Content
# Axon
**Graph-powered code intelligence engine** — indexes your codebase into a knowledge graph and exposes it via MCP tools for AI agents and a CLI for developers.
```
axon analyze .
Phase 1: Walking files... 142 files found
Phase 3: Parsing code... 142/142
Phase 5: Tracing calls... 847 calls resolved
Phase 7: Analyzing types... 234 type relationships
Phase 8: Detecting communities... 8 clusters found
Phase 9: Detecting execution flows... 34 processes found
Phase 10: Finding dead code... 12 unreachable symbols
Phase 11: Analyzing git history... 18 coupled file pairs
Done in 4.2s — 623 symbols, 1,847 edges, 8 clusters, 34 flows
```
Most code intelligence tools treat your codebase as flat text. Axon builds a **structural graph** — every function, class, import, call, type reference, and execution flow becomes a node or edge in a queryable knowledge graph. AI agents using Axon don't just search for keywords; they understand how your code is connected.
---
## Why Axon?
**For AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor):**
- "What breaks if I change this function?" → blast radius via call graph + type references + git coupling
- "What code is never called?" → dead code detection with framework-aware exemptions
- "Show me the login flow end-to-end" → execution flow tracing from entry points through the call graph
- "Which files always change together?" → git history change coupling analysis
**For developers:**
- Instant answers to architectural questions without grepping through files
- Find dead code, tightly coupled files, and execution flows automatically
- Raw Cypher queries against your codebase's knowledge graph
- Watch mode that re-indexes on every save
**Zero cloud dependencies.** Everything runs locally — parsing, graph storage, embeddings, search. No API keys, no data leaving your machine.
---
## Features
### 11-Phase Analysis Pipeline
Axon doesn't just parse your code — it builds a deep structural understanding through 11 sequential analysis phases:
| Phase | What It Does |
|-------|-------------|
| **File Walking** | Walks repo respecting `.gitignore`, filters by supported languages |
| **Structure** | Creates File/Folder hierarchy with CONTAINS relationships |
| **Parsing** | tree-sitter AST extraction — functions, classes, methods, interfaces, enums, type aliases |
| **Import Resolution** | Resolves import statements to actual files (relative, absolute, bare specifiers) |
| **Call Tracing** | Maps function calls with confidence scores (1.0 = exact match, 0.5 = fuzzy) |
| **Heritage** | Tracks class inheritance (EXTENDS) and interface implementation (IMPLEMENTS) |
| **Type Analysis** | Extracts type references from parameters, return types, and variable annotations |
| **Community Detection** | Leiden algorithm clusters related symbols into functional communities |
| **Process Detection** | Framework-aware entry point detection + BFS flow tracing |
| **Dead Code Detection** | Multi-pass analysis with override, protocol, and decorator awareness |
| **Change Coupling** | Git history analysis — finds files that always change together |
### Hybrid Search (BM25 + Vector + RRF)
Three search strategies fused with Reciprocal Rank Fusion:
- **BM25 full-text search** — fast exact name and keyword matching via KuzuDB FTS
- **Semantic vector search** — conceptual queries via 384-dim embeddings (BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5)
- **Fuzzy name search** — Levenshtein fallback for typos and partial matches
Test files are automatically down-ranked (0.5x), source-level functions/classes boosted (1.2x).
### Dead Code Detection
Finds unreachable symbols with intelligence — not just "zero callers" but a multi-pass analysis:
1. **Initial scan** — flags functions/methods/classes with no incoming calls
2. **Exemptions** — entry points, exports, constructors, test code, dunder methods, `__init__.py` public symbols, decorated functions, `@property` methods
3. **Override pass** — un-flags methods that override non-dead base class methods (handles dynamic dispatch)
4. **Protocol conformance** — un-flags methods on classes conforming to Protocol interfaces
5. **Protocol stubs** — un-flags all methods on Protocol classes (interface contracts)
### Impact Analysis (Blast Radius)
When you're about to change a symbol, Axon traces upstream through:
- **Call graph** — every function that calls this one, recursively
- **Type references** — every function that takes, returns, or stores this type
- **Git coupling** — files that historically change alongside this one
### Community Detection
Uses the [Leiden algorithm](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41695-z) (igraph + leidenalg) to automatically discover functional clusters in your codebase. Each community gets a cohesion score and auto-generated label based on member file paths.
