<div align="center">
# CodeGraph
Already installed? Run `codegraph upgrade`
Follow [@getcodegraph](https://x.com/getcodegraph) on X for updates.
### Supercharge Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, Gemini, Antigravity, Kiro, GitHub Copilot, and more with Semantic Code Intelligence
**The fastest complete code graph · surgical context · built for how agents actually work · 100% local**
<picture>
<source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/rust-logo-dark.svg?v=1">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/rust-logo.svg?v=1" height="30" alt="Rust" align="center">
</picture> **Kernel powered by Rust**
### [Documentation & Website →](https://colbymchenry.github.io/codegraph/)
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@colbymchenry/codegraph)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://nodejs.org/)
[](#verified-releases)
[](#verified-releases)
[](#supported-platforms)
[](#supported-platforms)
[](#supported-platforms)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
[](#supported-agents)
<br>
**The CodeGraph platform is coming** — for every PR, know exactly what to test, what could break, which flows are affected, and whether business logic is compromised.
<a href="https://getcodegraph.com"><img alt="Join the waitlist for early beta access" src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/waitlist.svg?v=2" height="52"></a>
<sub>Get <b>early beta access</b> to the hosted product · <a href="https://getcodegraph.com">getcodegraph.com</a></sub>
</div>
## Contents
- [Get Started](#get-started)
- [Language Support](#language-support)
- [Why CodeGraph?](#why-codegraph)
- [Key Features](#key-features)
- [Framework-aware Routes](#framework-aware-routes)
- [Mixed iOS / React Native / Expo bridging](#mixed-ios--react-native--expo-bridging)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [How It Works](#how-it-works)
- [CLI Reference](#cli-reference)
- [MCP Tools](#mcp-tools)
- [Library Usage](#library-usage)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Telemetry](#telemetry)
- [Verified releases](#verified-releases)
- [Supported Platforms](#supported-platforms)
- [Supported Agents](#supported-agents)
- [Supported Languages](#supported-languages)
- [Measured cross-file coverage](#measured-cross-file-coverage)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)
## Get Started
### 1. Install the CLI
**No Node.js required** — one command grabs the right build for your OS:
```bash
# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/install.sh | sh
# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/install.ps1 | iex
```
<details>
<summary><b>Already have Node? Use npm instead (works on any version)</b></summary>
```bash
npm i -g @colbymchenry/codegraph
```
<sub>CodeGraph bundles its own runtime — nothing to compile, no native build, works the same everywhere. The installer puts `codegraph` on your PATH but **doesn't change your current shell** — open a new terminal before the next step so the command resolves.</sub>
<sub>**Upgrade any time** with `codegraph upgrade` — it detects how you installed (bundle, npm, or npx) and updates in place. Add `--check` to see if an update is available, or `codegraph upgrade <version>` to pin one.</sub>
</details>
### 2. Wire up your agent(s)
In a **new terminal**, run the installer to connect CodeGraph to the agents you use:
```bash
codegraph install
```
<sub>Detects and auto-configures Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, opencode, Hermes Agent, Gemini CLI, Antigravity IDE, Kiro, GitHub Copilot (VS Code, Copilot CLI, JetBrains IDEs), IBM Bob, Factory Droid, Windsurf, Qwen Code, DeepSeek Harness, Grok Build, Kimi Code, Qoder CLI, and Pi — wiring the CodeGraph MCP server into each. **This is the step that connects CodeGraph to your agent;** installing the CLI in step 1 does not do it on its own. It only wires up your agent — it does **not** index any code; building each project's graph is the separate `codegraph init` in step 3. (Shortcut: `npx @colbymchenry/codegraph` downloads and runs this in one go.)</sub>
### 3. Initialize each project
```bash
cd your-project
codegraph init
```
<sub>`codegraph init` creates the local `.codegraph/` directory and builds the full graph in the same step — one command, done.</sub>
<div align="center">
</div>
### 4. No more syncing!
Auto-sync is enabled by default. CodeGraph watches the project and updates the graph on every file change — while your agent edits code, or you add, modify, or delete files. **The index is never stale, and there is nothing to re-run.**
### Uninstall
Changed your mind? One command removes CodeGraph from every agent it configured **and** the CLI itself — every install it finds (standalone bundle, npm global package, launcher link), shown to you before anything is deleted:
```bash
codegraph uninstall
```
Pass `--keep-cli` to remove only the agent configurations and keep the CLI installed.
<sub>Reverses the installer — strips CodeGraph's MCP server config, instructions, and permissions from each configured agent. Your project indexes (`.codegraph/`) are left untouched; remove those per-project with `codegraph uninit`. Use `--target` to remove from specific agents, or `--yes` to run non-interactively.</sub>
---
## Language Support
Every language below gets the same treatment — full structural extraction and cross-file resolution into one graph, no per-language setup:
<p align="center">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/typescript.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="TypeScript" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/javascript.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="JavaScript" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/arkts.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="ArkTS" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/python.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Python" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/go.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Go" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/rust.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Rust" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/java.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Java" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/csharp.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="C#" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/php.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="PHP" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/ruby.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Ruby" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/c.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="C" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/cpp.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="C++" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/objective-c.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Objective-C" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/metal.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Metal" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/cuda.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="CUDA" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/swift.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Swift" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/kotlin.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Kotlin" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/scala.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Scala" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/dart.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Dart" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/svelte.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Svelte" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/vue.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Vue" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/astro.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Astro" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/liquid.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Liquid" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/delphi.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Pascal / Delphi" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/lua.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Lua" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/r.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="R" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/luau.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Luau" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/cfml.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="CFML" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/cobol.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="COBOL" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/vbnet.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Visual Basic .NET" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/erlang.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Erlang" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/solidity.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Solidity" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/terraform.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Terraform / OpenTofu" />
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/assets/languages/nix.svg?v=1" width="104" height="104" alt="Nix" />
</p>
<sub>Per-language details — extensions, frameworks, and what exactly gets extracted — in [Supported Languages](#supported-languages).</sub>
---
## Why CodeGraph?
When an AI agent needs to understand code — to answer a question or make a change — it discovers structure the slow way: grep, glob, and Read, one file at a time, rebuilding call paths and dependencies by hand. That's a pile of tool calls and round-trips before it even starts the real work.
**CodeGraph hands the agent the exact code it needs in one call.** It's a pre-built knowledge graph of every symbol, call edge, and dependency in your codebase — so instead of crawling files, the agent asks one question and gets back the relevant source, the call paths between those symbols (including dynamic-dispatch hops grep can't follow), and the blast radius of a change. **Surgical context, not a file-by-file search** — which means fewer tool calls and faster answers on every codebase, large or small.
<img width="1536" height="1024" alt="token-cost-savings-scale" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eb74a11a-a3ab-4b01-80a6-19f78352ae8e" />
> **A note on cost:** CodeGraph's win on *every* codebase is precision — the agent stops crawling files and answers from the graph. On current models that precision is also a large direct saving: the 2026-08 re-measurement, on a harness that blocks the CLI in both arms, put it at **44% lower cost and 62% fewer tokens on average** across the seven benchmark repos, because a strong model *without* the graph burns its budget re-deriving structure. Cost tracks how much *discovery* a question demands more than raw repo size: 57–78% on questions the file-reading agent needed 28–43 tool calls to answer, near-even where it got there in 7.
> **A note on context:** the numbers above measure *throughput* — tokens processed, tools called, dollars spent to reach one answer. They don't measure what is still sitting in your context window afterward, and on that axis CodeGraph costs **more**, not less. Across the same seven repos in multi-turn sessions, CodeGraph's responses leave about **80% more retrieval context resident** at the end of a session than a file-reading agent's do — on VS Code, 67k tokens against 18k. The mechanism is the same one that makes it fast: CodeGraph returns one dense, verbatim payload that answers the question and then stays in the window, where a grep-and-read agent churns through many small results that get evicted. Fewer tokens *processed* and a larger persistent *footprint* are both real at once. If you run long sessions in a small window, budget for it. Measured per-repo: [`docs/benchmarks/residual-context-occupancy.md`](docs/benchmarks/residual-context-occupancy.md).
