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Semantic Search MCP Server

by mix0z
README.md
# Semantic Search MCP Server

A local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI agents to perform semantic search over codebases using natural language queries. The server converts queries into efficient text search patterns (grep/ripgrep) and verifies relevance before returning results.

## Quick Setup

### Installation

```bash
pip install -e .
```

### Environment Variables

Set the following environment variables:

- `REPO_PATH` - Path to the repository to search (defaults to current directory)
- `SEARCHER_TYPE` - Searcher implementation to use (default: `sgr_gemini_flash_lite`)

**API Keys** (choose one based on your searcher type):
- For Claude-based searchers: `CLAUDE_API_KEY` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`
- For Gemini-based searchers: `GOOGLE_API_KEY`, `GEMINI_API_KEY`, `AI_STUDIO`, or `VERTEX_AI_API_KEY`
- For OpenAI-based searchers: `OPENAI_API_KEY`

### Available Searchers

**SGR (Schema-Guided Reasoning) searchers** - Production-ready implementations:
- `sgr` / `sgr_gemini_flash_lite` - Default, recommended (Gemini Flash Lite)
- `sgr_gemini_flash` - SGR with Gemini Flash
- `sgr_gemini_pro` - SGR with Gemini Pro
- `sgr_gpt4o` - SGR with GPT-4o
- `sgr_gpt4o_mini` - SGR with GPT-4o Mini

**Note:** Other searcher types (`ripgrep_claude`, `agent_claude`, `agent_gemini_flash_lite`, etc.) are experimental implementations from earlier development phases and are not recommended for production use.

## Running the MCP Server

**Important:** The MCP server is not meant to be run directly in a terminal. It communicates via STDIO using JSON-RPC protocol and must be launched by an IDE or MCP client.

### Cursor Configuration

Add to your `cursor-mcp-config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qure-semantic-search": {
      "command": "/path/to/.venv/bin/qure-semantic-search-mcp",
      "env": {
        "REPO_PATH": "/path/to/your/repo"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

After configuring, restart Cursor. The server will be automatically launched when you use the `semantic_search` tool in Cursor's AI chat.

**Note:** If you see JSON parsing errors when running the command directly in terminal, this is expected - the server requires an MCP client (like Cursor) to communicate with it via JSON-RPC protocol.

## Evaluation

### Running Evaluation

**Standard mode** (single run per query):
```bash
python -m eval.run_eval
```

**Stability mode** (10 runs per query to measure consistency):
```bash
python -m eval.run_eval --stability
```

**Stability mode with custom runs** (e.g., 20 runs per query):
```bash
python -m eval.run_eval --stability --runs 20
```

**Evaluate all searchers** (compares different searcher implementations):
```bash
python -m eval.run_all_searchers --stability
```

**Additional options:**
- `--verbose` / `-v` - Print detailed per-query statistics
- `--single-dataset` - Use only main dataset (exclude easy dataset)
- `--output <path>` - Export results to JSON file

### Datasets

The evaluation uses two datasets:

1. **Main dataset** (`data/dataset.jsonl`) - 12 challenging examples across different codebases (Django, Gin, CodeQL, QGIS, etc.) with non-trivial queries where simple keyword matching fails.

2. **Easy dataset** (`data/dataset_easy.jsonl`) - 14 simpler examples designed for faster evaluation and testing. These queries are more straightforward but still require semantic understanding.

By default, both datasets are used together (26 queries total). Use `--single-dataset` to evaluate only the main dataset.

## Metrics

For detailed metric definitions and mathematical proof of perfection, see **[METRICS_LOGIC.md](METRICS_LOGIC.md)**.

**Quick Summary:**
- **Precision@K** = TP / (TP + FP) - Fraction of returned results that are relevant
- **Recall@K** = TP / (TP + FN) - Fraction of all relevant items that were returned
- **F1@K** = Harmonic mean of Precision and Recall
- **File Discovery Rate** = Files Found / Files Expected
- **Substring Coverage** = Substrings Found / Substrings Required

**The Logic Test:** If all metrics score 1.0, the solution is mathematically perfect (see proof in METRICS_LOGIC.md).

See `eval/metrics.py` for detailed implementations.

