impact-analysis

name	impact-analysis
description	Assess change risk before modifying a function. Maps blast radius, surfaces hidden dependencies, community cohesion, and unexpected cross-module connections.
argument-hint	<function name or node_id>
allowed-tools	["mcp__loom__search_code","mcp__loom__get_context","mcp__loom__get_blast_radius","mcp__loom__get_neighbors","mcp__loom__get_community","mcp__loom__shortest_path","mcp__loom__get_surprising_connections","mcp__loom__god_nodes","mcp__loom__suggest_questions","Read"]

Impact Analysis

Map the blast radius of a proposed change before touching any code.

Steps

1. Find the target node

search_code("<function name or user argument>")

Pick the most relevant result and copy its node_id.

2. Get full context

get_context("<node_id>")

Read: summary, signature, direct callers, direct callees. Note if summary_stale: true.

3. Blast radius (transitive callers)

get_blast_radius("<node_id>", depth=3)

Depth 3 covers most real-world chains. If result is large (>50 nodes), note which modules appear most.

4. Direct callers (one-hop)

get_context("<node_id>", callees_limit=0)

Returns the immediate dependents — the minimum surface area affected.

5. Surprising connections

get_surprising_connections(limit=10)

Look for entries that involve the target node or its module. These are the hidden risks engineers miss.

6. Community cohesion

graph_stats(include_cohesion=True)

Find the target's community. If cohesion < 0.2, the cluster is poorly bounded and changes propagate unexpectedly.

7. God node check

god_nodes(limit=20)

If the target appears in top 20, it has many callers — high risk, needs extra care.

8. Synthesize risk report

Report to the user:

Target: node_id, what it does (summary), signature

Direct impact:

• N direct callers (list them)
• N direct callees (what it depends on)

Transitive impact:

• Total blast radius: N nodes across M modules
• Heaviest-hit modules: list top 3

Hidden risks:

• Surprising connections involving target or its module
• Community cohesion score
• Whether it's a god node (top 20 most-called)

Risk level: Low / Medium / High / Critical

Recommendation:

• Safe to change with existing tests
• Needs new tests for specific callers
• Needs coordination across teams/modules
• Consider interface-preserving refactor first

9. Trace hidden paths if needed

When two distant modules both appear in blast radius:

shortest_path("<module_a_entry>", "<module_b_entry>")

Reveals the hidden chain connecting them.