### Benchmark Results
Tested across **7 real-world open-source codebases** spanning 7 languages, comparing an agent (Claude Code, headless) answering one architecture question **with** and **without** CodeGraph, at the **median of 4 runs per arm**. _Re-measured 2026-08-05 on **Claude Opus 4.8** against the current build, on a harness that blocks the `codegraph` CLI in **both** arms — contamination row: 0 of 28 without-arm runs._
> **The universal win — every repo, every size: 88% fewer tool calls · 53% faster · 62% fewer tokens · 44% cheaper · file reads cut to zero on all seven repos.**
With the index available, the agent answers from one to four `codegraph_explore` calls and stops. Without it, the agent burns its budget on discovery — up to **43 tool calls and 19 file reads** re-deriving what the graph already knew. Every repo was faster with CodeGraph in this measurement — by 35% on the narrowest question, by 3.6× on the widest.
| Codebase | Language | Tool calls | Time | File reads | Tokens | Cost |
|----------|----------|------------|------|------------|--------|------|
| **VS Code** | TypeScript · ~11k files | **2 vs 28** | **2.2× faster** (58s vs 2m 10s) | **0** vs 12 | 77% fewer | 71% cheaper |
| **Excalidraw** | TypeScript · ~640 | **2 vs 43** | **3.6× faster** (45s vs 2m 42s) | **0** vs 18 | 84% fewer | 78% cheaper |
| **Django** | Python · ~3k | 3 vs 14 | 35% faster (54s vs 1m 23s) | **0** vs 8.5 | 41% fewer | 13% cheaper¹ |
| **Tokio** | Rust · ~790 | 3 vs 29 | **2.6× faster** (1m 3s vs 2m 43s) | **0** vs 19 | 65% fewer | 64% cheaper |
| **OkHttp** | Java · ~645 | 1 vs 6 | 43% faster (33s vs 58s) | **0** vs 2 | 54% fewer | 21% cheaper |
| **Gin** | Go · ~110 | 1 vs 7 | 39% faster (28s vs 46s) | **0** vs 4 | 52% fewer | ~even¹ |
| **Alamofire** | Swift · ~110 | 4 vs 33 | **2.6× faster** (54s vs 2m 22s) | **0** vs 16.5 | 59% fewer | 57% cheaper |
<sub>¹ Cost tracks how much *discovery* the question demanded, which is why it varies far more than the other columns: 57–78% on repos where the file-reading arm needed 28–43 tool calls, but only 13% on Django and even on Gin, where it got there in 14 and 7. The with-arm still answered in 3 and 1 calls with zero file reads. **File reads** = median files opened — the surgical-context win in one column: the agent never reads a file on any of the seven repos when CodeGraph is present.</sub>
<details>
<summary><strong>Per-repo breakdown — WITH vs WITHOUT (median of 4)</strong></summary>
| Codebase | Metric | WITH cg | WITHOUT cg |
|---|---|---|---|
| **VS Code** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 58s / 2 / 155k / $0.53 | 2m 10s / 28 / 670k / $1.80 |
| **Excalidraw** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 45s / 2 / 156k / $0.54 | 2m 42s / 43 / 991k / $2.43 |
| **Django** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 54s / 3 / 183k / $0.55 | 1m 23s / 14 / 309k / $0.63 |
| **Tokio** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 1m 3s / 3 / 201k / $0.66 | 2m 43s / 29 / 573k / $1.83 |
| **OkHttp** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 33s / 1 / 107k / $0.39 | 58s / 6 / 230k / $0.50 |
| **Gin** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 28s / 1 / 87k / $0.31 | 46s / 7 / 180k / $0.31 |
| **Alamofire** | Time / Tools / Tokens / Cost | 54s / 4 / 209k / $0.54 | 2m 22s / 33 / 505k / $1.27 |
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Full benchmark details</strong></summary>
**Methodology.** Each arm is `claude -p` (Claude Opus 4.8, `claude-opus-4-8`) run headlessly against the repo with `--strict-mcp-config`: **WITH** = CodeGraph's MCP server enabled, **WITHOUT** = an empty MCP config. Built-in Read/Grep/Bash stay available to both. Same question per repo, **4 runs per arm, median reported**. Cost = the run's `total_cost_usd`; Tokens = total tokens processed, summed per assistant turn (input incl. cache reads + cache creation + output); Time = wall-clock; Tool calls = every tool invocation, including those inside any sub-agents the model spawns. Repos cloned at `--depth 1` and indexed by the same CodeGraph build that served them. Re-measured 2026-08-05 on the current build.
**The `codegraph` CLI is blocked in both arms.** A sanitized `PATH` plus a `PreToolUse` hook denies any Bash invocation of the CLI, in the WITHOUT arm as well as the WITH arm. This matters: without that block the control arm is not a control. On an unblocked harness we measured the WITHOUT agent finding the CLI on `PATH` and reaching CodeGraph through Bash in **26 of 28 runs** — which distorts the comparison in both directions, since a CLI call is not counted as a tool call and its output still enters the window. Earlier published figures were produced without this block. In the run reported above, all 28 WITHOUT runs attempted the CLI and **all 28 were blocked — 0 contaminated**.
**Queries:**
| Codebase | Query |
|----------|-------|
| VS Code | "How does the extension host communicate with the main process?" |
| Excalidraw | "How does Excalidraw render and update canvas elements?" |
| Django | "How does Django's ORM build and execute a query from a QuerySet?" |
| Tokio | "How does tokio schedule and run async tasks on its runtime?" |
| OkHttp | "How does OkHttp process a request through its interceptor chain?" |
| Gin | "How does gin route requests through its middleware chain?" |
| Alamofire | "How does Alamofire build, send, and validate a request?" |
**Why CodeGraph wins:** with the index available, the agent answers directly — usually one `codegraph_explore` returns the relevant source — and stops, with zero file reads on every benchmark repo. Without it, the agent spends most of its budget on discovery (find/ls/grep) before reading the right code. CodeGraph only helps when queried *directly*, so its instructions steer agents to answer directly rather than delegate exploration to file-reading sub-agents — otherwise a sub-agent reads files regardless and CodeGraph becomes overhead.
</details>
---
## Built for speed — the Rust kernel
CodeGraph's parsing engine is a **native Rust kernel**: 20 languages — TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, Python, Go, C, C++, Rust, C#, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Kotlin, Scala, Dart, R, Lua, Luau (Metal and CUDA ride the C++ path) — parse in compiled code with one boundary crossing per file. Every language shipped only after its graphs proved **byte-for-byte identical** to the reference engine on real repositories, from small libraries up to the Linux kernel; platforms without a prebuilt binary and files with syntax errors fall back per-file automatically, same graph either way.
**And it scales itself to the machine it's on.** Worker pools, parallel resolution, and analysis caches are sized from what the system actually has — real core counts (container/cgroup-aware, so a VPS that grants 2 cores gets sized for 2, not the host's 64), honestly-measured available RAM on macOS and Linux, and the measured cost of *your* project's resolution work:
- **On a workstation:** the full parallel pipeline — native parse workers, a multi-worker resolver pool that engages the moment it pays for itself, memory-gated analysis caches. The Swift compiler repository (27k files of Swift and C++) fresh-indexes in about 100 seconds; a one-file edit re-syncs in ~4.
- **On a 2-core / 6GB VPS:** the same graph, from a pipeline tuned to *finish* — the Linux kernel (70k files, 2M symbols, 6.4M relationships) indexes to completion in under 12 minutes where RAM-first designs run out of memory before reaching 1%.
- **Every day after day one:** saving a file updates the graph in well under a second — the watcher fires 300ms after a lone save and syncs exactly what changed (~0.3s of work on a 4,400-file project, ~0.4s on the 27,000-file Swift compiler repo), never re-scanning the tree. Measured against the fastest competing indexer's re-index-on-change: 2–7× faster on medium and larger repos across a 31-repo, 30-language benchmark — and the gap widens with repo size, because their cost grows with the repository and ours grows with the change.
