knot
The knot server enables AI agents to intelligently explore, search, and navigate large codebases using semantic vector search and graph-based structural analysis.
Semantic & Structural Code Search (
search_hybrid_context): Find code by natural language queries (e.g., "user authentication"), combining vector embeddings for semantic similarity with graph analysis for architectural relationships — returns file paths, line numbers, signatures, docstrings, and cross-repository dependencies.Reverse Dependency Lookup (
find_callers): Identify all code that calls, extends, implements, or references a specific function, method, or class — useful for impact analysis before refactoring, dead code detection, and understanding call chains. Supports exact names or signature fragments (e.g.,handle(Request).File Structure Inspection (
explore_file): Get a structural outline of any source file — lists all classes, interfaces, methods, and properties with signatures, docstrings, and line numbers, without reading the entire file.Multi-language support: Java, Kotlin, and TypeScript/JavaScript/Node.js for core code intelligence; HTML and CSS/SCSS also indexed.
Multi-repository filtering: All tools support an optional
repo_nameparameter to scope results to a specific indexed repository.Read-only operations: All tools are purely read-only with no side effects on the codebase or databases.
AI Agent Integration: Exposes capabilities via MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing AI clients (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.) to leverage knot for autonomous code analysis.
Supports indexing and analysis of Angular web components through HTML parsing, enabling cross-language linking between JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for full-stack SPA analysis.
Provides CSS/SCSS stylesheet indexing with class/ID selector extraction and variable tracking, enabling unified HTML/CSS discovery and cross-language search capabilities.
Supports CommonJS TypeScript file analysis as part of complete TypeScript/TSX/CTS language support for modern JavaScript/TypeScript codebases.
Provides Docker-based deployment options for universal compatibility across platforms, including containerized execution of the indexer, CLI tool, and MCP server.
Supports configuration via .env files for setting repository paths and database credentials during codebase indexing and analysis.
Provides comprehensive JavaScript/Node.js analysis including vanilla JS, Node.js, and module systems (.js, .mjs, .cjs, .jsx) with full cross-language linking capabilities.
Provides complete Kotlin codebase analysis with support for classes, interfaces, objects, companion objects, functions, methods, and properties using tree-sitter-kotlin-ng grammar.
Uses Markdown for documentation and skill files, including .knot-agent.md for teaching LLMs how to use the CLI tool for autonomous code analysis.
Integrates with Neo4j graph database for storing architectural relationships via call graphs, enabling structural navigation and reverse dependency analysis.
Supports Node.js module systems and JavaScript analysis as part of the hybrid web ecosystem with cross-language linking capabilities.
Extracts id and className attributes from JSX/TSX React components for unified HTML/CSS discovery and cross-language analysis in web applications.
Provides complete TypeScript/TSX analysis including modern JavaScript/TypeScript codebases with full cross-language linking and architectural relationship extraction.
knot
knot is a high-performance codebase indexer that extracts structural and semantic information from source code, enabling AI agents to understand, analyze, and navigate large code repositories. Currently supports Java, Kotlin, TypeScript, JavaScript/Node.js, Rust, Python, Groovy, C/C++, HTML, and CSS/SCSS, plus Build Systems (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, Jenkins pipeline, Cargo.toml), Configuration Files (YAML, JSON, .properties — optional), Kubernetes + Helm (optional), and Cross-Repo Dependency Linking with full cross-language linking.
For recent release notes see CHANGELOG.md.
The indexer automatically builds:
Vector Search Database (Qdrant) — semantic understanding via embeddings
Graph Database (Neo4j) — architectural relationships via call graphs
This dual-database approach powers both:
MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server — Exposes three tools to any LLM client (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Cursor, etc.)