### Execution Flow Tracing
Detects entry points using framework-aware patterns:
- **Python**: `@app.route`, `@router.get`, `@click.command`, `test_*` functions, `__main__` blocks
- **JavaScript/TypeScript**: Express handlers, exported functions, `handler`/`middleware` patterns
Then traces BFS execution flows from each entry point through the call graph, classifying flows as intra-community or cross-community.
### Change Coupling (Git History)
Analyzes 6 months of git history to find hidden dependencies that static analysis misses:
```
coupling(A, B) = co_changes(A, B) / max(changes(A), changes(B))
```
Files with coupling strength ≥ 0.3 and 3+ co-changes get linked. Surfaces coupled files in impact analysis.
### Watch Mode
Live re-indexing powered by a Rust-based file watcher (watchfiles):
```bash
$ axon watch
Watching /Users/you/project for changes...
[10:32:15] src/auth/validate.py modified → re-indexed (0.3s)
[10:33:02] 2 files modified → re-indexed (0.5s)
```
- File-local phases (parse, imports, calls, types) run immediately on change
- Global phases (communities, processes, dead code) batch every 30 seconds
### Branch Comparison
Structural diff between branches using git worktrees (no stashing required):
```bash
$ axon diff main..feature
Symbols added (4):
+ process_payment (Function) -- src/payments/stripe.py
+ PaymentIntent (Class) -- src/payments/models.py
Symbols modified (2):
~ checkout_handler (Function) -- src/routes/checkout.py
Symbols removed (1):
- old_charge (Function) -- src/payments/legacy.py
```
---
## Supported Languages
| Language | Extensions | Parser |
|----------|-----------|--------|
| Python | `.py` | tree-sitter-python |
| TypeScript | `.ts`, `.tsx` | tree-sitter-typescript |
| JavaScript | `.js`, `.jsx`, `.mjs`, `.cjs` | tree-sitter-javascript |
---
## Installation
```bash
# With pip
pip install axoniq
# With uv (recommended)
uv add axoniq
# With Neo4j backend support
pip install axoniq[neo4j]
```
Requires **Python 3.11+**.
### From Source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/harshkedia177/axon.git
cd axon
uv sync --all-extras
uv run axon --help
```
---
## Quick Start
### 1. Index Your Codebase
```bash
cd your-project
axon analyze .
```
### 2. Query It
```bash
# Search for symbols
axon query "authentication handler"
# Get full context on a symbol
axon context validate_user
# Check blast radius before changing something
axon impact UserModel --depth 3
# Find dead code
axon dead-code
# Run a raw Cypher query
axon cypher "MATCH (n:Function) WHERE n.is_dead = true RETURN n.name, n.file_path"
```
### 3. Keep It Updated
```bash
# Watch mode — re-indexes on every save
axon watch
# Or re-analyze manually
axon analyze .
```
---
## CLI Reference
```
axon analyze [PATH] Index a repository (default: current directory)
--full Force full rebuild (skip incremental)
axon status Show index status for current repo
axon list List all indexed repositories
axon clean Delete index for current repo
--force / -f Skip confirmation prompt
axon query QUERY Hybrid search the knowledge graph
--limit / -n N Max results (default: 20)
axon context SYMBOL 360-degree view of a symbol
axon impact SYMBOL Blast radius analysis
--depth / -d N BFS traversal depth (default: 3)
axon dead-code List all detected dead code
axon cypher QUERY Execute a raw Cypher query (read-only)
axon watch Watch mode — live re-indexing on file changes
axon diff BASE..HEAD Structural branch comparison
axon setup Print MCP configuration JSON
--claude For Claude Code
--cursor For Cursor
axon mcp Start the MCP server (stdio transport)
axon serve Start the MCP server (same as axon mcp)
--watch, -w Enable live file watching with auto-reindex
axon --version Print version
```
---
## MCP Integration
Axon exposes its full intelligence as an MCP server, giving AI agents like Claude Code and Cursor deep structural understanding of your codebase.
