Exploring Codebases with GitNexus

When to Use

• "How does authentication work?"
• "What's the project structure?"
• "Show me the main components"
• "Where is the database logic?"
• Understanding code you haven't seen before

Bind the repository first

Step 1 discovers what is indexed; every call after it must say which of those it means. With one indexed repository, use the examples below as written. With more than one, pass repo on every call: an omitted repo normally errors, but under an MCP policy with a configured default it resolves to that default silently. If you cannot tell which repository is meant, stop and ask. Report the bound repository and index freshness alongside your explanation.

list_repos is paginated, so page with offset: pagination.nextOffset until hasMore is false before concluding a repository is absent.

Workflow

1. list_repos {} or READ gitnexus://repos                          → Discover indexed repos
2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context             → Codebase overview, check staleness
3. query({search_query: "<what you want to understand>"})  → Find related execution flows
4. context({name: "<symbol>"})            → Deep dive on specific symbol
5. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name}      → Trace full execution flow

If step 2 says "Index is stale" → run node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze in terminal. Hot-tool staleness names which index answered (branch/lastCommit) and how fresh it is (status). Re-analyze only for behind or diverged — current is identity, unknown is unmeasurable.

Checklist

- [ ] list_repos {} — bind repo; explicit repo when >1 indexed, ask if ambiguous
- [ ] READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context
- [ ] query for the concept you want to understand
- [ ] Review returned processes (execution flows)
- [ ] context on key symbols for callers/callees
- [ ] READ process resource for full execution traces
- [ ] Read source files for implementation details
- [ ] State the repository and index freshness with the explanation

Resources

Tools

query — find execution flows related to a concept:

query({search_query: "payment processing", repo: "my-app"})
→ Processes: CheckoutFlow, RefundFlow, WebhookHandler
→ Symbols grouped by flow with file locations

context — 360-degree view of a symbol:

context({name: "validateUser", repo: "my-app"})
→ Incoming calls: loginHandler, apiMiddleware
→ Outgoing calls: checkToken, getUserById
→ Processes: LoginFlow (step 2/5), TokenRefresh (step 1/3)

repo is required once more than one repository is indexed, and may be omitted with a single one.

Example: "How does payment processing work?"

1. list_repos {}                             → total: 1 (my-app) — bind it
   READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/context       → 918 symbols, 45 processes
2. query({search_query: "payment processing"})
   → CheckoutFlow: processPayment → validateCard → chargeStripe
   → RefundFlow: initiateRefund → calculateRefund → processRefund
3. context({name: "processPayment"})
   → Incoming: checkoutHandler, webhookHandler
   → Outgoing: validateCard, chargeStripe, saveTransaction
4. Read src/payments/processor.ts for implementation details
5. Answer, noting: Repository my-app, index current

Had step 1 returned two repositories, every call above would carry repo: "my-app".