dev_explore

Explore code patterns and relationships. Find similar code, search by pattern, or map dependencies.

Usage

dev_explore(action, query, format?, limit?, threshold?, fileTypes?)

Parameters

Actions

Pattern Search

Find code matching a conceptual pattern:

“Use dev_explore with action pattern, query ‘error handling with retry logic‘“

Pattern: error handling with retry logic

1. [87%] function: retryWithBackoff (src/utils/retry.ts:12)
2. [82%] function: fetchWithRetry (src/api/client.ts:45)
3. [76%] class: RetryableError (src/errors/index.ts:23)

Find Similar Code

Find code similar to a specific file:

“Use dev_explore with action similar, query ‘src/utils/cache.ts‘“

Similar to: src/utils/cache.ts

1. [91%] src/utils/memoize.ts - Memoization utilities
2. [84%] src/utils/storage.ts - Local storage helpers
3. [78%] src/db/queryCache.ts - Database query caching

Map Relationships

Trace dependencies and relationships:

“Use dev_explore with action relationships, query ‘src/auth/middleware.ts‘“

Relationships for: src/auth/middleware.ts

Imports:
- src/auth/jwt.ts (verifyToken)
- src/db/users.ts (findUserById)
- src/utils/errors.ts (UnauthorizedError)

Imported by:
- src/api/routes/protected.ts
- src/api/routes/admin.ts
- src/app.ts

Examples

Filter by File Type

“Use dev_explore action pattern, query ‘form validation’, fileTypes [‘.tsx’]”

Only searches React component files.

High Similarity Threshold

“Use dev_explore action similar, query ‘src/utils/date.ts’, threshold 0.9”

Only returns very similar code (90%+ match).

Use Cases

Tips

Use pattern search for concepts. “caching strategy” finds more than just files named “cache”.

Relationships are AST-based. They trace actual imports, not semantic similarity.