Last reviewed: 2026-04-23
Project: GitNexus · Environment: dev · Maintainer: repository maintainers (see GitHub)
| Boundary | Rule |
|---|---|
| Reads | gitnexus/, gitnexus-web/, eval/, plugin packages, .github/, .gitnexus/, docs. |
| Writes | Only paths required for the change; keep diffs minimal. Update lockfiles when deps change. |
| Executes | npm, npx, node under gitnexus/ and gitnexus-web/; uv run for Python under eval/; documented CI/dev workflows. |
| Off-limits | Real .env / secrets, production credentials, unrelated repos, destructive git ops without confirmation. |
- Primary: Use a named model (e.g. Claude Sonnet 4.x). Avoid
Autoor unversionedlatestwhen reproducibility matters. - Notes: The GitNexus CLI indexer does not call an LLM.
For multi-step work, state up front:
- Which rules in this file and GUARDRAILS.md apply (and any relevant Signs).
- Current Scope boundaries.
- Which validation commands you will run (
cd gitnexus && npm test,npx tsc --noEmit).
On long threads, "Remember: apply all AGENTS.md rules" re-weights these instructions against context dilution.
PreToolUse hooks can block tools (e.g. git_commit) until checks pass. Adapt to this repo: cd gitnexus && npm test before commit.
Commands and gotchas live under Repo reference below and in CONTRIBUTING.md. If always-on rules grow, split into .cursor/rules/*.mdc (globs). Cursor: project-wide rules in .cursor/index.mdc. Claude Code: load STANDARDS.md only when needed.
- ARCHITECTURE.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, GUARDRAILS.md
- Call-resolution DAG (legacy path): See ARCHITECTURE.md § Call-Resolution DAG. Typed 6-stage DAG inside the
parsephase; language-specific behavior behindinferImplicitReceiver/selectDispatchhooks onLanguageProvider. Shared code ingitnexus/src/core/ingestion/must not name languages. Types:gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/call-types.ts. - Scope-resolution pipeline (RFC #909 Ring 3): See ARCHITECTURE.md § Scope-Resolution Pipeline. Replaces the legacy DAG for languages in
MIGRATED_LANGUAGES(seeregistry-primary-flag.ts). A language plugs in by implementingScopeResolver(scope-resolution/contract/scope-resolver.ts) and registering it inSCOPE_RESOLVERS. CI parity gate runs BOTH paths per migrated language on every PR. - Cursor:
.cursor/index.mdc(always-on);.cursor/rules/*.mdc(glob-scoped). Legacy.cursorrulesdeprecated. - GitNexus: skills in
.claude/skills/gitnexus/; MCP rules ingitnexus:startblock below.
| Date | Version | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-23 | 1.7.0 | TypeScript added to MIGRATED_LANGUAGES (registry-primary call resolution by default). |
| 2026-04-20 | 1.6.0 | Added scope-resolution pipeline pointer (RFC #909 Ring 3); Python migrated to registry-primary. |
| 2026-04-19 | 1.5.0 | Cross-repo impact (#794): impact/query/context accept repo: "@<group>" + service. Removed group_query/group_contracts/group_status MCP tools; added gitnexus://group/{name}/contracts and gitnexus://group/{name}/status resources. |
| 2026-04-16 | 1.4.0 | Fixed: web UI description, pre-commit behavior, MCP tools (7->16), added gitnexus-shared, removed stale vite-plugin-wasm gotcha. |
| 2026-04-13 | 1.3.0 | Updated GitNexus index stats after DAG refactor. |
| 2026-03-24 | 1.2.0 | Fixed gitnexus:start block duplication. |
| 2026-03-23 | 1.1.0 | Updated agent instructions, references, Cursor layout. |
| 2026-03-22 | 1.0.0 | Initial structured header and changelog. |
Indexed as GitNexus (4325 symbols, 10556 relationships, 300 execution flows). Use MCP tools to understand code, assess impact, and navigate safely.