### Setup for Claude Code
Add to your `.claude/settings.json` or project `.mcp.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"axon": {
"command": "axon",
"args": ["serve", "--watch"]
}
}
}
```
This starts the MCP server **with live file watching** — the knowledge graph updates automatically as you edit code. To run without watching, use `"args": ["mcp"]` instead.
Or run the setup helper:
```bash
axon setup --claude
```
### Setup for Cursor
Add to your Cursor MCP settings:
```json
{
"axon": {
"command": "axon",
"args": ["serve", "--watch"]
}
}
```
Or run:
```bash
axon setup --cursor
```
### MCP Tools
Once connected, your AI agent gets access to these tools:
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `axon_list_repos` | List all indexed repositories with stats |
| `axon_query` | Hybrid search (BM25 + vector + fuzzy) across all symbols |
| `axon_context` | 360-degree view — callers, callees, type refs, community, processes |
| `axon_impact` | Blast radius — all symbols affected by changing the target |
| `axon_dead_code` | List all unreachable symbols grouped by file |
| `axon_detect_changes` | Map a `git diff` to affected symbols in the graph |
| `axon_cypher` | Execute read-only Cypher queries against the knowledge graph |
Every tool response includes a **next-step hint** guiding the agent through a natural investigation workflow:
```
query → "Next: Use context() on a specific symbol for the full picture."
context → "Next: Use impact() if planning changes to this symbol."
impact → "Tip: Review each affected symbol before making changes."
```
### MCP Resources
| Resource URI | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| `axon://overview` | Node and relationship counts by type |
| `axon://dead-code` | Full dead code report |
| `axon://schema` | Graph schema reference for writing Cypher queries |
---
## Knowledge Graph Model
### Nodes
| Label | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `File` | Source file |
| `Folder` | Directory |
| `Function` | Top-level function |
| `Class` | Class definition |
| `Method` | Method within a class |
| `Interface` | Interface / Protocol definition |
| `TypeAlias` | Type alias |
| `Enum` | Enumeration |
| `Community` | Auto-detected functional cluster |
| `Process` | Detected execution flow |
### Relationships
| Type | Description | Key Properties |
|------|-------------|----------------|
| `CONTAINS` | Folder → File/Symbol hierarchy | — |
| `DEFINES` | File → Symbol it defines | — |
| `CALLS` | Symbol → Symbol it calls | `confidence` (0.0–1.0) |
| `IMPORTS` | File → File it imports from | `symbols` (names list) |
| `EXTENDS` | Class → Class it extends | — |
| `IMPLEMENTS` | Class → Interface it implements | — |
| `USES_TYPE` | Symbol → Type it references | `role` (param/return/variable) |
| `EXPORTS` | File → Symbol it exports | — |
| `MEMBER_OF` | Symbol → Community it belongs to | — |
| `STEP_IN_PROCESS` | Symbol → Process it participates in | `step_number` |
| `COUPLED_WITH` | File → File that co-changes with it | `strength`, `co_changes` |
### Node ID Format
```
{label}:{relative_path}:{symbol_name}
Examples:
function:src/auth/validate.py:validate_user
class:src/models/user.py:User
method:src/models/user.py:User.save
```
---
## Architecture
```
Source Code (.py, .ts, .js, .tsx, .jsx)
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Ingestion Pipeline (11 phases) │
│ │
│ walk → structure → parse → imports → calls │
│ → heritage → types → communities → processes │
│ → dead_code → coupling │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ KnowledgeGraph │ (in-memory during build)
