feat(cli+installer): codegraph explore/node CLI + instructions-file block — subagent & non-MCP reach (#704) (#819)

Task-tool subagents never see the MCP initialize instructions and hold
the MCP tools only as deferred names they rarely think to load — so
delegated work bypassed codegraph almost entirely (measured ~1 of 9
forced-delegation runs touched it; the rest did 30-50 grep/read calls).
Two additions close the gap:

- CLI: `codegraph explore` and `codegraph node` call the same ToolHandler
  as the MCP tools and print identical output — the graph for any agent
  with a shell (subagents, Gemini CLI, raw Codex, humans).
- Installer: each agent target (claude/codex/gemini/opencode) writes a
  short marker-fenced CodeGraph section into its instructions file —
  the one channel subagents DO receive — naming both surfaces. Upsert
  self-heals the stale pre-#529 long block; uninstall strips it; re-runs
  are byte-equal unchanged. (#529's duplication argument bounded the
  size: four lines, commands only.)

A/B (excalidraw, sonnet/high, forced Explore-agent delegation): without
the block, subagent codegraph usage ~1/9 runs; with it, 4/4 — subagents
ToolSearch-load the MCP tools and run explore 5-7x, best runs with ZERO
Read/grep (80-95s vs 150-197s baseline). The block's mechanism: the
parent relays the note into the task prompt, making the deferred tool
names salient.

Contract tests updated to the new expectations (write + self-heal
replace the #529 strip-only behavior); README install/guidance sections
refreshed (they also still described the pre-#817/#818 tool surface).

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Colby Mchenry
2026-06-11 21:50:41 -05:00
committed by GitHub
co-authored by Claude Opus 4.8
parent c450fd95b7
commit 8170d181f2
10 changed files with 226 additions and 70 deletions
+7 -5
View File
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ The installer will:
- Ask which agent(s) to configure — auto-detects installed ones from: **Claude Code**, **Cursor**, **Codex CLI**, **opencode**, **Hermes Agent**, **Gemini CLI**, **Antigravity IDE**, **Kiro**
- Prompt to install `codegraph` on your PATH (so agents can launch the MCP server)
- Ask whether configs apply to all your projects or just this one
- Write each chosen agent's MCP server config (the codegraph usage guide is delivered by the MCP server itself, so no instructions file is added to `CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / etc.)
- Write each chosen agent's MCP server config, plus a small marker-fenced CodeGraph section in the agent's instructions file (`CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `GEMINI.md`) — that's how subagents and non-MCP agents learn the `codegraph explore` / `codegraph node` commands, since the MCP server's own guidance only reaches the main agent. Removed cleanly by `codegraph uninstall`.
- Set up auto-allow permissions when Claude Code is one of the targets
- Initialize your current project (local installs only)
@@ -406,14 +406,14 @@ npm install -g @colbymchenry/codegraph
<details>
<summary><strong>Agent Tool Guidance</strong></summary>
CodeGraph's MCP server delivers its usage guidance to your agent **automatically**, in the MCP `initialize` response — there's no instructions file to manage and nothing is added to your `CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `GEMINI.md`. In short, it tells the agent to:
CodeGraph's MCP server delivers its usage guidance to your agent **automatically**, in the MCP `initialize` response. In short, it tells the agent to:
- **Answer structural questions directly with CodeGraph** — it *is* the pre-built index, so a grep/read loop just repeats work it already did. Treat the returned source as already read.
- **Pick the tool by intent:** `codegraph_explore` for almost anything — "how does X work", a flow/"how does X reach Y", or surveying an area (one call returns the relevant symbols' source grouped by file); `codegraph_search` to just locate a symbol; `codegraph_callers`/`codegraph_callees` to walk call flow; `codegraph_impact` before editing; `codegraph_node` for one specific symbol's full source (it returns every overload for an ambiguous name).
- **Pick the tool by intent:** `codegraph_explore` for almost anything — "how does X work", a flow/"how does X reach Y", or surveying an area (one call returns the relevant symbols' source grouped by file); `codegraph_search` to just locate a symbol; `codegraph_callers` for every call site (including callback registrations); `codegraph_node` for one symbol's full source + callers, or to read a file like the Read tool.
- **Trust the results — don't re-verify with grep**, and check the staleness banner after edits.
- If `.codegraph/` doesn't exist yet, offer to run `codegraph init -i`.
- In a workspace with no index, CodeGraph announces itself inactive and serves no tools — indexing stays your decision.
The exact text is `src/mcp/server-instructions.ts` — the single source of truth.
The exact text is `src/mcp/server-instructions.ts` — the single source of truth for the main agent. Because subagents and non-MCP harnesses never see the MCP guidance, the installer also writes a four-line marker-fenced section into the agent's instructions file pointing at the `codegraph explore` / `codegraph node` CLI equivalents.
</details>
@@ -464,6 +464,8 @@ codegraph index [path] # Full index (--force to re-index, --quiet for
codegraph sync [path] # Incremental update
codegraph status [path] # Show statistics
codegraph query <search> # Search symbols (--kind, --limit, --json)
codegraph explore <query> # Relevant symbols' source + call paths in one shot (same output as the codegraph_explore MCP tool)
codegraph node <symbol|file> # One symbol's source + callers, or read a file with line numbers (same output as codegraph_node)
codegraph files [path] # Show file structure (--format, --filter, --max-depth, --json)
codegraph callers <symbol> # Find what calls a function/method (--limit, --json)
codegraph callees <symbol> # Find what a function/method calls (--limit, --json)