If any tool warns the index is stale, run
npx gitnexus analyzefirst.
- MUST run impact analysis before editing any symbol.
gitnexus_impact({target: "symbolName", direction: "upstream"})— report blast radius to the user. - MUST run
gitnexus_detect_changes()before committing — verify only expected symbols and flows are affected. - MUST warn the user if impact returns HIGH or CRITICAL risk.
- Explore unfamiliar code with
gitnexus_query({query: "concept"})(process-grouped, ranked) instead of grepping. - Full context on a symbol:
gitnexus_context({name: "symbolName"}).
gitnexus_query({query: "<error or symptom>"})— find related execution flowsgitnexus_context({name: "<suspect function>"})— callers, callees, process participationREAD gitnexus://repo/GitNexus/process/{processName}— trace flow step by step- Regressions:
gitnexus_detect_changes({scope: "compare", base_ref: "main"})
- Rename:
gitnexus_rename({symbol_name: "old", new_name: "new", dry_run: true})first. Graph edits are safe; text_search edits need manual review. - Extract/Split:
gitnexus_context(incoming/outgoing refs) thengitnexus_impact(upstream callers) before moving code. - After any refactor:
gitnexus_detect_changes({scope: "all"})to verify scope.
- Edit a symbol without running
gitnexus_impactfirst. - Ignore HIGH/CRITICAL risk warnings.
- Rename with find-and-replace — use
gitnexus_rename. - Commit without
gitnexus_detect_changes(). - Add language-specific behavior to shared ingestion code (
gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/) — use aLanguageProviderhook. Seeingprovider.mroStrategy === 'xxx'or an import fromlanguages/xxx.tsin shared code means stop and add a hook.
| Tool | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
list_repos |
Discover indexed repos | gitnexus_list_repos({}) |
query |
Find code by concept | gitnexus_query({query: "auth validation"}) |
context |
360-degree view of one symbol | gitnexus_context({name: "validateUser"}) |
impact |
Blast radius before editing | gitnexus_impact({target: "X", direction: "upstream"}) |
detect_changes |
Pre-commit scope check | gitnexus_detect_changes({scope: "staged"}) |
rename |
Safe multi-file rename | gitnexus_rename({symbol_name: "old", new_name: "new", dry_run: true}) |
cypher |
Custom graph queries | gitnexus_cypher({query: "MATCH ..."}) |
api_impact |
Pre-change API route impact | gitnexus_api_impact({route: "/api/users", method: "GET"}) |
route_map |
Route → handler → consumer map | gitnexus_route_map({}) |
tool_map |
MCP/RPC tool definitions | gitnexus_tool_map({}) |
shape_check |
Response shape vs consumer access | gitnexus_shape_check({route: "/api/users"}) |
group_list |
List repo groups | gitnexus_group_list({}) |
group_sync |
Rebuild group Contract Registry | gitnexus_group_sync({name: "myGroup"}) |
query (group mode) |
Cross-repo search in a group (RRF-merged) | gitnexus_query({repo: "@myGroup", query: "auth"}) |
context (group mode) |
360° view across all member repos | gitnexus_context({repo: "@myGroup", name: "validateUser"}) |
impact (group mode) |
Cross-repo blast radius via Contract Bridge | gitnexus_impact({repo: "@myGroup", target: "X", direction: "upstream"}) |
Group mode: pass
repo: "@<groupName>"to fan out across all member repos, orrepo: "@<groupName>/<memberPath>"to target a single member (path keys fromgroup.yaml). Optionalservice: "<monorepo/path>"filters by service root. Group-level state (contracts, staleness) lives in the resources table below — there are nogroup_query/group_context/group_impact/group_contracts/group_statusMCP tools.For a full walkthrough of setting up a group across multiple repos that communicate over gRPC, see docs/guides/microservices-grpc.md.