## Performance Results

Evaluation results for `sgr_gemini_flash_lite` searcher (10 runs per query, 26 queries total):

### Overall Performance

| Metric | Value | Stability |
|--------|-------|-----------|
| **Precision@10** | 0.30 ± 0.38 | ⚠ High variance (CV=127%) |
| **Recall@10** | 0.31 ± 0.41 | ⚠ High variance (CV=133%) |
| **F1@10** | 0.29 ± 0.38 | ⚠ High variance (CV=130%) |
| **Success Rate@10** | 0.40 ± 0.46 | ⚠ High variance (CV=114%) |
| **File Discovery Rate** | 0.61 ± 0.40 | ⚠ Moderate variance (CV=66%) |
| **Substring Coverage** | 0.35 ± 0.39 | ⚠ High variance (CV=111%) |
| **Avg Latency** | 20.6s ± 7.9s | Range: 9.6s - 38.3s |
| **Stability Score** | 73.9% | 16/26 stable queries (61.5%) |

### Dataset Breakdown

#### Easy Dataset (14 examples)
- **Precision@10**: 0.40 ± 0.44
- **Recall@10**: 0.46 ± 0.49
- **F1@10**: 0.42 ± 0.45
- **File Discovery Rate**: 0.92 ± 0.13 ✓ (Good stability)
- **Avg Latency**: 15.0s ± 4.8s
- **Stability Score**: 85.9% ✓ (Good stability)

#### Main Dataset (12 examples)
- **Precision@10**: 0.17 ± 0.25
- **Recall@10**: 0.13 ± 0.18
- **F1@10**: 0.14 ± 0.20
- **File Discovery Rate**: 0.26 ± 0.30
- **Avg Latency**: 27.2s ± 5.3s
- **Stability Score**: 60.0% ⚠ (Moderate stability)

### Notes

- **High variance** in metrics is expected due to LLM non-determinism and the complexity of semantic search queries
- **File Discovery Rate** shows better stability, especially on easier queries (92% success rate)
- **Latency** varies significantly (9-38s) depending on query complexity and codebase size
- Results are evaluated on non-trivial queries where simple keyword matching fails

## Project Structure

- `src/` - Core MCP server and searcher implementations
- `eval/` - Evaluation scripts and metrics
- `data/` - Evaluation dataset and test repositories
- `scripts/` - Utility scripts for testing and debugging

## Documentation

- **[METRICS_LOGIC.md](METRICS_LOGIC.md)** - Mathematical justification for metric selection and proof of perfection
- **[KNOWN_ISSUES.md](KNOWN_ISSUES.md)** - Current limitations, known problems, and workarounds
- **[FUTURE_ROADMAP.md](FUTURE_ROADMAP.md)** - Planned improvements and mitigation strategies

TDQS

D1.8/5.0

Scored across 1 tool

Disambiguation5/5

With only one tool, there is no possibility of ambiguity or overlap between tools. The single tool 'semantic_search' has a clear and distinct purpose that cannot be confused with any other tool in the set.

Naming Consistency5/5

The tool name 'semantic_search' follows a consistent snake_case pattern, and with only one tool, there is no inconsistency to evaluate. The naming is straightforward and matches the server's purpose.

Tool Count2/5

A single tool is generally too few for most server purposes, as it limits functionality and can lead to dead ends in agent workflows. For a semantic search server, one tool feels thin and under-scoped, lacking operations like filtering, indexing, or result management.

Completeness2/5

The tool set is severely incomplete for a semantic search domain. It only provides a basic search function, with obvious gaps such as indexing documents, managing search indices, updating or deleting entries, or handling advanced search parameters, which are essential for comprehensive semantic search operations.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues