dev_refs

Query code relationships to understand what calls what.

Overview

dev_refs helps you understand code flow by finding:

• Callers — What functions/methods call a given symbol
• Callees — What functions/methods a given symbol calls

This is invaluable for understanding impact of changes and navigating unfamiliar codebases.

Parameters

Examples

Find Callers

Find all functions that call authenticate

{
  "name": "authenticate",
  "direction": "callers"
}

Output:

## Callers of `authenticate`

1. **loginHandler** (src/auth/handlers.ts:45)
   Calls authenticate at line 52

2. **middleware** (src/auth/middleware.ts:23)
   Calls authenticate at line 28

3. **apiRoute** (src/routes/api.ts:102)
   Calls authenticate at line 110

Find Callees

What does the validateToken function call?

{
  "name": "validateToken",
  "direction": "callees"
}

Output:

## Callees of `validateToken`

1. **decodeJWT** (src/utils/jwt.ts:15)
   Called at line 8

2. **checkExpiry** (src/utils/jwt.ts:45)
   Called at line 12

3. **verifySignature** (src/crypto/verify.ts:22)
   Called at line 15

Both Directions

{
  "name": "authenticate",
  "direction": "both"
}

Use Cases

Impact Analysis

Before modifying a function, find all callers to understand impact:

Find all callers of the deprecated legacyAuth function

Understanding Flow

Trace execution flow through the codebase:

What does the main function call?

Refactoring

Identify all usages before renaming or moving code:

Find everything that calls the old validateUser function

How It Works

1. Searches indexed documents for the symbol name
2. Extracts callers and callees from document metadata
3. Filters based on direction parameter
4. Formats results with file paths and line numbers

Tips

• Use exact function/method names for best results
• Combine with dev_search to first find the symbol, then query refs
• Use direction: "callers" for impact analysis
• Use direction: "callees" for understanding implementation

Related Tools

• dev_search — Find symbols first
• dev_map — See hot paths (most referenced files)
• dev_explore — Find similar patterns