| Depth | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| d=1 | WILL BREAK — direct callers/importers | MUST update |
| d=2 | LIKELY AFFECTED — indirect deps | Should test |
| d=3 | MAY NEED TESTING — transitive | Test if critical path |
| Resource | Use for |
|---|---|
gitnexus://repo/GitNexus/context |
Codebase overview, index freshness |
gitnexus://repo/GitNexus/clusters |
All functional areas |
gitnexus://repo/GitNexus/processes |
All execution flows |
gitnexus://repo/GitNexus/process/{name} |
Step-by-step execution trace |
gitnexus://group/{name}/contracts |
Group Contract Registry (provider/consumer rows + cross-links) |
gitnexus://group/{name}/status |
Per-member index + Contract Registry staleness report |
gitnexus_impactwas run for all modified symbols- No HIGH/CRITICAL warnings were ignored
gitnexus_detect_changes()confirms expected scope- All d=1 dependents were updated
npx gitnexus analyze # basic refresh; preserves any existing embeddings
npx gitnexus analyze --embeddings # also generate embeddings for new/changed nodes
npx gitnexus analyze --drop-embeddings # explicit opt-in to wipe existing embeddingsCheck .gitnexus/meta.json stats.embeddings (0 = none). A plain analyze no longer drops existing vectors — pass --drop-embeddings to wipe.
Claude Code: PostToolUse hook detects a stale index after
git commitandgit mergeand prompts the agent to runanalyze. The hook does not invokeanalyzeitself.
| Task | Skill file |
|---|---|
| Architecture / "How does X work?" | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-exploring/SKILL.md |
| Blast radius / "What breaks?" | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-impact-analysis/SKILL.md |
| Debugging / "Why is X failing?" | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-debugging/SKILL.md |
| Refactoring | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-refactoring/SKILL.md |
| Tools/resources/schema reference | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-guide/SKILL.md |
| CLI commands (index, status, clean, wiki) | .claude/skills/gitnexus/gitnexus-cli/SKILL.md |
| Package | Path | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CLI/Core | gitnexus/ |
TypeScript CLI, indexing pipeline, MCP server. Published to npm. |
| Web UI | gitnexus-web/ |
React/Vite thin client. All queries via gitnexus serve HTTP API. |
| Shared | gitnexus-shared/ |
Shared TypeScript types and constants. |
| Claude Plugin | gitnexus-claude-plugin/ |
Static config for Claude marketplace. |
| Cursor Integration | gitnexus-cursor-integration/ |
Static config for Cursor editor. |
| Eval | eval/ |
Python evaluation harness (Docker + LLM API keys). |
cd gitnexus && npm run dev # CLI: tsx watch mode
cd gitnexus-web && npm run dev # Web UI: Vite on port 5173
npx gitnexus serve # HTTP API on port 4747 (from any indexed repo)CLI / Core (gitnexus/)
npm test— full vitest suite (~2000 tests)npm run test:unit— unit tests onlynpm run test:integration— integration (~1850 tests). LadybugDB file-locking tests may fail in containers (known env issue).npx tsc --noEmit— typecheck
Web UI (gitnexus-web/)
npm test— vitest (~200 tests)npm run test:e2e— Playwright (7 spec files; requiresgitnexus serve+npm run dev)npx tsc -b --noEmit— typecheck
Pre-commit hook (.husky/pre-commit): formatting (prettier via lint-staged) + typecheck for staged packages. Tests do not run in pre-commit — CI only.
npm installingitnexus/triggersprepare(builds viatsc) andpostinstall(patches tree-sitter-swift, builds tree-sitter-proto). Native bindings needpython3,make,g++.tree-sitter-kotlinandtree-sitter-swiftare optional — install warnings expected.- ESLint configured via
eslint.config.mjs(TS, React Hooks, unused-imports). Nonpm run lintscript; usenpx eslint .. Prettier runs via lint-staged. CI checks both inci-quality.yml.