CLI Tool — Standalone
knotcommand for terminal and scripting environments
Knot in action
CLI — instant reverse dependency lookup
MCP — JSON-RPC protocol for AI agents
✨ Key Features
🔍 Code Intelligence Tools
search_hybrid_context: Semantic + structural search. Find code by meaning, class name, method signature, docstrings, or comments. Returns full context including dependencies.find_callers: Reverse dependency lookup. Identify dead code, perform impact analysis, or understand the full call chain of any function/method. When multiple entities share the same name (e.g.,find_nearest_entity_by_linein different files), results are automatically grouped by target showing which specific entity each caller references. Supports cross-repository call resolution viaDEPENDS_ONgraph edges.explore_file: File anatomy inspection. Quickly see all classes, interfaces, methods, and functions in a file with signatures and documentation.list_repo_dependencies(MCP) /knot deps(CLI): Dependency graph visualization. Show which repositories depend on each other, forward and reverse, with transitive resolution.list_repositories/knot repos: Repository inventory. List every indexed repository along with its entity count, file count, build system, and primary language. Supports optional case-insensitive name filtering via--filter(CLI) orfilterparameter (MCP). Useful for orientation, sanity-checking indexing runs, and discovering which languages and build systems are present in the workspace.
🏗️ Multi-Language Support
Java: Full AST extraction with package-aware FQN resolution (e.g.,
com.example.app.UserService), class inheritance (EXTENDS), interface implementation (IMPLEMENTS), annotation tracking, and field-access method invocation resolutionKotlin: Complete support for Kotlin codebases with classes, interfaces, objects, companion objects, functions, methods, and properties. Fully compatible with tree-sitter-kotlin-ng grammar.
TypeScript/TSX/CTS: Complete support for modern JavaScript/TypeScript codebases, including CommonJS TypeScript files
JavaScript/Node.js: Vanilla JS, Node.js, and module systems (
.js,.mjs,.cjs,.jsx)Hybrid Web Ecosystem: Cross-language linking between JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for full-stack SPA analysis
HTML: Custom elements (Web Components, Angular),
idandclassattribute indexing for cross-language CSS searchJSX/TSX Attributes: Extracts
idandclassNamefrom React components for unified HTML/CSS discoveryCSS/SCSS: Stylesheet indexing with class/ID selector extraction and variable tracking (CSS/SCSS variables, mixins, functions)
Rust: Struct, enum, union, trait, function, method, module extraction with trait implementation tracking (IMPLEMENTS relationships) and macro invocation references. Methods are indexed with the qualified FQN
Type::method(e.g.,KnotMcpHandler::new,WidgetA::new,Logger::new) and qualified calls from top-level functions resolve to the right target by receiver. Braced import/use capture —use foo::{Bar, Baz}anduse foo::Bar as Bazproduce explicit REFERENCES edges for all imported names, including traits imported solely to bring methods into scope. All Rust entity FQNs are now anchored at the owning crate and module path (e.g.knot::config::Config,knot::pipeline::parser::languages::rust::qualify_rust_fqns), so two crates that declare a type with the same bare name no longer collide. Files outsidesrc/(tests, benches, examples) receive a__fixture::<path>::<Entity>FQN prefix (e.g.__fixture::tests::testing_files::sample::Config), and files without aCargo.tomlancestor receive__loose::<path>::<Entity>, preventing name collisions with real source entities. CONTAINS relationships useenclosing_class_fqnfor exact disambiguation when multiple entities share the same class name. The on-disk index state file (.knot/index_state.json) carries aversionfield; opening a state file from an older version prints an error with instructions to runknot-indexer --clean.Python: Full Python extraction with class, function, method support, constants, module-level imports,
ValueReferencetracking for keyword arguments, class inheritance (EXTENDS), decorator extraction (@property,@staticmethod,@route(...),@dataclass), generic type hints (List[str],Optional[Dict],*args/**kwargs), Py2/Py3 exception syntax compatibility, andself.method()resolution with inherited method walking. Capturesclass_definition,function_definition(including async via optionalasyncmodifier), lambda assignments, and distinguishes methods from functions via parent context detection. Class instantiation (ClassName(...)) is automatically redirected toClassName.__init__sofind_callers ClassName.__init__lists every constructor call site (with fallback to inherited__init__via the extends chain); only class/struct kinds trigger the redirect — functions keep the legacy behavior.Groovy: Full Groovy language support via hybrid tree-sitter + ad-hoc lexical parser. Extracts classes, interfaces, traits, enums, typed/
def/quoted methods (incl. Spock specs), constructors, closures, script-level variables, fields/properties with visibility modifiers, nested classes, and decorators. Tracks package FQN and enclosing class relationships. Multi-line signatures (closure default params), assignment-vs-declaration disambiguation, innermost assignment for nested closures, UUID collision fix for duplicate method names,find_callersaccurately tracks private methods including those in anonymousnew AnActionclosures. Inheritance tracking: emitsEXTENDS/IMPLEMENTSreference intents forclass/interface/trait/enumheaders (single-line and multi-line) sofind_callerssurfaces real nextflow-style hierarchies — qualified parents (e.g.extends nextflow.plugin.BasePlugin) and generic-argument stripping (e.g.extends AbstractRepo<Order, Long> → extends AbstractRepo) are supported, and generic bounds (class Box<T extends Comparable>) are correctly not promoted to inheritance edges.Build Systems: Maven
pom.xml(dependencies + plugins via roxmltree), Gradlebuild.gradle(deps + plugins + tasks), andJenkinsfilepipeline (stages + steps) extraction.Cargo.toml: Rust package manager support with package metadata, features, workspace members, and multi-format dependency parsing (simple, table, git, path).
