id | no | all repos | |
fuzzy | no | false | API field exists; currently exact-match in backend |
edit_distance | no | 2 | Only when fuzzy enabled |
kind | no | — | Function, Class, Method, etc. |
file_path | no | — | Path substring filter |
limit | no | 10 | Max 50 |
{ "name": "validateToken", "repo_id": "memdb", "file_path": "auth" }
Full parameter spec for every Memtrace tool: references/mcp-parameters.md (bundled at the memtrace-skills plugin root).
Steps
1. Choose the tool
- Exact name →
find_symbol
- Behaviour description →
find_code
- All repos → omit
repo_id
2. Execute search
Result shape: see Output below.
3. Hand off to graph tools
Save name, scope_path, and file_path — not internal IDs:
{ "repo_id": "memdb", "symbol": "validateToken" }
{ "repo_id": "memdb", "target": "validateToken", "direction": "both" }
{ "repo_id": "memdb", "target": "validateToken", "query_type": "find_callers" }
Read source only when editing — bounded Read(offset, limit) at returned lines.
Multi-word queries
- Try verbatim
find_code query.
- If weak, fan out: camelCase, snake_case, domain identifiers.
- Dedupe top hits by
file_path:start_line.
Output
One find_code / find_symbol result entry:
{
"name": "validateToken",
"kind": "Function",
"file_path": "src/auth/token.rs",
"start_line": 42,
"scope_path": "auth::token"
}
score (and id) appear only with include_diagnostics: true.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Reality |
|---|
find_code(kind=...) | kind only on find_symbol |
Passing symbol id to graph tools | Use name as symbol / target |
Assuming fuzzy: true always works | Backend is exact-match today — try spelling variants |
Skipping list_indexed_repositories | Verify repo is indexed first |