---
## Key Features
| | |
|---|---|
| **Native Rust Kernel** | Parsing and extraction run in a compiled Rust engine for 20 languages — with graphs verified byte-for-byte identical to the reference engine, and automatic per-file fallback so nothing ever breaks |
| **Adapts to Your Machine** | Sizes its worker pools and caches from what the system actually has — real core counts (container-aware), honest available RAM, measured per-project cost. A workstation gets the full parallel pipeline; a 2-core VPS gets one tuned to finish reliably |
| **Surgical Context** | One tool call returns entry points, related symbols, and code snippets — no slow file-by-file exploration |
| **Full-Text Search** | Find code by name instantly across your entire codebase, powered by FTS5 |
| **Impact Analysis** | Trace callers, callees, and the full impact radius of any symbol before making changes |
| **Always Fresh** | File watcher uses native OS events (FSEvents/inotify/ReadDirectoryChangesW) with debounced auto-sync — the graph stays current as you code, zero config |
| **20+ Languages** | TypeScript, JavaScript, ArkTS, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C#, VB.NET, PHP, Ruby, C, C++, CUDA, Objective-C, Metal, Swift, Kotlin, Scala, Dart, Lua, Luau, R, Nix, Erlang, CFML, COBOL, Solidity, Terraform/OpenTofu, Svelte, Vue, Astro, Liquid, Pascal/Delphi |
| **Framework-aware Routes** | Recognizes web-framework routing files and links URL patterns to their handlers across 17 frameworks |
| **Mixed iOS / React Native / Expo** | Closes cross-language flows that static parsing misses: Swift ↔ ObjC bridging, React Native legacy bridge + TurboModules + Fabric view components, native → JS event emitters, Expo Modules |
| **Tauri** | Follows a desktop app across its web frontend and Rust core: `invoke('save_file')`, tauri-specta's typed `commands.saveFile()`, your own wrappers around `invoke`, and events in both directions |
| **100% Local** | No data leaves your machine. No API keys. No external services. SQLite database only |
<details>
<summary><strong>How auto-syncing works — and why you don't need to run <code>codegraph sync</code> manually</strong></summary>
When your agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, opencode) launches `codegraph serve --mcp`, three layers keep the index in step with your code — and make sure the agent never gets a silent wrong answer in the brief window between an edit and the next sync:
1. **File watcher with debounced auto-sync.** A native FSEvents / inotify / ReadDirectoryChangesW watcher captures every source-file create / modify / delete and triggers a re-index after a debounce window (default `2000ms`, tunable via `CODEGRAPH_WATCH_DEBOUNCE_MS`, clamped to `[100ms, 60s]`). Bursts of edits collapse into a single sync. On a large TypeScript or Vue repo nearly every edit also asks for a repo-wide rebuild of the synthesized callback and event edges; `CODEGRAPH_SYNTH_MIN_INTERVAL_MS` (1s to 24h) bounds how often that runs, and a rebuild a sync puts off runs when the interval is up. Until then those edges can be that far behind the code, and tool output doesn't say so.
2. **Per-file staleness banner.** During the brief debounce window, MCP tool responses that would reference a still-pending file prepend a `⚠️` banner naming it and telling the agent to `Read` it directly. Pending files NOT referenced by the response surface as a small footer instead. Either way, the agent gets an explicit signal — validated with Claude Code, where the agent literally says "Reading the file directly for the live content" before opening it.
3. **Connect-time catch-up.** When the MCP server (re)connects, codegraph runs a fast `(size, mtime)` + content-hash reconciliation against the working tree before answering the first query — so edits made while no MCP server was running (a `git pull` from the terminal, edits from another editor, a previous agent session that exited) get absorbed on the next session's first tool call.
```
agent writes src/Widget.ts
→ watcher fires (<100ms)
→ debounce (default 2s)
→ sync; Widget.ts is in the index
→ next agent query sees it
```
**Verify any time** with `codegraph status` (CLI). If anything is pending, you'll see a `### Pending sync:` section naming the files and their edit age.
The handful of cases where manual `codegraph sync` makes sense: the watcher is disabled (sandboxed environments, or `CODEGRAPH_NO_DAEMON=1`), or you're scripting against the index outside an agent session and want a pre-flight sync at the start of your script.
→ Full deep-dive in [Guides → Indexing a Project](https://colbymchenry.github.io/codegraph/guides/indexing/#stay-fresh-automatically).
</details>
---
## Framework-aware Routes
CodeGraph detects web-framework routing files and emits `route` nodes linked by `references` edges to their handler classes or functions. Querying callers of a view/controller now surfaces the URL pattern that binds it.
| Framework | Shapes recognized |
|---|---|
| **Django** | `path()`, `re_path()`, `url()`, `include()` in `urls.py` (CBV `.as_view()`, dotted paths) |
| **Flask** | `@app.route('/path', methods=[...])`, blueprint routes |
| **FastAPI** | `@app.get(...)`, `@router.post(...)`, all standard methods |
| **Express** | `app.get(...)`, `router.post(...)` with middleware chains |
| **NestJS** | `@Controller` + `@Get/@Post/...` (with `RouterModule` prefixes, `setGlobalPrefix` and URI versioning), GraphQL `@Resolver` + `@Query/@Mutation`, `@MessagePattern`/`@EventPattern`, `@SubscribeMessage` |
| **Laravel** | `Route::get()`, `Route::resource()`, `Controller@action`, tuple syntax |
| **Drupal** | `*.routing.yml` routes (`_controller`, `_form`, entity handlers); `hook_*` implementations in `.module`/`.theme`/`.install`/`.inc` and `#[Hook]` methods; `*.services.yml` services, and calls through `\Drupal::service()`; plugin definitions, as attributes or annotations |
| **CodeIgniter 3** | Every public controller method by convention, `$route[...]` in `routes.php`, HMVC modules; `$this->load` models, libraries and views |
| **Rails** | `get '/x', to: 'users#index'`, hash-rocket `=>` syntax |
| **Spring** | `@GetMapping`, `@PostMapping`, `@RequestMapping` on methods |
| **Play** | `GET`/`POST`/… verb routes in `conf/routes` → `Controller.method` actions (Scala + Java) |
| **Gin / chi / gorilla / mux** | `r.GET(...)`, `router.HandleFunc(...)` |
| **Axum / actix / Rocket** | `.route("/x", get(handler))` |
| **ASP.NET** | `[HttpGet("/x")]` attributes on action methods |
| **Vapor** | `app.get("x", use: handler)` |
| **Astro** | `src/pages/` file-based routes (`.astro` pages + `.ts` endpoints, `[param]`/`[...rest]` syntax) |
### Routers — routes *and* the navigation between them
These frameworks additionally emit **`navigates`** edges: the function that sends a user somewhere is linked to the screen it names, so "where does tapping this go" is one hop in the graph rather than a search. Each reads a literal destination — a computed one, or a path no route serves, is left unresolved rather than guessed — and a link written in markup is marked as inferred.