Configuration Files: YAML (.yml/.yaml), JSON (.json), and Java Properties (.properties) with leaf-key granularity. Special handling for package.json (npm dependencies as BuildDependency, scripts as ConfigProperty).
Kubernetes + Helm: K8s manifest parsing (Deployment, Service, ConfigMap, Secret, Ingress, Namespace) with label/annotation tracking and cross-resource references. Helm chart indexing (Chart.yaml metadata, values.yaml key-value pairs, template variable extraction via {{ .Values.X }}).
C/C++: Complete C/C++ support with namespace-aware FQN resolution (
Engine::MyClass::start), class/struct extraction, function/method tracking, macro definition and usage detection (uppercase identifier heuristic), type reference tracking (declarations,newexpressions), and full call graph analysis. Supports.c,.h,.cpp,.hpp,.cc,.cxx,.hh,.hxxextensions via tree-sitter-c and tree-sitter-cpp parsers. Includes intelligent auto-detection for.hheaders to parse them correctly as C or C++ based on their contents.Markdown: Documentation indexing with
MarkdownDocument(one per.md/.markdownfile) andMarkdownSection(one per ATX heading H1–H6). Section bodies — including paragraphs, fenced code blocks, lists, and tables — are captured intoembed_textfor full semantic search over documentation content, not just heading titles. FQNs are hierarchical and file-scoped (e.g.README.md::Setup > Installation > Linux), so same-named headings in different files or under different parents disambiguate cleanly. Section boundaries respect heading depth: a section's body extends until the next heading of equal or higher level, ensuring### Linuxunder## Installationdoes not bleed into a sibling## Configuration. Headings with inline markdown (backticks, em-dash, links, emoji) parse without losing their bodies, and realstart_line/end_linepositions are computed via tree-sitter for each section.
📚 Rich Comment Extraction
Captures docstrings (JavaDoc, JSDoc) preceding declarations
Extracts inline comments within method/function bodies
Respects nesting boundaries (class comments don't capture method comments)
Intelligently aggregates comment blocks
📊 Dual-Database Architecture
Qdrant: Vector search for semantic code understanding
Neo4j: Graph relationships for structural navigation
🚀 High Performance
Parallel Streaming Pipeline: Overlaps CPU-bound embedding with I/O-bound ingestion via MPSC channels
Incremental Indexing: Uses SHA-256 hashes to skip unchanged files
Real-time Watch Mode: Automatically re-indexes changed files in seconds via
--watchCPU Parallelism: AST extraction via Rayon
Scalable: Configurable batch processing and constant memory footprint (~2GB) regardless of repository size
Performance Benchmarking: Three-level validation framework
Unit benchmarks: Criterion-based benchmarks for parse, embed, and graph write throughput (
benches/)E2E benchmarks: Full pipeline metrics capture with per-stage timing (
tests/benchmark_e2e.sh)CI regression tracking: Automated baseline comparison against tolerance thresholds (
scripts/compare_perf_metrics.sh)
Related MCP server: CodeGraph CLI MCP Server
🛠️ Installation
Prerequisites
Component | Version | Notes |
Docker | 20.10+ | For running Qdrant and Neo4j |
qdrant | 1.x | Vector database (docker) |
neo4j | 5.x | Graph database (docker) |
Option A: Pre-compiled Binaries (macOS & Modern Linux)
Go to the Releases page and download the native executable for your platform.
