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Code Index MCP

MCP Server Python License

Intelligent code indexing and analysis for Large Language Models

Transform how AI understands your codebase with advanced search, analysis, and navigation capabilities.

Overview

Code Index MCP is a Model Context Protocol server that bridges the gap between AI models and complex codebases. It provides intelligent indexing, advanced search capabilities, and detailed code analysis to help AI assistants understand and navigate your projects effectively.

Perfect for: Code review, refactoring, documentation generation, debugging assistance, and architectural analysis.

Related MCP server: microCMS MCP Server

Quick Start

๐Ÿš€ Recommended Setup (Most Users)

The easiest way to get started with any MCP-compatible application:

Prerequisites: Python 3.10+ and uv

  1. Add to your MCP configuration (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.claude.json):

    { "mcpServers": { "code-index": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["code-index-mcp"] } } }

    Optional: append --project-path /absolute/path/to/repo to the args array so the server initializes with that repository automatically (equivalent to calling set_project_path after startup).

  2. Restart your application โ€“ uvx automatically handles installation and execution

  3. Start using (give these prompts to your AI assistant):

    Set the project path to /Users/dev/my-react-app Find all TypeScript files in this project Search for "authentication" functions Analyze the main App.tsx file

    If you launch with

Codex CLI Configuration

If you are using Anthropic's Codex CLI, add the server to ~/.codex/config.toml. On Windows the file lives at C:\Users\<you>\.codex\config.toml:

[mcp_servers.code-index] type = "stdio" command = "uvx" args = ["code-index-mcp"]

You can append --project-path C:/absolute/path/to/repo to the args list to set the project automatically on startup (same effect as running the set_project_path tool).

On Windows, uvx needs the standard profile directories to be present. Keep the environment override in the same block so the MCP starts reliably:

env = { HOME = "C:\\Users\\<you>", APPDATA = "C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\Roaming", LOCALAPPDATA = "C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\Local", SystemRoot = "C:\\Windows" }

Linux and macOS already expose the required XDG paths and HOME, so you can usually omit the env table there. Add overrides only if you run the CLI inside a restricted container.

FastMCP & Discovery Manifests

  • Run fastmcp run fastmcp.json to launch the server via FastMCP with the correct source entrypoint and dependency metadata. Pass --project-path (or call the set_project_path tool after startup) so the index boots against the right repository.

  • Serve or copy .well-known/mcp.json to share a standards-compliant MCP manifest. Clients that support the .well-known convention (e.g., Claude Desktop, Codex CLI) can import this file directly instead of crafting configs manually.

  • Publish .well-known/mcp.llmfeed.json when you want to expose the richer LLM Feed metadata. It references the same code-index server definition plus documentation/source links, which helps registries present descriptions, tags, and capabilities automatically.

When sharing the manifests, remind consumers to supply --project-path (or to call set_project_path) so the server indexes the intended repository.

Typical Use Cases

Code Review: "Find all places using the old API"
Refactoring Help: "Where is this function called?"
Learning Projects: "Show me the main components of this React project"
Debugging: "Search for all error handling related code"

Key Features

๐Ÿ” Intelligent Search & Analysis

  • Dual-Strategy Architecture: Specialized tree-sitter parsing for 7 core languages, fallback strategy for 50+ file types

  • Direct Tree-sitter Integration: No regex fallbacks for specialized languages - fail fast with clear errors

  • Advanced Search: Auto-detects and uses the best available tool (ugrep, ripgrep, ag, or grep)

  • Universal File Support: Comprehensive coverage from advanced AST parsing to basic file indexing

  • File Analysis: Deep insights into structure, imports, classes, methods, and complexity metrics after running build_deep_index

๐Ÿ—‚๏ธ Multi-Language Support

  • 7 Languages with Tree-sitter AST Parsing: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, Objective-C, Zig

  • 50+ File Types with Fallback Strategy: C/C++, Rust, Ruby, PHP, and all other programming languages

  • Document & Config Files: Markdown, JSON, YAML, XML with appropriate handling

  • Web Frontend: Vue, React, Svelte, HTML, CSS, SCSS

  • Java Web & Build: JSP/Tag files (.jsp, .jspx, .jspf, .tag, .tagx), Grails/GSP (.gsp), Gradle & Groovy builds (.gradle, .groovy), .properties, and Protocol Buffers (.proto)

  • Database: SQL variants, NoSQL, stored procedures, migrations

  • Configuration: JSON, YAML, XML, Markdown

  • View complete list

โšก Real-time Monitoring & Auto-refresh

  • File Watcher: Automatic index updates when files change

  • Cross-platform: Native OS file system monitoring

  • Smart Processing: Batches rapid changes to prevent excessive rebuilds

  • Shallow Index Refresh: Watches file changes and keeps the file list current; run a deep rebuild when you need symbol metadata

โšก Performance & Efficiency

  • Tree-sitter AST Parsing: Native syntax parsing for accurate symbol extraction

  • Persistent Caching: Stores indexes for lightning-fast subsequent access

  • Smart Filtering: Intelligent exclusion of build directories and temporary files

  • Memory Efficient: Optimized for large codebases

  • Direct Dependencies: No fallback mechanisms - fail fast with clear error messages

Supported File Types

Languages with Specialized Tree-sitter Strategies:

  • Python (.py, .pyw) - Full AST analysis with class/method extraction and call tracking

  • JavaScript (.js, .jsx, .mjs, .cjs) - ES6+ class and function parsing with tree-sitter

  • TypeScript (.ts, .tsx) - Complete type-aware symbol extraction with interfaces

  • Java (.java) - Full class hierarchy, method signatures, and call relationships

  • Go (.go) - Struct methods, receiver types, and function analysis

  • Objective-C (.m, .mm) - Class/instance method distinction with +/- notation

  • Zig (.zig, .zon) - Function and struct parsing with tree-sitter AST

All Other Programming Languages: All other programming languages use the FallbackParsingStrategy which provides basic file indexing and metadata extraction. This includes:

  • System & Low-Level: C/C++ (.c, .cpp, .h, .hpp), Rust (.rs)

  • Object-Oriented: C# (.cs), Kotlin (.kt), Scala (.scala), Swift (.swift)

  • Scripting & Dynamic: Ruby (.rb), PHP (.php), Shell (.sh, .bash)

  • And 40+ more file types - All handled through the fallback strategy for basic indexing

Frameworks & Libraries:

  • Vue (.vue)

  • Svelte (.svelte)

  • Astro (.astro)

Styling:

  • CSS (.css, .scss, .less, .sass, .stylus, .styl)

  • HTML (.html)

Templates:

  • Handlebars (.hbs, .handlebars)

  • EJS (.ejs)

  • Pug (.pug)

  • FreeMarker (.ftl)

  • Mustache (.mustache)

  • Liquid (.liquid)

  • ERB (.erb)

SQL Variants:

  • Standard SQL (.sql, .ddl, .dml)

  • Database-specific (.mysql, .postgresql, .psql, .sqlite, .mssql, .oracle, .ora, .db2)

Database Objects:

  • Procedures & Functions (.proc, .procedure, .func, .function)

  • Views & Triggers (.view, .trigger, .index)

Migration & Tools:

  • Migration files (.migration, .seed, .fixture, .schema)

  • Tool-specific (.liquibase, .flyway)

NoSQL & Modern:

  • Graph & Query (.cql, .cypher, .sparql, .gql)

  • Markdown (.md, .mdx)

  • Configuration (.json, .xml, .yml, .yaml, .properties)

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Development Setup

For contributing or local development:

  1. Clone and install:

    git clone https://github.com/johnhuang316/code-index-mcp.git cd code-index-mcp uv sync
  2. Configure for local development:

    { "mcpServers": { "code-index": { "command": "uv", "args": ["run", "code-index-mcp"] } } }
  3. Debug with MCP Inspector:

    npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run code-index-mcp

If you prefer traditional pip management:

pip install code-index-mcp

Then configure:

{ "mcpServers": { "code-index": { "command": "code-index-mcp", "args": [] } } }

Available Tools

๐Ÿ—๏ธ Project Management

Tool

Description

set_project_path

Initialize indexing for a project directory

refresh_index

Rebuild the shallow file index after file changes

build_deep_index

Generate the full symbol index used by deep analysis

get_settings_info

View current project configuration and status

Run

๐Ÿ” Search & Discovery

Tool

Description

search_code_advanced

Smart search with regex, fuzzy matching, file filtering, and paginated results (10 per page by default)

find_files

Locate files using glob patterns (e.g.,

**/*.py

)

get_file_summary

Analyze file structure, functions, imports, and complexity (requires deep index)

๐Ÿ”„ Monitoring & Auto-refresh

Tool

Description

get_file_watcher_status

Check file watcher status and configuration

configure_file_watcher

Enable/disable auto-refresh and configure settings

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ System & Maintenance

Tool

Description

create_temp_directory

Set up storage directory for index data

check_temp_directory

Verify index storage location and permissions

clear_settings

Reset all cached data and configurations

refresh_search_tools

Re-detect available search tools (ugrep, ripgrep, etc.)

Usage Examples

๐ŸŽฏ Quick Start Workflow

1. Initialize Your Project

Set the project path to /Users/dev/my-react-app

Automatically indexes your codebase and creates searchable cache

2. Explore Project Structure

Find all TypeScript component files in src/components

Uses:

3. Analyze Key Files

Give me a summary of src/api/userService.ts

Uses: Tip: run

๐Ÿ” Advanced Search Examples

Search for all function calls matching "get.*Data" using regex

Finds:

Find authentication-related functions with fuzzy search for 'authUser'

Matches:

Search for "API_ENDPOINT" only in Python files

Uses:

Configure automatic index updates when files change

Uses:

I added new components, please refresh the project index

Uses:

Troubleshooting

๐Ÿ”„ Auto-refresh Not Working

If automatic index updates aren't working when files change, try:

  • pip install watchdog (may resolve environment isolation issues)

  • Use manual refresh: Call the refresh_index tool after making file changes

  • Check file watcher status: Use get_file_watcher_status to verify monitoring is active

Development & Contributing

๐Ÿ”ง Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/johnhuang316/code-index-mcp.git cd code-index-mcp uv sync uv run code-index-mcp

๐Ÿ› Debugging

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx code-index-mcp

๐Ÿค Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.


๐Ÿ“œ License

MIT License

๐ŸŒ Translations

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