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Available Tools

The Compiler Explorer MCP server provides 12 specialized tools for code compilation, analysis, and sharing. Each tool is optimized for specific use cases and provides token-efficient responses.

Core Compilation Tools

compile_check_tool

Purpose: Quick syntax and compilation validation Best for: CI checks, code review, syntax validation

Validates code compilation without executing or returning verbose output. Perfect for fast feedback on whether code compiles successfully.

Key Parameters:

  • source - Source code to validate
  • language - Programming language (c++, c, rust, go, python, etc.)
  • compiler - Compiler ID (g132, clang1600) or friendly name (g++, clang)
  • options - Compiler flags (e.g., "-std=c++20 -O2")
  • extract_args - Extract flags from source comments (default: true)

Returns: Success status, exit code, error/warning counts, first error message

compile_and_run_tool

Purpose: Compile and execute code with program output Best for: Testing algorithms, validating program behavior

Compiles source code and executes the resulting program, capturing stdout, stderr, and execution metrics.

Key Parameters:

  • All compile_check_tool parameters plus:
  • stdin - Input to provide to the program
  • args - Command line arguments for the program
  • timeout - Maximum execution time in milliseconds (default: 5000)

Returns: Compilation status, execution results, stdout/stderr, exit code, execution time

compile_with_diagnostics_tool

Purpose: Detailed compilation error and warning analysis Best for: Debugging compilation issues, code quality analysis

Provides comprehensive diagnostics including line numbers, error types, and compiler suggestions.

Key Parameters:

  • All compile_check_tool parameters plus:
  • diagnostic_level - "normal" (standard warnings) or "verbose" (comprehensive warnings)

Returns: Detailed diagnostic messages with line/column info, error types, compiler suggestions

Analysis Tools

analyze_optimization_tool

Purpose: Assembly-level optimization analysis Best for: Performance investigation, understanding compiler optimizations

Examines generated assembly code to detect optimizations like vectorization, inlining, and loop transformations.

Key Parameters:

  • All compile_check_tool parameters plus:
  • optimization_level - Optimization flags (-O0, -O2, -O3, -Os, -Ofast)
  • filter_out_library_code - Hide standard library code (default: null)
  • do_demangle - Convert C++ symbols to readable names (default: null)

Returns: Assembly output, instruction counts, optimization detection analysis, compiler optimization info (when supported)

compare_compilers_tool

Purpose: Side-by-side compiler comparison Best for: Evaluating compiler differences, optimization comparison

Compares compilation or execution results across different compilers with unified diff output for easy analysis.

Key Parameters:

  • source - Source code to compare
  • language - Programming language
  • compilers - List of compiler configurations to compare
  • comparison_type - "execution", "assembly", or "diagnostics"

Returns: Detailed comparison with unified diffs, execution status, performance metrics

Sharing and Discovery Tools

generate_share_url_tool

Purpose: Create shareable Compiler Explorer URLs Best for: Collaboration, bug reports, educational examples

Generates URLs that link directly to Compiler Explorer with your code and settings pre-loaded.

Key Parameters:

  • All compile_check_tool parameters plus:
  • layout - Interface layout ("simple", "comparison", "assembly")

Returns: Shareable URL to Compiler Explorer

find_compilers_tool

Purpose: Discover available compilers with advanced filtering Best for: Finding experimental features, specific compiler versions

Searches for compilers with support for experimental features, proposals, or specific tools.

Key Parameters:

  • language - Programming language (default: "c++")
  • proposal - Specific proposal number (e.g., "P3385", "3385")
  • feature - Experimental feature (e.g., "reflection", "concepts", "modules")
  • search_text - Filter by compiler name/ID
  • exact_search - Treat search_text as exact compiler ID match
  • include_overrides - Include architecture override options
  • include_runtime_tools - Include runtime tool information
  • include_compile_tools - Include compile-time tool information

Returns: Filtered list of compilers with detailed capabilities

Library Tools

get_libraries_tool

Purpose: List available libraries with search capability Best for: Discovering libraries, token-efficient library browsing

Returns a simplified list of libraries (ID and name only) with optional text search filtering.

Key Parameters:

  • language - Programming language (default: "c++")
  • search_text - Filter libraries by name/ID (optional)

Returns: List of libraries with ID and name fields only

get_library_details_tool

Purpose: Detailed information for specific libraries Best for: Understanding library versions, getting full library info

Provides comprehensive details for a specific library including all available versions.

Key Parameters:

  • language - Programming language (default: "c++")
  • library_id - Specific library ID to get details for

Returns: Complete library information including versions, description, URL

get_languages_tool

Purpose: List supported programming languages with essential metadata Best for: Language discovery, token-efficient language browsing, AI workflow optimization

Returns a simplified list of supported programming languages with only essential fields (id, name, extensions) and optional search filtering.

Key Parameters:

  • search_text - Filter languages by name/ID (optional)

Returns: List of languages with id, name, and extensions fields only

lookup_instruction_tool

Purpose: Get detailed documentation for assembly instructions/opcodes Best for: Assembly analysis, understanding instruction behavior, debugging assembly code

Provides comprehensive documentation for assembly instructions across multiple architectures using Compiler Explorer's instruction documentation API.

Key Parameters:

  • instruction_set - Architecture/instruction set name
    • x86/x86-64: "amd64", "x86", "x86_64", "x64", "intel"
    • ARM: "aarch64", "arm64", "armv8", "arm"
    • Others: "mips", "riscv", "powerpc" (if supported)
  • opcode - Instruction/opcode to look up (e.g., "pop", "stp", "mov", "add")
  • format_output - Format for readability (true) vs raw JSON (false)

Returns: Instruction documentation with syntax, operation details, flags affected, encoding, and formatted description

Smart Features:

  • Alias resolution: Automatically maps common aliases (x64→amd64, arm64→aarch64)
  • Multi-architecture support: x86, ARM64, and other instruction sets
  • Formatted output: Clean, readable documentation optimized for AI workflows

Additional Tools

download_shortlink_tool

Purpose: Download and save source code from Compiler Explorer shortlinks Best for: Code extraction, project integration, archiving shared examples

Extracts source code from Compiler Explorer shared links and saves to local files, preserving filenames and metadata.

Key Parameters:

  • shortlink_url - CE shortlink URL or ID
  • destination_path - Directory to save files
  • preserve_filenames - Use original filenames when available (default: true)
  • include_metadata - Save compilation settings as JSON (default: true)

Returns: List of saved files with metadata and summary

Smart Features

Argument Extraction

All compilation tools support extracting compiler flags from source code comments:

// compile: -std=c++20 -O2 -Wall
// flags: -march=native
#include <iostream>
int main() { return 0; }

Compiler Name Resolution

Tools accept both:

  • Compiler IDs: g132, clang1600, rustc1750
  • Friendly names: g++, clang, rustc (resolved to latest stable)

Token Optimization

All tools provide responses optimized for AI workflows:

  • Essential information only
  • Structured JSON output
  • Configurable output limits
  • Context-aware filtering