Install knot binaries (CLI, MCP server, and indexer):
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/raultov/knot/releases/latest/download/knot-installer.sh | shInstall agent-skills for your AI (Optional): Paste this into your LLM agent (Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, etc.):
Install the knot agent skills by following the instructions at: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raultov/knot/master/README.md
The first command installs the knot binary to your PATH. The second (optional) allows your AI assistant to automatically download the agent skill index (.knot-agent.md) and run the installer to extract comprehensive guides for using knot CLI with AI agents and code analysis tools.
System Requirements:
Linux: glibc 2.38+ (Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 13+, Fedora 39+, Arch)
macOS: Modern versions supported
Windows: Use Docker (Option B)
Option B: Docker (Universal Compatibility)
Docker images provide universal compatibility for any Linux distribution and Windows.
Docker Installation (All Binaries)
Build the image:
docker build -t knot:latest . --network=hostRun the indexer:
# Use --network host to connect to databases running on your host machine
docker run --rm \
-v /path/to/your/repo:/workspace \
-e KNOT_REPO_PATH=/workspace \
-e KNOT_NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password \
--network host \
knot:latest \
knot-indexerRun the CLI tool:
docker run --rm \
-v /path/to/your/repo:/workspace \
-e KNOT_REPO_PATH=/workspace \
-e KNOT_NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password \
--network host \
knot:latest \
knot search "user login flow"Run the MCP server:
docker run --rm \
-e KNOT_REPO_PATH=/workspace \
-e KNOT_NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password \
--network host \
knot:latest \
knot-mcpNote: Uses Debian Trixie (glibc 2.38+) and includes ONNX Runtime for full functionality.
Option C: Install via Cargo
cargo install --git https://github.com/raultov/knotOption D: Build from Source
1. Start infrastructure with Docker:
docker compose up -d2. Clone and build:
git clone https://github.com/raultov/knot
cd knot
cargo build --release3. Configure:
mkdir -p ~/.config/knot
cp .env.example ~/.config/knot/.env
$EDITOR ~/.config/knot/.env # Set KNOT_REPO_PATH and Neo4j credentials4. Index a codebase:
./target/release/knot-indexer5. Query via CLI:
./target/release/knot search "your query"6. Start the MCP server:
./target/release/knot-mcp📖 Usage
🤖 Install Agent Skills (For AI Agents)
Option A: Let an LLM do it
Paste this into any LLM agent (Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, etc.):
Install the knot agent skills by following the instructions at: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raultov/knot/master/README.md
Option B: Terminal (Manual)
curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raultov/knot/master/.knot-agent.md && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raultov/knot/master/scripts/install-agent-skills.sh | bash📥 Quick Downloads (Binaries)
Download knot binaries (CLI + MCP server):
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/raultov/knot/releases/latest/download/knot-installer.sh | sh📖 Agent-Skills Guides
Comprehensive documentation for using knot tools. The agent skills installer extracts:
search.md — Semantic code discovery guide with examples
callers.md — Reverse dependency lookup with critical usage rules
explore.md — File anatomy inspection guide
deps.md — Repository dependency graph guide
repos.md — Indexed repository inventory
workflows.md — Common patterns and best practices
For quick reference without downloading, see .knot-agent.md.
Using the CLI
The knot CLI provides the same capabilities as the MCP server via command-line commands, making it ideal for:
Terminal-only environments
Bash scripting and automation
CI/CD pipelines
Direct integration with other tools
Three main commands:
knot search — Semantic Code Search
knot search "user authentication" --max-results 10 --repo my-appFind code entities by meaning, class names, docstrings, or comments.
knot callers — Reverse Dependency Lookup
knot callers "LoginService" --repo my-appFind all code that references a specific entity (dead code detection, impact analysis, call chains). When multiple entities share the same name in different files, results are automatically grouped by target with file locations and signatures.
knot explore — File Structure Inspection
knot explore "src/services/auth.ts" --repo my-appList all classes, methods, functions in a file with signatures and documentation.
knot deps — Repository Dependency Graph
knot deps my-app --depth 2 # Show forward dependencies (transitive)
knot deps my-app --reverse # Show who depends on this repoVisualize auto-discovered dependencies between indexed repositories with transitive resolution up to 3 levels deep.
knot repos — List Indexed Repositories
knot repos # Table with REPO / BUILD SYSTEM / LANGUAGE / FILES / ENTITIES
knot repos --filter app # Case-insensitive name filter (substring match)
knot repos --output json # Machine-readable list
knot repos --output markdown # GFM table for chat UIsShow the status of every repository currently indexed in the graph database — useful for orientation, sanity-checking that an indexing run completed, and discovering which languages and build systems are present across the workspace. Use --filter to quickly locate a specific repository when working with multiple indexed codebases.
