codebase-graph-scout

name	codebase-graph-scout
description	Use graph-backed or semantic codebase intelligence before editing. Use when tasks need symbol search, blast radius, affected tests, architecture health, dependency paths, large-codebase context, Roam, CodeAlive, GraphRAG, or MCP code search. Skip for tiny scripts where rg/read is enough.

Codebase Graph Scout

Prefer graph tools when the repo is large enough that raw file reading will waste context.

Tool Preference

Available tool	Use for
roam-code	local symbol graph, preflight, impact, health, affected tests
CodeAlive MCP	hosted semantic/GraphRAG code search with API key
rg + manifests	fallback for small repos or missing graph tools

Roam Loop

roam init
roam health
roam understand
roam context <symbol>
roam preflight <symbol>
roam affected-tests <symbol>

Use --json for parsing and --budget <n> when context is tight.

CodeAlive Loop

1. List data sources.
2. Run semantic_search or grep_search.
3. Fetch only the relevant artifacts.
4. Expand relationships for the smallest useful set.
5. Use chat/synthesis only after search results are insufficient.

Output

Return:

• symbols/files to read
• edit risk
• likely tests
• dependency or call paths that matter
• what not to touch

Reference source patterns in references/source-repos.md.

Validation

• The returned file/symbol set is smaller than a broad repo read.
• Claimed impact paths cite graph/search output or exact files.
• If graph tools are unavailable, the fallback rg/manifest path is stated.