mcp-code-intelligence

name	mcp-code-intelligence
description	Compare MCP code-intelligence layers — CLI wrappers, ast-grep, symbol/graph tools, Zoekt, embeddings. Use when choosing search/dispatch vs heavyweight indexes. Gallery domain MCP is image-scoring-mcp (is-ui-mcp).

MCP code intelligence

Compare approaches for giving coding agents repository awareness.

Purpose

Choose the lightest effective layer: CLI tools first, structural MCP second, graph/embedding indexes last.

When to use

• Evaluating whether to add an MCP server vs using rg/fd
• Debugging agent search quality or memory use
• Complementing (not replacing) gallery image-scoring-mcp

Required tools

Depends on tier — baseline CLI from agent-cli-hub.

Recommended tiers

Minimal MCP setup

rg + fd + read_file + git diff + patch_file

Lowest memory, transparent, deterministic. Best default for most tasks.

Better setup

fff-gallery MCP (grep, find_files, multi_grep) + rg + fd + ast-grep + git tools + task runner (npm run / just)

Adds indexed, frecency-ranked search for long agent sessions; keep rg/fd for one-off shell use.

Advanced setup

Graphify (graphify query/path/explain or optional graphify-gallery MCP) + optional Serena / Zoekt / embeddings

Higher setup cost. Prefer Graphify for local AST knowledge graphs (no vector store) before heavier symbol/embedding indexes. Use when cross-module “why / how connected” questions outgrow rg/fff.

Warning: Embedding-first indexing is often heavier and less exact than text/structural search — keep it secondary. Do not use Graphify for gallery IPC/backend triage — that stays on is-ui-mcp.

Comparison matrix

Layer	Examples	Strengths	Cost
Indexed file search	fff MCP (grep, find_files, multi_grep) — project fff-gallery	Warm index, frecency, git-aware, typo-tolerant	Project MCP install; ~26 MB RAM / 14k files
CLI wrappers	rg, fd, bat, git diff	Fast, bounded, no index	Agent must orchestrate
Structural	ast-grep MCP/CLI, semgrep	Syntax shapes, rewrites	Medium; language-aware
Symbol	universal-ctags, LSP	Definitions/refs	Index refresh on change
Knowledge graph	Graphify (graphifyy CLI; optional graphify-gallery MCP)	AST edges, path/query/explain; local, no vectors	uv tool install; build graphify-out/
Graph	Serena, codebase-memory-mcp	Project memory, relationships	Setup + memory
Trigram index	Zoekt	Large-repo search	Server/wrapper overhead
Embeddings	claude-context-style	Fuzzy discovery	Heavy index, imprecise

Gallery domain MCP

For Driftara Gallery pipeline, IPC, and backend reachability — use compact search + dispatch on is-ui-mcp (stdio) and optional is-ui-live (SSE when Electron dev runs).

See image-scoring-mcp and AGENTS.md.

Backend triage: sibling workspace is-be-mcp.

Agent-safe patterns

• Start with Minimal tier; escalate only when text search fails repeatedly.
• Do not enable embedding indexes on every session — confirm with user.
• Bound MCP tool output; prefer dispatch actions with limit parameters.

Commands requiring confirmation

• Installing/running new MCP servers that execute shell or network code
• Embedding index builds over entire monorepo without scope

See commands-requiring-confirmation.md.

Troubleshooting

• MCP load failures: build mcp-server/ (npm run build:registry); check .cursor/mcp.json from mcp.example.json.
• live_unavailable: Electron not running — use is-ui-mcp local actions or start dev with CDP.

Verification checklist

# Gallery MCP built
test -f mcp-server/dist/compactIndex.js && echo ok
# CLI baseline
rg --version && fd --version

Tools not verified in this pass: Graphify MCP (graphifyy[mcp]), Serena, codebase-memory-mcp, Zoekt server, claude-context — treat as optional third-party; confirm upstream docs before install. See AGENTS.md § Graphify.