For detailed CLI usage guide, see .knot-agent.md — a machine-readable skill that teaches LLMs how to use knot CLI for autonomous code analysis.
Indexing a Codebase
Incremental Indexing (Default)
# First run: indexes all files
knot-indexer --repo-path /path/to/your/repo --neo4j-password secret
# Subsequent runs: only re-indexes changed files (fast!)
knot-indexer --repo-path /path/to/your/repo --neo4j-password secret
# NEW: Real-time Watch mode
knot-indexer --watch --repo-path /path/to/your/repo --neo4j-password secretHow it works:
Tracks file content via SHA-256 hashes in
.knot/index_state.jsonStores the downloaded
fastembedmodel in.knot/fastembed_cache/to keep the workspace cleanAutomatically detects: modified, added, and deleted files
Only re-parses and re-embeds changed files
Preserves graph relationships to unchanged files
Processes entities in memory-efficient 512-entity chunks
Performance:
Initial index (3800 files): ~60 minutes on standard hardware
Incremental update (3 files changed): ~5-10 seconds
Memory usage: Constant ~2GB regardless of repository size
Full Re-Index (Clean Mode)
# Force complete re-index (deletes all existing data)
knot-indexer --clean --repo-path /path/to/your/repo --neo4j-password secretUse --clean when:
You want to rebuild the entire index from scratch
You've changed Tree-sitter queries or embedding models
Troubleshooting indexing issues
Upgrade note (v1.5.1): File paths are now persisted as repo-relative paths with POSIX separators (e.g.
src/pipeline/embed.rs). Upgrading from v1.4.x triggers an automatic full re-index on first run — the on-disk.knot/index_state.jsoncarries a version field that the loader rejects when stale, andknot-indexerthen wipes the repo from both databases before rebuilding. No manual steps required. Entity UUIDs become machine-independent in the process: the same repo indexed from different checkout locations now produces identical UUIDs.
Indexing Progress
The indexer emits [Progress] log lines showing real-time file-based completion.
Example with 5000 files where 1000 have been parsed:
[Progress] [my-repo] 1000/5000 files (20.0%) — batch #16 ingested (64 entities)A final log line confirms completion:
[Progress] [my-repo] 5000/5000 files (100.0%) — parsing and ingestion complete, resolving references...Library API (knot-server integration)
Callers that need to observe progress programmatically can use the ProgressTracker:
use std::sync::Arc;
use knot::pipeline::{ProgressTracker, run_indexing_pipeline_with_progress};
let progress = Arc::new(ProgressTracker::new());
let progress_clone = Arc::clone(&progress);
// Poll snapshot() from another task while the pipeline runs
tokio::spawn(async move {
loop {
let snap = progress_clone.snapshot();
println!("{}/{} files ({:.1}%)", snap.parsed_files, snap.total_files, snap.percent_complete);
if snap.stage == IndexingStage::Completed || snap.stage == IndexingStage::Failed {
break;
}
tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(500)).await;
}
});
run_indexing_pipeline_with_progress(&cfg, &vdb, &gdb, &mut state, progress).await?;The snapshot() method is thread-safe (read-only locks + atomic loads) and returns a
IndexingProgress struct that serializes directly to JSON for REST endpoints.
Running E2E Integration Tests
To ensure indexer stability, run the E2E integration test suite:
# Run all language E2E tests (TypeScript, Java, JavaScript, Web, Kotlin, Rust, ...)
./tests/run_all_e2e_fast.sh
# Run only Kotlin E2E tests
./tests/run_kotlin_e2e.sh
# Run only Rust E2E tests
./tests/run_rust_e2e.shSee tests/KOTLIN_E2E_TESTS.md for detailed coverage and troubleshooting.