| Router | Routes from | Navigation from |
|---|---|---|
| **Expo Router** | Every screen file under `app/` (`app/item/[id].tsx` → `/item/[id]`, groups stripped), bound to its default-export component; `+api` files are endpoints (`GET /hello`) bound to their handlers | `router.push` / `replace` / `navigate`, template hrefs, `{ pathname }` objects, and a helper's returned href |
| **Next.js** | App Router `app/**/page.tsx` and Pages Router pages (`(group)` stripped, `[slug]` → `:slug`); `app/api/**/route.ts` exports and `pages/api/*` are endpoints, not screens | `router.push` / `replace` / `prefetch`, `redirect()` / `permanentRedirect()` in a server action or page, `NextResponse.redirect(new URL(…))` in middleware, `<Link href>` and internal `<a href>` |
| **React Router** | `<Route path component/element>` (v5 and v6) and `createBrowserRouter([{ path, element }])` | `history.push` / `replace`, `useNavigate`'s `navigate`, a loader's `redirect`, `<Link to>` / `<NavLink to>` / `<Navigate to>` / v5's `<Redirect to>` / react-router-bootstrap's `<LinkContainer to>`, and a `styled(Link)` wrapper |
| **TanStack Router** | `createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')` (file-based) and `createRoute({ path, getParentRoute })` composed up its parent chain (code-based); `_pathless` segments, `(group)` folders, `__root` and `<Outlet/>` layouts are not addresses | `navigate({ to })`, a thrown `redirect({ to })`, `<Link to>` / `<Navigate to>` — where `to` is the route PATTERN and the values ride beside it in `params` |
| **Vue Router** / **Nuxt** | `createRouter({ routes: [...] })` / `new Router(...)` and the route tables it's given (`export const constantRoutes = [...]`, per-module route files), with the view each entry names — a lazy `() => import(…)` bound to its file — and `children` joined onto their parent's path, the parent being the layout around them; plus Nuxt `pages/` file-based routes, `server/api/` endpoints and route middleware | `router.push` / `replace`, `this.$router.push`, Nuxt's `navigateTo`, `<router-link>` / `<RouterLink>` / `<NuxtLink>` — **by route name** (`push({ name: 'profile' })`) as well as by path |
| **SvelteKit** | `src/routes/**/+page.svelte` (`[slug]` → `:slug`, `[[opt]]` → `:opt?`, `[id=matcher]` → `:id`, `(group)` folders stripped), joined to the `+page.server.js` beside it so a loader's guard belongs to its page | `goto('/x')`, `redirect(status, '/x')` from a load or form action, and the plain `<a href>` that is a link in a SvelteKit app |
| **Angular** | `Routes` arrays (`RouterModule.forRoot` / `forChild`, `provideRouter`, a routes file's default export) with `component` or a lazy `loadComponent`; `children` and lazy `loadChildren` (an NgModule's through its routing module) joined into full paths; paths written as route constants or `$localize` strings; a route with children is a layout around the screens inside it | `router.navigate([...])`, `navigateByUrl`, a guard's `createUrlTree` / `parseUrl` — a command array, a route constant, or a component property holding one — `routerLink` / `[routerLink]` in the component's template, and `redirectTo`. Each template's child components (`<app-foo>`) are linked to the component that renders them |
In a repository holding several apps, each app's routes are matched only against navigation written inside that app.
---
## Mixed iOS / React Native / Expo bridging
Real iOS and React Native codebases live across multiple languages — a Swift caller invokes an Objective-C selector that's been auto-bridged, a JS file calls into a native module via the React Native bridge, a JSX component delegates to a native view manager. Static tree-sitter extraction stops at each language boundary. CodeGraph bridges them so `codegraph_explore` connects the flow end-to-end across the gap — call paths and blast radius cross the boundary instead of stopping at it.
| Boundary | JS / Swift side | Native side | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Swift → ObjC** | Swift `obj.foo(bar:)` | ObjC selector `-fooWithBar:` | `@objc` auto-bridging rules (including init/property/protocol forms) + Cocoa preposition prefixes (`With`/`For`/`By`/`In`/`On`/`At`/…) |
| **ObjC → Swift** | ObjC `[obj fooWithBar:]` | Swift `@objc func foo(bar:)` | Reverse-bridge name candidates; verifies `@objc` exposure from source |
| **React Native legacy bridge** | JS `NativeModules.X.fn(...)` | ObjC `RCT_EXPORT_METHOD` / `RCT_REMAP_METHOD` · Java/Kotlin `@ReactMethod` | Parses macro/annotation declarations to build a JS-name → native-method map |
| **React Native TurboModules** | JS `import M from './NativeM'; M.fn(...)` | Native impl matching the Codegen spec | Treats the `Native<X>.ts` spec interface as ground truth |
| **RN native → JS events** | JS `new NativeEventEmitter(...).addListener('e', cb)` | ObjC `[self sendEventWithName:@"e" body:...]` · Swift `sendEvent(withName: "e", ...)` · Java/Kotlin `.emit("e", ...)` | Synthesized cross-language event channel keyed by literal event name |
| **Expo Modules** | JS `requireNativeModule('X').fn(...)`, directly or through a binding (`export default requireNativeModule<T>('X')`) | Swift / Kotlin `Module { Name("X"); AsyncFunction("fn") { ... } }` | Parses the Expo DSL literals into method nodes; a call on a binding resolves to module `X`'s `fn` on both platforms, else to the method on the binding's declared type |
| **Fabric view components** | JSX `<MyView prop={v}/>` | TS Codegen spec + native impl class | Spec → `component` node; convention-based name+suffix lookup (`View`/`ComponentView`/`Manager`/`ViewManager`) bridges to native |
| **Legacy Paper view managers** | JSX `<MyView prop={v}/>`, through a `requireNativeComponent('X')` module | ObjC `RCT_EXPORT_VIEW_PROPERTY` · Java/Kotlin `@ReactProp` | Same as Fabric — `requireNativeComponent('X')` is a JS `component` node, and Paper-era declarations also produce `component` + `property` nodes |
**Validated on real codebases** (small + medium + large for each bridge):
| Bridge | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift ↔ ObjC | [Charts](https://github.com/danielgindi/Charts) | [realm-swift](https://github.com/realm/realm-swift) | [Wikipedia-iOS](https://github.com/wikimedia/wikipedia-ios) |
| RN legacy bridge | [AsyncStorage](https://github.com/react-native-async-storage/async-storage) | [react-native-svg](https://github.com/software-mansion/react-native-svg) | [react-native-firebase](https://github.com/invertase/react-native-firebase) |
| RN native → JS events | [RNGeolocation](https://github.com/Agontuk/react-native-geolocation-service) | — | react-native-firebase |
| Expo Modules | expo-haptics | expo-camera | expo SDK sweep (7 packages) |
| Fabric / Paper views | [react-native-segmented-control](https://github.com/react-native-segmented-control/segmented-control) | [react-native-screens](https://github.com/software-mansion/react-native-screens) | [react-native-skia](https://github.com/Shopify/react-native-skia) |
Every bridge hop says how it got into the graph. A hop matched by a bridge resolver carries `metadata.resolvedBy: 'framework'` and `metadata.framework` naming the resolver (`swift-objc-bridge`, `react-native-bridge`, `expo-modules-js`, `fabric-view`). A synthesized channel is tagged `provenance:'heuristic'` with `metadata.synthesizedBy` (`rn-event-channel`, `fabric-native-impl`).
---
## Quick Start
### 1. Run the Installer
```bash
npx @colbymchenry/codegraph
```
The installer will:
- Ask which agent(s) to configure — auto-detects installed ones from: **Claude Code**, **Cursor**, **Codex CLI**, **opencode**, **Hermes Agent**, **Gemini CLI**, **Antigravity IDE**, **Kiro**, **GitHub Copilot** (VS Code, Copilot CLI, JetBrains IDEs), **IBM Bob**, **Factory Droid**, **Windsurf**, **Qwen Code**, **DeepSeek Harness**, **Grok Build**, **Kimi Code**, **Qoder CLI**, and **Pi**
- Prompt to install `codegraph` on your PATH (so agents can launch the MCP server)
- Ask whether configs apply to all your projects or just this one
- Write each chosen agent's MCP server config, plus a small marker-fenced CodeGraph section in the agent's instructions file (`CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `GEMINI.md` / `QWEN.md`) — that's how subagents and non-MCP agents learn the `codegraph explore` command, since the MCP server's own guidance only reaches the main agent. Removed cleanly by `codegraph uninstall`.
- Set up auto-allow permissions when Claude Code or Qwen Code is one of the targets
The installer **wires up your agents only — it does not index your code.** After it finishes, build each project's graph yourself with `codegraph init` (step 3). One global `codegraph install` covers every project; you run `codegraph init` once per project.
