axon-code-intel

name	axon-code-intel
description	When and how to use Axon code-intelligence tools (call graphs, impact analysis, dead-code detection, execution-flow tracing) during exploration, implementation, and review. Apply when reasoning about structural impact or navigating an unfamiliar codebase; requires Axon installed.

Skill: Axon Code Intelligence

Purpose

Guide the use of Axon's MCP tools for structural code analysis during planning, execution, and verification.

What Axon Provides

Axon indexes codebases into a knowledge graph — call graphs, type references, execution flows, communities, and dead code detection. It answers questions that text search can't: "what breaks if I change this?", "what calls this function?", "is this code reachable?"

MCP Tools Reference

Tool	What it does	When to use
axon_query	Hybrid search (text + semantic + fuzzy) grouped by execution flow	Finding relevant code by concept, not just name
axon_context	360° view of a symbol — callers, callees, types, dead code status	Understanding a symbol's full dependency web before modifying it
axon_impact	Blast radius grouped by depth with confidence scores	Before changing a function/class — see what breaks
axon_dead_code	All unreachable symbols by file	Cleaning up after refactors, verifying nothing was orphaned
axon_detect_changes	Maps a git diff to affected symbols and flows	During verification — did the changes touch everything they needed to?
axon_list_repos	Lists indexed repositories with stats	Checking if a repo is indexed and current
axon_cypher	Read-only Cypher queries against the knowledge graph	Advanced structural queries not covered by other tools

When to Use at Each Stage

Planning

• axon_query to explore the codebase by concept ("authentication", "payment processing")
• axon_context on key symbols to understand existing architecture before designing changes
• axon_impact to assess risk of proposed changes and inform phase ordering

Execution

• axon_context before modifying any symbol — understand callers, callees, and type dependencies
• axon_impact before changing a function's signature or behavior — check the blast radius
• Use impact results to identify tests and call sites that need updating alongside your change

Verification

• axon_detect_changes to map the phase's diff to affected symbols and execution flows
• axon_dead_code to check if refactors orphaned any code
• axon_impact to verify all affected call sites were updated

Bug Fixing

• axon_context to trace callers and callees around the buggy symbol
• axon_impact to understand what a fix might break
• axon_query to find related code when the bug's root cause isn't in the obvious location

Re-indexing

If the MCP server runs with axon serve --watch, the index stays current automatically (file-local phases update immediately, global phases batch every 30 seconds). A full re-index is only needed after:

• A large merge or rebase while watch mode was not running
• Switching branches with significant structural changes

To re-index: axon analyze . (or axon analyze --full to skip incremental logic).

Checking Availability

Before relying on Axon tools, verify the index exists:

• Run axon_list_repos to check if the current repo is indexed
• If not indexed, inform the user and suggest running axon analyze .