Using the MCP Server
The MCP server exposes three tools to any compatible AI client:
Tool 1: search_hybrid_context
Find code by meaning or keywords
Query: "How is user authentication implemented?"
Result: All auth-related code, signatures, docstrings, and dependenciesCapabilities:
Semantic search by functionality
Class/method/function name lookup
Docstring and inline comment search
Architectural pattern discovery
Full dependency context
Tool 2: find_callers
Find who calls a specific function
Query: "Find callers of getCurrentTimeInSeconds"
Result: All code that invokes this function + file locationsAdvanced: Search by Signature
# Find by full signature (Java)
echo '{"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"find_callers","arguments":{"entity_name":"registerUser(String"}}}' | knot-mcp
# Find by parameter type (Kotlin)
echo '{"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"find_callers","arguments":{"entity_name":"findById(Int"}}}' | knot-mcp
# Find by type annotation (TypeScript)
echo '{"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"find_callers","arguments":{"entity_name":"(EventData"}}}' | knot-mcpUse Cases:
Dead Code Detection: Zero callers = unused code
Impact Analysis: "What breaks if I modify this?"
Refactoring Safety: Find all references before removing
Tool 3: explore_file
Understand file structure
Query: "What's in BrowserService.ts?"
Result: All classes, methods, and functions with signatures and docsUse Cases:
Quick file navigation
Module structure overview
Finding all methods in a class without reading line-by-line
🔗 MCP Client Configuration
Supported Clients
knot works with any MCP-compatible AI client:
✅ Claude Desktop (Anthropic)
✅ Gemini CLI (Google)
✅ ChatGPT CLI / GPT (OpenAI)
✅ Cursor (AI IDE)
✅ Any standard MCP client
Configuration Examples
Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"knot": {
"command": "/absolute/path/to/knot/target/release/knot-mcp",
"env": {
"KNOT_REPO_PATH": "/path/to/indexed/repo",
"KNOT_QDRANT_URL": "http://localhost:6334",
"KNOT_NEO4J_URI": "bolt://localhost:7687",
"KNOT_NEO4J_USER": "neo4j",
"KNOT_NEO4J_PASSWORD": "your-password"
}
}
}
}Gemini CLI
{
"mcpServers": {
"knot": {
"command": "/absolute/path/to/knot/target/release/knot-mcp",
"env": {
"KNOT_REPO_PATH": "/path/to/indexed/repo",
"KNOT_QDRANT_URL": "http://localhost:6334",
"KNOT_NEO4J_URI": "bolt://localhost:7687",
"KNOT_NEO4J_USER": "neo4j",
"KNOT_NEO4J_PASSWORD": "your-password"
}
}
}
}ChatGPT / GPT CLI
Similar JSON configuration in your client's MCP configuration file.
⚙️ Configuration Reference
All options can be set via CLI flags, environment variables, or a ~/.config/knot/.env file.
Priority (highest to lowest): CLI flags > environment variables > .env file.
Env Variable | CLI Flag | Default | Description |
|
| (required) | Root directory of the repository to index |
|
| (auto-detected) | Repository name for multi-repo isolation (auto-detected from last path component) |
|
|
| Qdrant server URL |
|
|
| Qdrant collection name |
|
|
| Neo4j Bolt URI |
|
|
| Neo4j username |
|
| (required) | Neo4j password |
|
|
| Embedding vector dimension |
|
|
| Entities per batch |
|
|
| Force full re-index (delete all existing data) |
|
| (none) | Path to CA certificate bundle for corporate SSL proxies |
|
|
| Include YAML/JSON/properties/K8s/Helm files in the index |
| (env only) |
| Log level: |
🎨 Custom Tree-sitter Queries
The built-in extraction queries (queries/java.scm, queries/typescript.scm) can be overridden without recompiling:
KNOT_CUSTOM_QUERIES_PATH=/path/to/my/queries ./target/release/knot-indexerPlace java.scm and/or typescript.scm in your custom directory. Missing files fall back to built-in defaults.
🔐 Corporate SSL / CA Certificates
In restricted corporate environments with SSL-inspecting proxies, you may need to provide a custom CA certificate bundle so that knot can download the embedding model from HuggingFace.