**Non-interactive (scripting / CI):**
```bash
codegraph install --yes # auto-detect agents, install global
codegraph install --yes --init # same, then build the current project's index (one-shot bootstrap)
codegraph install --target=cursor,claude --yes # explicit target list
codegraph install --target=auto --location=local # detected agents, project-local
codegraph install --target=copilot-vscode,copilot-cli,copilot-jetbrains --yes # GitHub Copilot everywhere
codegraph install --print-config codex # print snippet, no file writes
codegraph install --print-config copilot-vscode # same, for Copilot in VS Code
```
| Flag | Values | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `--target` | `auto`, `all`, `none`, or csv (`claude,cursor,...`) | prompt |
| `--location` | `global`, `local` | prompt |
| `--yes` | (boolean) | prompt every step |
| `--init` | (boolean) run `codegraph init` in the current directory after wiring agents | — |
| `--no-permissions` | (boolean) skip the auto-allow list (Claude Code, Qwen Code) | permissions on |
| `--print-config <id>` | dump snippet for one agent and exit | — |
### 2. Restart Your Agent
Restart your agent (Claude Code / Cursor / Codex CLI / opencode / Hermes Agent / Gemini CLI / Antigravity IDE / Kiro / VS Code, the Copilot CLI, or your JetBrains IDE for GitHub Copilot / IBM Bob / Factory Droid / Windsurf / Qwen Code / DeepSeek Harness / Grok Build / Kimi Code / Qoder CLI / Pi) for the MCP server to load.
### 3. Initialize Projects
```bash
cd your-project
codegraph init
```
Builds the per-project knowledge graph index, which then auto-syncs on every file change. A single global `codegraph install` works in every project you open — no need to re-run the installer per project. Add `--yes` to skip every prompt (scripts / CI / container bootstraps).
That's it — your agent will use CodeGraph tools automatically when a `.codegraph/` directory exists.
<details>
<summary><strong>Manual Setup (Alternative)</strong></summary>
**Install globally:**
```bash
npm install -g @colbymchenry/codegraph
```
**Add to `~/.claude.json`:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"codegraph": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "codegraph",
"args": ["serve", "--mcp"],
"alwaysLoad": true
}
}
}
```
`alwaysLoad` keeps `codegraph_explore` loaded from the first prompt. Claude Code otherwise defers every MCP tool behind a tool-search step, so a fresh session sees only the tool's name until the model searches for it.
**Add to `~/.claude/settings.json` (optional, for auto-allow):**
```json
{
"permissions": {
"allow": [
"mcp__codegraph__*"
]
}
}
```
<sub>One wildcard auto-approves every CodeGraph tool — `codegraph_explore` is the only one listed by default, but if you re-enable others via `CODEGRAPH_MCP_TOOLS` they're already permitted, no prompt.</sub>
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Agent Tool Guidance</strong></summary>
CodeGraph's MCP server delivers its usage guidance to your agent **automatically**, in the MCP `initialize` response. In short, it tells the agent to:
- **Answer structural questions directly with CodeGraph** — it *is* the pre-built index, so a grep/read loop just repeats work it already did. Treat the returned source as already read.
- **Reach for `codegraph_explore` for almost anything** — "how does X work", a flow/"how does X reach Y", or surveying an area. One call returns the relevant symbols' verbatim source grouped by file, the call paths between them (dynamic-dispatch hops included), and a blast-radius summary. Name a file or symbol in the query to read its current line-numbered source.
- **Trust the results — don't re-verify with grep**, and check the staleness banner after edits.
- Works **per project**: query any project that has a `.codegraph/` index by passing `projectPath` — so a monorepo where only some services are indexed, or a second repo, works in one session. A path with no index returns clean guidance to use built-in tools; indexing stays your decision.
The exact text is `src/mcp/server-instructions.ts` — the single source of truth for the main agent. Because subagents and non-MCP harnesses never see the MCP guidance, the installer also writes a short marker-fenced section into the agent's instructions file pointing at the `codegraph explore` CLI equivalent.
</details>
---
## How It Works
```
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Claude Code │
│ │
│ "How does a request reach the database?" │
│ calls CodeGraph tools directly — no Explore sub-agent │
│ │ │
└─────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CodeGraph MCP Server │
│ │
│ explore · one call → verbatim source + call flow + blast radius │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ SQLite knowledge graph │
│ symbols · edges · files · FTS5 full-text search │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
1. **Extraction** — a native **Rust kernel** parses source with [tree-sitter](https://tree-sitter.github.io/) grammars compiled into it, extracting nodes (functions, classes, methods) and edges (calls, imports, extends, implements) for 20 languages; remaining languages and per-file fallbacks use the same extraction logic on the portable engine, producing identical graphs.
2. **Storage** — Everything goes into a local SQLite database (`.codegraph/codegraph.db`) with FTS5 full-text search.
3. **Resolution** — After extraction, references are resolved: function calls → definitions, imports → source files, class inheritance, and framework-specific patterns.
4. **Auto-Sync** — The MCP server watches your project using native OS file events. Changes are debounced (2-second quiet window), filtered to source files only, and incrementally synced. The graph stays fresh as you code — no configuration needed.
---
## CLI Reference
```bash
codegraph # Run interactive installer
codegraph install # Run installer (explicit)
codegraph uninstall # Remove CodeGraph from your agents AND the CLI (--keep-cli for configs only)
codegraph init [path] # Initialize a project + build its graph (one step; --local-only keeps .codegraph/ out of git)
codegraph uninit [path] # Remove CodeGraph from a project (--force to skip prompt)
codegraph index [path] # Full index (--force to re-index, --quiet for less output)
codegraph sync [path] # Incremental update
codegraph status [path] # Show statistics (--json, --strict)
codegraph unlock [path] # Remove a stale lock file that's blocking indexing
codegraph query <search> # Search symbols (--kind, --limit, --json)
codegraph explore <query> # Relevant symbols' source + call paths in one shot (same output as the codegraph_explore MCP tool)
codegraph node <symbol|file> # One symbol's source + callers, or read a file with line numbers (same output as codegraph_node)
codegraph files [path] # Show file structure (--format, --filter, --max-depth, --tests, --json)
codegraph callers <symbol> # Find what calls a function/method (--limit, --json)
codegraph callees <symbol> # Find what a function/method calls (--limit, --json)
codegraph impact <symbol> # Analyze what code is affected by changing a symbol (--depth, --json)
codegraph implementations <symbol> # List the types that implement or extend a type (--depth, --json)
codegraph affected [files...] # Find test files affected by changes (see below)
codegraph cycles [path] # List circular imports between files (--json); exits 1 when there are any
codegraph daemon # Manage background daemons — pick one to stop (alias: daemons)
codegraph telemetry [on|off] # Show or change anonymous usage telemetry
codegraph upgrade [version] # Update to the latest release (--check, --force)
codegraph version # Print the installed version (also -v, --version)
codegraph help [command] # Show help, optionally for one command
```
### `codegraph affected`
Traces import dependencies transitively to find which test files are affected by changed source files.
```bash
codegraph affected src/utils.ts src/api.ts # Pass files as arguments
git diff --name-only | codegraph affected --stdin # Pipe from git diff
codegraph affected src/auth.ts --filter "e2e/*" # Custom test file pattern
```
| Option | Description | Default |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| `--stdin` | Read file list from stdin | `false` |
| `-d, --depth <n>` | Max dependency traversal depth | `5` |
| `-f, --filter <glob>` | Custom glob to identify test files | auto-detect |
| `-j, --json` | Output as JSON | `false` |
| `-q, --quiet` | Output file paths only | `false` |
**CI/hook example:**
```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
AFFECTED=$(git diff --name-only HEAD | codegraph affected --stdin --quiet)
if [ -n "$AFFECTED" ]; then
npx vitest run $AFFECTED
fi
```
---
## MCP Tools
When running as an MCP server, CodeGraph exposes a **single tool** — `codegraph_explore`. Measured agent behavior showed that one strong tool steers agents better than a menu of narrower ones — fewer mis-picks, and it saves context every session:
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `codegraph_explore` | Answer almost any question in one call — "how does X work", a flow ("how does X reach Y"), or surveying an area — returning the relevant symbols' verbatim source grouped by file, plus the call paths between them and a blast-radius summary. Surfaces dynamic-dispatch hops (callbacks, React re-render, interface→impl) grep can't follow. Name a file or symbol in the query to read its current line-numbered source, the same shape the Read tool gives you. |
The other tools (`codegraph_node`, `codegraph_search`, `codegraph_callers`, `codegraph_callees`, `codegraph_impact`, `codegraph_files`, `codegraph_status`) stay fully functional but **unlisted by default** — everything they return already arrives inline on `codegraph_explore` (its blast-radius section, the relationship map, a symbol's body as its callee list). Re-enable any of them for the MCP surface with the `CODEGRAPH_MCP_TOOLS` environment variable (e.g. `CODEGRAPH_MCP_TOOLS=explore,node,search,callers`), or use their CLI equivalents (`codegraph node` / `query` / `callers` / `callees` / `impact` / `files` / `status`).