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌────────────┼────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ KuzuDB │ │ FTS │ │ Vector │
│ (graph) │ │ (BM25) │ │ (HNSW) │
└────┬────┘ └────┬────┘ └────┬────┘
└────────────┼────────────┘
│
StorageBackend Protocol
│
┌────────┴────────┐
▼ ▼
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ MCP │ │ CLI │
│ Server │ │ (Typer) │
│ (stdio) │ │ │
└────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘
│ │
Claude Code Terminal
/ Cursor (developer)
```
### Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
|-------|-----------|---------|
| Parsing | tree-sitter | Language-agnostic AST extraction |
| Graph Storage | KuzuDB | Embedded graph database with Cypher, FTS, and vector support |
| Graph Algorithms | igraph + leidenalg | Leiden community detection |
| Embeddings | fastembed | ONNX-based 384-dim vectors (~100MB, no PyTorch) |
| MCP Protocol | mcp SDK (FastMCP) | AI agent communication via stdio |
| CLI | Typer + Rich | Terminal interface with progress bars |
| File Watching | watchfiles | Rust-based file system watcher |
| Gitignore | pathspec | Full `.gitignore` pattern matching |
### Storage
Everything lives locally in your repo:
```
your-project/
└── .axon/
├── kuzu/ # KuzuDB graph database (graph + FTS + vectors)
└── meta.json # Index metadata and stats
```
Add `.axon/` to your `.gitignore`.
The storage layer is abstracted behind a `StorageBackend` Protocol — KuzuDB is the default, with an optional Neo4j backend available via `pip install axoniq[neo4j]`.
---
## Example Workflows
### "I need to refactor the User class — what breaks?"
```bash
# See everything connected to User
axon context User
# Check blast radius
axon impact User --depth 3
# Find which files always change with user.py
axon cypher "MATCH (a:File)-[r:CodeRelation]->(b:File) WHERE a.name = 'user.py' AND r.rel_type = 'coupled_with' RETURN b.name, r.strength ORDER BY r.strength DESC"
```
### "Is there dead code we should clean up?"
```bash
axon dead-code
```
### "What are the main execution flows in our app?"
```bash
axon cypher "MATCH (p:Process) RETURN p.name, p.properties ORDER BY p.name"
```
### "Which parts of the codebase are most tightly coupled?"
```bash
axon cypher "MATCH (a:File)-[r:CodeRelation]->(b:File) WHERE r.rel_type = 'coupled_with' RETURN a.name, b.name, r.strength ORDER BY r.strength DESC LIMIT 20"
```
---
## How It Compares
| Capability | grep/ripgrep | LSP | Axon |
|-----------|-------------|-----|------|
| Text search | Yes | No | Yes (hybrid BM25 + vector) |
| Go to definition | No | Yes | Yes (graph traversal) |
| Find all callers | No | Partial | Yes (full call graph with confidence) |
| Type relationships | No | Yes | Yes (param/return/variable roles) |
| Dead code detection | No | No | Yes (multi-pass, framework-aware) |
| Execution flow tracing | No | No | Yes (entry point → flow) |
| Community detection | No | No | Yes (Leiden algorithm) |
| Change coupling (git) | No | No | Yes (6-month co-change analysis) |
| Impact analysis | No | No | Yes (calls + types + git coupling) |
| AI agent integration | No | Partial | Yes (full MCP server) |
| Structural branch diff | No | No | Yes (node/edge level) |
| Watch mode | No | Yes | Yes (Rust-based, 500ms debounce) |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Yes |
---
## Development
```bash
git clone https://github.com/harshkedia177/axon.git
cd axon
uv sync --all-extras
# Run tests
uv run pytest
# Lint
uv run ruff check src/
# Run from source
uv run axon --help
```
---
## License
MIT
---
Built by [@harshkedia177](https://github.com/harshkedia177)