Via environment variable:
export KNOT_CUSTOM_CA_CERTS=/etc/ssl/certs/corporate-bundle.pem
./target/release/knot-indexer --repo-path /path/to/repo --neo4j-password secretVia CLI flag:
./target/release/knot-indexer \
--custom-ca-certs /etc/ssl/certs/corporate-bundle.pem \
--repo-path /path/to/repo \
--neo4j-password secretVia .env file:
echo "KNOT_CUSTOM_CA_CERTS=/etc/ssl/certs/corporate-bundle.pem" >> ~/.config/knot/.env
./target/release/knot-indexerThis works for all three binaries: knot-indexer, knot-mcp, and knot.
🔄 Workflow Example
Step 1: Index a Java project
./target/release/knot-indexer --repo-path /home/user/my-java-app --neo4j-password secretStep 2: Query via CLI (Instant search)
./target/release/knot search "authentication logic"
./target/release/knot callers "UserService.login"Step 3: Start MCP server (For AI Agents)
./target/release/knot-mcpStep 4: Use with Claude Desktop
Claude will list the three tools in its Tools menu
Ask: "Search for all authentication logic"
Ask: "Find who calls the login method"
Ask: "Explore the structure of UserService.java"
🤖 Auto-Configuring AI Agents
knot includes a universal .prompt file in its root directory that automatically configures modern AI coding agents (Cursor, Cline, opencode, Claude, etc.) to use the knot-mcp tools correctly.
The directive explicitly instructs AI agents to prioritize:
search_hybrid_context— for semantic code discovery (instead ofgrep)find_callers— for reverse dependency analysis (instead of finding references manually)explore_file— for file structure inspection (instead of reading line-by-line)
This ensures that when you ask an AI agent to analyze, refactor, or understand your code, it leverages the full power of the vector and graph databases rather than falling back to context-blind regex searches. The .prompt file is universal and tool-agnostic, working with any LLM client that reads codebase directives.
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:
All code passes
cargo clippyCode is formatted with
cargo fmtChanges are compatible with Rust 2024 edition
All new functionality includes unit tests
Performance regressions are validated with the benchmark framework before submitting PRs
Performance Benchmarking
The project includes a three-level benchmarking framework to validate optimizations and detect regressions:
Level 1 — Unit Benchmarks (Criterion):
cargo bench --bench pipeline_bench # Parse + prepare throughput per language
cargo bench --bench graph_upsert_bench # Neo4j UNWIND batching speedup (needs Neo4j)
cargo bench --bench channel_backpressure_bench # Bounded channel overheadLevel 2 — E2E Integration Benchmarks:
# Full pipeline metrics with memory and per-stage timing
./tests/benchmark_e2e.sh --focus rust_e2e --output-dir /tmp/perf_results
# Compare against baseline (fails CI if tolerance exceeded)
scripts/compare_perf_metrics.sh /tmp/perf_results .perf_metrics/baseline.jsonBaseline files: .perf_metrics/baseline.json stores the last known good metrics (committed, updated on main/master merges). Tolerance thresholds in .perf_metrics/threshold_tolerances.json control regression gates (±5% time, ±10% memory by default).
CI Integration: The test-performance job in .github/workflows/ci.yml runs after all E2E correctness tests pass, comparing results against baseline and fails the build on regression.
📜 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
🚀 Roadmap
For the full release history see CHANGELOG.md.
Upcoming
Long-Term Vision
Varnish VCL support
Go support
C# support
IDE plugins (VS Code, IntelliJ, Vim)
Language Server Protocol (LSP) integration
Automated Code Review tool (MCP-based)
CLI commands (opencode, claude, agy) to index repos
Ruby support
💬 Questions?
For issues, feature requests, or discussions, please open a GitHub issue.
Maintenance
Latest Blog Posts
- Your AI Chatbot Just Exposed Your CEO's Salary to an InternBy Om-Shree-0709 on .Agent IdentityMCP SecurityOAuth Delegation
- Why MCP Servers Need Execution Sandboxing (And Why Your Current Stack Isn't Enough)By Om-Shree-0709 on .Agentic AiPrompt InjectionWebAssembly
MCP directory API
We provide all the information about MCP servers via our MCP API.
curl -X GET 'https://glama.ai/api/mcp/v1/servers/raultov/knot'
If you have feedback or need assistance with the MCP directory API, please join our Discord server