Even when the server's own root has no `.codegraph/` index, the tools stay available: pass `projectPath` to query any indexed project — a sub-service in a monorepo, or a second repo — in the same session. A path that has no index returns clean guidance to use built-in tools instead, so nothing fails loudly, and indexing stays your decision.
---
## Library Usage
CodeGraph can be embedded directly. The npm package re-exports its programmatic
API, so both `import` and `require` resolve the `CodeGraph` class in your own
process — handy for embedding it in an app (e.g. an Electron main process).
```typescript
import CodeGraph from '@colbymchenry/codegraph';
// CommonJS works too:
// const { CodeGraph } = require('@colbymchenry/codegraph');
const cg = await CodeGraph.init('/path/to/project');
// Or: const cg = await CodeGraph.open('/path/to/project');
await cg.indexAll({
onProgress: (p) => console.log(`${p.phase}: ${p.current}/${p.total}`)
});
const results = cg.searchNodes('UserService');
const callers = cg.getCallers(results[0].node.id);
const context = await cg.buildContext('fix login bug', { maxNodes: 20, includeCode: true, format: 'markdown' });
const impact = cg.getImpactRadius(results[0].node.id, 2);
cg.watch(); // auto-sync on file changes
cg.unwatch(); // stop watching
cg.close();
```
Lower-level building blocks are exported from the same entry point for callers
that drive the graph directly: `DatabaseConnection`, `QueryBuilder`,
`getDatabasePath`, `initGrammars` / `loadGrammarsForLanguages`, and `FileLock`.
**Embedding requirements**
- Install from npm (`npm i @colbymchenry/codegraph`) so the matching
per-platform package — which carries the compiled library and its
dependencies — is fetched alongside the shim.
- The API runs on **your** runtime, so it needs **Node 22.5+** for the built-in
`node:sqlite` (Electron qualifies when its bundled Node is 22.5+). The CLI and
MCP server are unaffected — they run on the self-contained bundled runtime.
- TypeScript types ship with the package. As with any Node-targeting library,
keep `@types/node` available and `skipLibCheck: true` (the common default).
---
## Configuration
Next to none — CodeGraph is **zero-config by default**, with nothing to write or
keep in sync to get started. Language support is automatic from the file
extension; there's nothing to wire up per language. The one optional file is for
mapping [custom file extensions](#custom-file-extensions).
What it skips out of the box:
- **Dependency, build, and cache directories** — `node_modules`, `vendor`,
`dist`, `build`, `target`, `.venv`, `Pods`, `.next`, and the like across every
[supported stack](#supported-languages) — so the graph is your code, not
third-party noise. This holds even with no `.gitignore`. A `build` folder
inside `src/` is the exception: no build step writes TypeScript, JSX, Vue,
Svelte, Astro, Go, C# or Rust files into one, so those are indexed from it,
and a Java, Kotlin or Scala package named `build` is indexed whole.
- **Anything in your `.gitignore`** — honored in git repos via git, and in
non-git projects by reading `.gitignore` directly (root and nested).
- **Files larger than 1 MB** — generated bundles, minified JS, vendored blobs.
To keep something else out, add it to `.gitignore`. To pull a default-excluded
directory back **in** (say you really do want a vendored dependency indexed),
add a negation — `!vendor/`. The defaults apply uniformly, so committing a
dependency or build directory doesn't force it into the graph; the `.gitignore`
negation is the explicit opt-in.
`.gitignore` can't drop a directory you've **committed**, though. For a vendored
theme or SDK that's checked into the repo (e.g. a Metronic theme under
`static/`), list it under `exclude` in `codegraph.json` — gitignore-style
patterns, matched against repo-root-relative paths, honored on index, sync, and
watch:
```json
{
"exclude": ["static/", "**/vendor/**"]
}
```
Conversely, when real source is gitignored on purpose — a project under a second
VCS (SVN, Perforce) that `.gitignore`s its own source so it stays out of Git —
force it back in with `include` (the opposite of `exclude`; `includeIgnored`
only revives embedded git repos, not plain source):
```json
{
"include": ["Tools/", "Local/typescript/"]
}
```
CodeGraph discovers those files off disk, overriding `.gitignore`, on index,
sync, and watch. An explicit `exclude` still wins, and built-in skips
(`node_modules`, `dist`, `.git`) are never re-included.
Sometimes a directory shouldn't leave the index — you still want to find things
in it — it just shouldn't *outrank* your real code. A `scripts/` or
`optional-skills/` tree whose helpers use generic names (`usage`, `status`,
`run`) can win on an exact name match and crowd out the product code that
actually answers the query. Name those trees under `deprioritize`:
```json
{
"deprioritize": ["optional-skills/", "scripts/"]
}
```
This is the ranking counterpart to `exclude`: those paths stay indexed and
findable — searching for them directly still works — they just stop winning
against first-party code. It applies to `query` / `search` and to `explore`'s
ranking. It is *not* a filter: unlike the built-in `example/`, `sample/`,
`fixture/`, `benchmark/` and `demo/` handling — which also drops those files
from some result sets outright — `deprioritize` only ever changes rank. Reach
for `exclude` when you want something gone.
### Custom file extensions
If your project uses a non-standard extension for a [supported
language](#supported-languages) — say `.dota_lua` for Lua, or `.tpl` for PHP —
those files are skipped by default, because the extension isn't one CodeGraph
recognizes. Map them with an optional **`codegraph.json`** at your project root:
```json
{
"extensions": {
".dota_lua": "lua",
".tpl": "php"
}
}
```
Each value is a supported language id. The mappings merge on top of the built-in
defaults and win on conflict, so you can also re-point a built-in (e.g.
`".h": "cpp"`). Commit the file to share the mapping with your team. A typo'd
language or a malformed file is warned about and skipped — it never breaks
indexing — and a project with no `codegraph.json` behaves exactly as before.
Re-index (`codegraph index`) after adding or changing mappings.
## Telemetry
CodeGraph collects **anonymous usage statistics** — which tools and commands get
used, which languages get indexed — to guide where language and agent support
work goes. **Never** any code, paths, file or symbol names, queries, or IP
addresses; usage is aggregated locally into daily totals before anything is
sent, and the ingest endpoint is [public code in this repo](telemetry-worker/)
that enforces the documented field list. The installer asks up front; turn it
off any time:
```bash
codegraph telemetry off # or: CODEGRAPH_TELEMETRY=0, or DO_NOT_TRACK=1
```
[`TELEMETRY.md`](TELEMETRY.md) lists every field, with the off-switches and the
full data-handling story.
## Verified releases
Every artifact is built and published by the public
[Release workflow](.github/workflows/release.yml) — never from a laptop — and
carries cryptographic proof of it:
- **npm packages** are published via [trusted publishing](https://docs.npmjs.com/trusted-publishers)
(OIDC — no long-lived npm tokens exist that could be stolen) with
[provenance attestations](https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements)
linking every version to the exact commit and workflow run that built it.
Verify what's installed:
```bash
npm audit signatures
```
- **GitHub Release bundles** (and `SHA256SUMS`) carry signed
[build attestations](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/security-for-github-actions/using-artifact-attestations)
(SLSA v1.0 Build Level 2). Verify any downloaded bundle:
```bash
gh attestation verify codegraph-darwin-arm64.tar.gz -R colbymchenry/codegraph
```
Releases published before July 2026 predate this pipeline and don't carry
attestations.
## Supported Platforms
Every release ships a self-contained build (bundled Node runtime — nothing to
compile) for all three desktop OSes, on both Intel/AMD (x64) and ARM (arm64):
| Platform | Architectures | Install |
|----------|---------------|---------|
| Windows | x64, arm64 | PowerShell installer or npm |
| macOS | x64, arm64 | shell installer or npm |
| Linux | x64, arm64 | shell installer or npm |
See [Get Started](#get-started) for the one-line install commands.
