name	generate-context
description	Generate or refresh the SigMap signature map for this workspace and query it via the sigmap MCP tools. Use when the codebase context is missing or stale, or when you need a whole-repo view of functions, classes, types, and module structure.

Generate context (SigMap)

SigMap extracts a compact signature map of the whole codebase — function names, class hierarchies, exported types, interfaces — across 29 languages, achieving ~96.9% token reduction versus reading source files. Use this skill to (re)build that map and to query it through the sigmap MCP server.

When to use

The agent lacks a high-level picture of the project and is about to read many files.
The signature map / .github/copilot-instructions.md is missing or looks out of date.
You need to answer "where is X", "what calls Y", or "what does editing Z affect".

Generate or refresh the map

Run from the workspace root (no global install required):

npx -y sigmap

This writes the signature map to .github/copilot-instructions.md and updates the incremental signature cache. Add --report for a health summary, or --routing to enable graph-boosted retrieval.

Query the map via MCP

The sigmap MCP server (started automatically by this plugin) exposes these 9 tools:

search_signatures — find symbols by name or keyword.
query_context — rank and return the most relevant files for a task or question.
read_context — read the full or module-scoped signature context.
list_modules — top-level modules sorted by token count.
explain_file — a file's signatures, direct imports, and callers.
get_impact — every file affected when a given file changes (importers, tests, routes).
get_map — import graph, class hierarchy, or route table from PROJECT_MAP.md.
get_routing — model-routing hints (which complexity tier / model per file).
create_checkpoint — snapshot the current project state.

Recommended flow

If the map is stale or absent, run npx -y sigmap to regenerate it.
Use queryContext / searchSignatures to locate the symbols relevant to the task.
Open only the specific files the map points to, then proceed with the edit.

Generate context (SigMap)

When to use

The agent lacks a high-level picture of the project and is about to read many files.

The signature map / .github/copilot-instructions.md is missing or looks out of date.

You need to answer "where is X", "what calls Y", or "what does editing Z affect".

Generate or refresh the map

Run from the workspace root (no global install required):

npx -y sigmap

This writes the signature map to .github/copilot-instructions.md and updates the incremental signature cache. Add --report for a health summary, or --routing to enable graph-boosted retrieval.

Query the map via MCP

The sigmap MCP server (started automatically by this plugin) exposes these 9 tools:

search_signatures — find symbols by name or keyword.

query_context — rank and return the most relevant files for a task or question.

read_context — read the full or module-scoped signature context.

list_modules — top-level modules sorted by token count.

explain_file — a file's signatures, direct imports, and callers.

get_impact — every file affected when a given file changes (importers, tests, routes).

get_map — import graph, class hierarchy, or route table from PROJECT_MAP.md.

get_routing — model-routing hints (which complexity tier / model per file).

create_checkpoint — snapshot the current project state.

Recommended flow

If the map is stale or absent, run npx -y sigmap to regenerate it.

Use queryContext / searchSignatures to locate the symbols relevant to the task.

Open only the specific files the map points to, then proceed with the edit.

generate-context