## Supported Agents
The interactive installer auto-detects and configures each of these — wiring up
the MCP server, which delivers its own usage guidance. For Claude Code, Codex
CLI, Gemini CLI, opencode, Factory Droid, Qwen Code, DeepSeek Harness, Grok
Build, Kimi Code and Pi it also writes a short marker-fenced CodeGraph section
into the agent's instructions file (`CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `GEMINI.md` /
`QWEN.md`, or `rules/codegraph.md` for Grok Build), so subagents and non-MCP
agents learn the `codegraph explore` command:
- **Claude Code**
- **Cursor**
- **Codex CLI** — the Codex IDE extension reads the same config: a global install writes `$CODEX_HOME/config.toml` (default `~/.codex/config.toml`), and a local install writes `.codex/config.toml`, which Codex uses only in a project you've marked as trusted
- **opencode** — MCP entry is OpenCode 2's `mcp.servers.codegraph` with `codemode: false` (keeps `codegraph_explore` on the native tool list; `codegraph install` migrates the older `mcp.codegraph` shape)
- **Hermes Agent**
- **Gemini CLI**
- **Antigravity IDE**
- **Kiro**
- **GitHub Copilot** — Copilot Chat in VS Code (`copilot-vscode`), the Copilot CLI (`copilot-cli`), and the Copilot plugin in JetBrains IDEs (`copilot-jetbrains`)
- **IBM Bob** (`bob`) — Bob IDE and Bob Shell: `~/.bob/settings/mcp.json`, or `.bob/mcp.json` in a project
- **Factory Droid** (`droid`) — `~/.factory/mcp.json`, or `.factory/mcp.json`, which is meant to be committed; Droid reloads the file on its own
- **Windsurf** (`windsurf`) — global only: `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`, which Devin, Windsurf's new name, imports by default
- **Qwen Code** (`qwen`) — `settings.json` in `$QWEN_HOME` (default `~/.qwen`) or `.qwen/`, keeping any comments in it
- **DeepSeek Harness** (`dsh`) — global only: one entry in `$DSH_HOME/cordis.patch.yml` (default `~/.dsh`) covers every profile
- **Grok Build** (`grok`) — `$GROK_HOME/config.toml` (default `~/.grok`), or `.grok/config.toml`, which Grok uses only in a trusted folder
- **Kimi Code** (`kimi`) — `$KIMI_CODE_HOME/mcp.json` (default `~/.kimi-code`), or `.kimi-code/mcp.json`, which Kimi Code uses only in a trusted folder
- **Qoder CLI** (`qoder`) — `$QODER_CONFIG_DIR/settings.json` (default `~/.qoder`), or `.qoder/settings.local.json`; in the Qoder IDE, add the server under Settings > MCP
- **Pi** (`pi`) — `mcp.json` in Pi's agent directory (default `~/.pi/agent`), or `.pi/mcp.json`, which Pi reads once you trust the project; `exposure: "direct"` keeps `codegraph_explore` on the model's tool list
## Supported Languages
| Language | Extension | Status |
|----------|-----------|--------|
| TypeScript | `.ts`, `.tsx` | Full support |
| JavaScript | `.js`, `.jsx`, `.mjs` | Full support |
| ArkTS (HarmonyOS) | `.ets` | Full support (everything TypeScript has, plus `@Component`/`@ComponentV2` structs with their ArkUI decorators (`@State`/`@Prop`/`@Link`/`@Local`/`@Builder`/…), `build()` view trees — parent→child component edges, chained-attribute links to `@Extend`/`@Styles` functions, `.onClick(this.handler)` event bindings — dynamic-dispatch bridges for state→`build()` re-renders, `@ohos.events.emitter` emit→subscriber pairs (static event keys only), and `router.pushUrl` literal urls → the target page struct; ohpm workspace modules resolve bare `import { X } from "data"` through `oh-package.json5` `file:` dependencies, honoring each module's `main` entry) |
| Python | `.py` | Full support |
| Go | `.go` | Full support |
| Rust | `.rs` | Full support |
| Java | `.java` | Full support |
| C# | `.cs` | Full support |
| PHP | `.php` | Full support |
| Ruby | `.rb` | Full support |
| C | `.c`, `.h` | Full support |
| C++ | `.cpp`, `.hpp`, `.cc` | Full support |
| Objective-C | `.m`, `.mm`, `.h` | Partial support (classes, protocols, methods, `@property`, `#import`, message sends; `.mm` ObjC++ may parse incompletely) |
| Metal | `.metal` | Full support (vertex/fragment/kernel functions, structs, type aliases, call edges — MSL parses as C++, with `[[attribute]]` annotations handled) |
| CUDA | `.cu`, `.cuh` | Full support (kernels and device/host functions, structs, classes, host→kernel call edges through `<<<grid, block>>>` launch syntax — templated launches, function-pointer launches (`auto kernel = &fn<...>`), `dim3{...}` configs, and macro-defined kernels included; `__global__`/`__device__`/`__launch_bounds__` specifiers handled; CUDA in plain `.h`/`.hpp` headers recognized by content) |
| Swift | `.swift` | Full support |
| Kotlin | `.kt`, `.kts` | Full support |
| Scala | `.scala`, `.sc` | Full support (classes, traits, methods, type aliases, Scala 3 enums) |
| Dart | `.dart` | Full support |
| Svelte | `.svelte` | Full support (script extraction, Svelte 5 runes, SvelteKit routes) |
| Vue | `.vue` | Full support (script + script-setup extraction, Nuxt page/API/middleware routes) |
| Astro | `.astro` | Full support (frontmatter + script extraction, template component/call references, `src/pages/` routes) |
| Liquid | `.liquid` | Full support |
| Pascal / Delphi | `.pas`, `.dpr`, `.dpk`, `.lpr` | Full support (classes, records, interfaces, enums, DFM/FMX form files) |
| Lua | `.lua` | Full support (functions, methods with receivers, local variables, `require` imports, call edges) |
| R | `.R` `.r` | Full support (functions in every assignment form, S4/R5/R6 classes with methods, `library`/`require` imports, `source()` file references, call edges) |
| Luau | `.luau` | Full support (everything in Lua, plus `type`/`export type` aliases, typed signatures, and Roblox instance-path `require`) |
| CFML | `.cfc`, `.cfm`, `.cfs` | Full support (tag-based `<cfcomponent>`/`<cffunction>` and bare-script `component { ... }` styles, `extends`/`implements`, embedded `<cfscript>` delegation, call edges) |
| COBOL | `.cbl`, `.cob`, `.cpy` | Full support (programs, sections/paragraphs with PERFORM/GO TO call edges, CALL 'literal' cross-program calls, COPY copybook imports — including standalone `.cpy` files — DATA DIVISION records/fields/88-levels, EXEC CICS LINK/XCTL and EXEC SQL INCLUDE targets; fixed and free format) |
| Visual Basic .NET | `.vb` | Full support (classes, Modules, interfaces, structures, enums, properties, events, `Declare` P/Invoke, `Handles`/`WithEvents`, `Inherits`/`Implements` edges, call edges through VB's call/index paren ambiguity, `As New` instantiation, interpolated strings, LINQ, Unicode identifiers) |
| Erlang | `.erl`, `.hrl`, `.escript`, `.app.src`, `.app` | Full support (functions with multi-clause/multi-arity grouping, `-spec` signatures, records with fields, `-type`/`-opaque` aliases, `-define` macros, `-include`/`-include_lib`/`-import` edges, local and `mod:fn` remote call edges, `fun name/arity` references, `spawn`/`apply`/`proc_lib`/`timer`/`rpc` MFA-argument call edges, `gen_server:call/cast(?MODULE)` → own `handle_call`/`handle_cast` links, `-behaviour` links, `-export`-based visibility) |
| Solidity | `.sol` | Full support (contracts, libraries, interfaces, structs, enums, modifiers, events, errors, state variables, `import`/`using` directives, `emit`/`revert` calls) |
| Terraform / OpenTofu | `.tf`, `.tfvars`, `.tofu` | Full support (resources, data sources, modules, variables, outputs, providers incl. aliases, `locals`; `var.`/`local.`/`module.`/resource references with Terraform's per-directory scoping enforced; module calls bridged across the boundary — inputs to the child module's variables, `module.M.out` to the child's output, `source` to the module's files; cloudposse/atmos `remote-state` cross-component wiring when the component is statically named; `provider = aws.east` selections resolved up the module tree; `moved`/`import`/`removed`/`check` block references; `.tfvars` assignments linked to the variables they set) |
| Nix | `.nix` | Full support (functions with simple/destructured/curried params, `let`/attrset bindings, `inherit`, `import ./path` file edges — `./dir` resolving through `default.nix` — plus NixOS module `imports = [ ./x.nix ]` lists and `callPackage ./pkg.nix` file edges; call edges; module-system option wiring — a config write like `launchd.user.agents.x = { ... }` links to the module declaring `options.launchd.user.agents`, so option flows trace across modules) |
## Measured cross-file coverage
Impact and blast-radius queries are only as good as the dependency graph behind them, so coverage is measured rather than asserted. **Fair coverage** = the share of symbol-bearing source files that have at least one *resolved cross-file dependent* — something that imports, calls, references, or (through a framework convention) routes to them — on a real-world benchmark repo per language. The residual is always a genuine static-analysis frontier (runtime dynamic dispatch, reflection / DI containers, framework-convention entry points, vendored third-party code), never hidden by gaming the denominator.
| Language | Benchmark repo | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| TypeScript / JavaScript | this repo | 95.8% |
| Python | psf/requests | 100% |
| Go | gin-gonic/gin | 96.6% |
| Rust | BurntSushi/ripgrep | 86.7% |
| Java | google/gson | 93.3% |
| C# | jbogard/MediatR | 85.2% |
| PHP | guzzle/guzzle | 100% |
| Ruby | sidekiq/sidekiq | 100% |
| C | redis/redis | 92.2% |
| C++ | google/leveldb | 94.8% |
| Objective-C | SDWebImage | 91.6% |
| Swift | Alamofire | 95.3% |
| Kotlin | square/okhttp | 96.2% |
| Scala | gatling/gatling | 91.2% |
| Dart | flutter/packages | 92.4% |
| Svelte / SvelteKit | sveltejs/realworld | 100% |
| Vue / Nuxt | nuxt/movies | 93.5% |
| Astro | xingwangzhe/stalux | 93.0% |
| Lua | nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim | 84.2% |
| Luau | dphfox/Fusion | 92.2% |
| Liquid | Shopify/dawn | 73.8% |
| Pascal / Delphi | PascalCoin | 77.4% |
Framework routing is validated the same way, on a canonical app per framework: Express 100%, FastAPI 98%, Flask 100%, NestJS 96.8%, Gin 96.5%, Axum 100%, Rocket 93.8%, Vapor 100%, Laravel 92%, Rails 89.6%, React Router 100% — and the convention/reflection-heavy ones at their honest static-analysis ceiling: ASP.NET 83.9%, Spring 83.3%, Drupal 78.9%, Play 76.3%, Django 74.1%. SvelteKit, Vue/Nuxt, and Astro use file-based routing, so their page/endpoint coverage is the Svelte/SvelteKit (100%), Vue/Nuxt (93.5%), and Astro (93.0% — every `src/pages/` file maps to a route node on the two validation repos) figures in the table above.
## Troubleshooting
**"CodeGraph not initialized"** — Run `codegraph init` in your project directory first.
**Indexing is slow** — Check that `node_modules` and other large directories are excluded. Use `--quiet` to reduce output overhead.
**MCP hits `database is locked`** — current builds shouldn't: CodeGraph bundles its own Node runtime and uses Node's built-in `node:sqlite` in WAL mode, where concurrent reads never block on a writer. If you still see it:
- **You're on an old (pre-0.9) install.** Reinstall to get the bundled runtime — `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/install.sh | sh` (macOS/Linux), `irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/main/install.ps1 | iex` (Windows), or `npm i -g @colbymchenry/codegraph@latest`.
- **`codegraph status` shows `Journal:` other than `wal`** — WAL couldn't be enabled on this filesystem (common on network shares and WSL2 `/mnt`), so reads can block on writes. Move the project (with its `.codegraph/` folder) onto a local disk.
**MCP server not connecting** — Your agent starts the server itself, so you don't launch it by hand. Make sure the project is initialized and indexed (`codegraph status`) and that the path in your MCP config is correct. If it still won't connect, re-run `codegraph install` to rewrite the config.
**Two `codegraph serve --mcp` on one project fight over the index / auto-sync stops** — CodeGraph allows one live MCP *writer* per project (the shared background daemon, or a single direct-mode process). Extra clients should proxy to that daemon. If you set `CODEGRAPH_NO_DAEMON=1`, run only one `serve --mcp` for that project; a second instance exits with a clear writer-lock error (see `writer.pid` under `.codegraph/`). Prefer leaving the daemon enabled so multiple MCP hosts share one watcher.
**MCP tool calls fail with `Transport closed` while `codegraph status`/`sync` are healthy** — almost always WSL2 with the project on a Windows drive (a `/mnt/c` or `/mnt/d` path), where the local socket CodeGraph uses to share one background server across sessions is unreliable. CodeGraph works around this itself now: when the project's filesystem can't host that socket, the shared server puts it in the system temp directory instead, and when the shared server still can't be reached, or drops, the session is served in-process instead of losing the connection. If you still hit it, set `CODEGRAPH_NO_DAEMON=1` in your MCP server's environment to skip the shared server entirely (each session runs in its own process). Moving the project onto the Linux-native filesystem (e.g. under `~/` instead of `/mnt/`) restores the shared server.
**Missing symbols** — The MCP server auto-syncs on save (wait a couple seconds). Run `codegraph sync` manually if needed. Check that the file's language is supported and isn't inside a `.gitignore`d or default-excluded directory (e.g. `node_modules`, `dist`).
**Sharing one checkout between Windows and WSL** — Don't point both at the same `.codegraph/`: the background-server lock and the SQLite index are tied to the OS that wrote them, and SQLite locking across the WSL2/Windows filesystem boundary is unreliable (WSL reports it as a `disk I/O error`). For a project on a Windows drive (a `/mnt/c/…` path), WSL keeps its own index automatically: an index first built from WSL goes in `.codegraph-wsl/`, leaving `.codegraph/` to Windows. An index already in `.codegraph/` stays where it is, so if Windows built that one, give WSL its own by setting `CODEGRAPH_DIR=.codegraph-wsl` in WSL and running `codegraph init` there. `CODEGRAPH_DIR` always picks the name when set, on either side. CodeGraph skips any sibling `.codegraph-*` directory when indexing and watching, so the two never trip over each other.
**Very large repositories (hundreds of thousands of files), or a large `.codegraph/codegraph.db-wal` file** — The `-wal` file is SQLite's write-ahead log: writes waiting to be folded into `codegraph.db`. While a big index is being built, CodeGraph lets it grow in proportion to the index (soft threshold = the larger of 256 MB and a quarter of the index size, up to 2 GB) before folding it back, because folding too often is what made large indexes slow on ordinary disks. At rest it is trimmed to 64 MB, and a leftover from a killed session is folded and trimmed the next time the project opens — the index itself has no size limit. Two environment variables tune this: `CODEGRAPH_WAL_VALVE_MB` (the soft threshold during indexing) and `CODEGRAPH_WAL_HEAL_MB` (the resting size and the trim threshold). `CODEGRAPH_WAL_VALVE_DEBUG=1` prints every decision to stderr.
## Contributing
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) to build from source, test a change and prepare a pull request. The [documentation index](docs/README.md) links to the project's guides and design notes.
## License
MIT
---
<div align="center">
**Made for AI coding agents — Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, opencode, Hermes Agent, Gemini CLI, Antigravity IDE, Kiro, GitHub Copilot, IBM Bob, Factory Droid, Windsurf, Qwen Code, DeepSeek Harness, Grok Build, Kimi Code, Qoder CLI, and Pi**
[Report Bug](https://github.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/issues) · [Request Feature](https://github.com/colbymchenry/codegraph/issues)
</div>