Constellation

com.shiftinbitsPublished by shiftinbits.comv1.3.0Updated Oct 29, 2026

Code Intelligence Platform for AI Coding Agents

VerifiedSTDIODesktop onlyKnowledge & MemoryDeveloper Tools

Overview

AI-generated overview

Constellation gives an AI coding assistant a code-intelligence graph of a project, so it can look up symbols, callers, dependencies and impact instead of…

What you can do
  • Search symbols (functions, methods, classes, variables) across the indexed project and get file, line and source snippets
  • Run impact analysis on a symbol to see breaking-change risk, and list direct dependents of a file
  • Chain queries in JavaScript through a Code Mode api object, with helpers to list methods, read inline help and check indexing status
  • Work across multiple projects by pointing cwd at an indexed project root
When to use it
Useful when an assistant needs structural answers about a codebase — where a symbol is defined, who calls it, what a change would break — rather than plain text matches. Best for larger or multi-file projects that have been indexed by the Constellation CLI.
Requirements
Runs locally over stdio via npx from the npm package @constellationdev/mcp, so Node.js is needed. Requires a Constellation access key in the CONSTELLATION_ACCESS_KEY environment variable and a Constellation account/service. The project must first be analyzed and indexed by the Constellation CLI, and the tool needs cwd set to an indexed project directory. Network access to the Constellation service is required.
Before you install
Requires a Constellation access key, which is a billable-service credential; keep it out of shared configs. Project structural metadata (symbols, imports, calls, references) is uploaded to Constellation's cloud service, though the README says raw source code is not sent. Queries go to a third-party API, and results depend on the index being current for the checked-out branch.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Constellation in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

Constellation MCP Server

[NPM Version] [TypeScript v5.9+] [Node.js v24+] [MCP Badge] [License: AGPL-3.0] [Snyk Monitored]

Give your AI coding assistant instant, intelligent access to your entire codebase's structure, dependencies, and relationships without transmitting any source code. Constellation provides code intelligence as a service to AI coding assistant tools.

Quick Start

Add the Constellation MCP server to your AI assistant project-level config (or system-level if your tooling doesn't support project-level configuration):

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "constellation": {      "type": "stdio",      "command": "npx",      "args": ["-y", "@constellationdev/mcp@latest"],      "env": {        "CONSTELLATION_ACCESS_KEY": "${CONSTELLATION_ACCESS_KEY}"      }    }  }}

[!NOTE]
The above example is a generic format for the .mcp.json file used by some tools such as VSCode and Claude Code.

Rather than directly configuring the MCP server, it is recommended to install and utilize official Constellation Plugins for optimal performance and behavior!

For information on configuring other AI assistants see the MCP Server > Installation doc.

For further instructions regarding authentication, project setup, and configuration refer to the official docs.

How It Works

mermaid
%%{init: {'theme': 'dark', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#4A90E2', 'primaryTextColor': '#EEEEEE', 'primaryBorderColor': '#2B2C34', 'lineColor': '#4A90E2', 'secondaryColor': '#1F1F28', 'tertiaryColor': '#0B0C10', 'edgeLabelBackground': '#1F1F28' }}}%%flowchart LR    subgraph local["💻 Your Environment"]        direction TB        code["📂 Source Code"]        cli["⚙️ Constellation CLI"]        ai["🤖 AI Coding Assistant"]        mcp["🧩 Constellation MCP"]        code --> cli    end
    subgraph cloud["✨ Constellation Service"]        direction TB        api["🔌  API"]        graphdb[("🧠 Knowledge Graph")]        api <--> graphdb    end
    cli a1@-->|"Metadata Upload"| api    ai <-->|"Tool Calls"| mcp    mcp a2@<-->|"Queries"| api
    a1@{ animation: fast }    a2@{ animation: fast }
    style local fill:#1F1F28    style cloud fill:#1F1F28,stroke:#4A90E2    style cli stroke:#4A90E2    style mcp stroke:#4A90E2    style api stroke:#4A90E2    style graphdb stroke:#4A90E2
  1. Parse and Analyze: The CLI tool analyzes source code in your environment, extracting structural metadata (functions, classes, variables, imports, calls, references, etc.)
  2. Upload: Only the metadata is securely sent to Constellation, never raw source code
  3. Query: AI assistants use the Constellation MCP tool to send complex queries, and get rapid answers derived from the knowledge graph

Documentation

Find the full and comprehensive documentation at docs.constellationdev.io/mcp/

Privacy & Security

  • No source code transmission - Only metadata and relationships
  • Access control - API keys required for all requests
  • Branch isolation - Each git branch maintains discrete code intelligence

For comprehensive information regarding privacy and security, see the official Privacy & Security documentation and the Privacy Policy.

Support

License

AGPL-3.0 - See LICENSE for details.

Copyright © 2026 ShiftinBits Inc.

Source: README.md at commit fba36d5

Tools

1

code_intel

Code Intelligence

DECISION RULE: Structure questions → this tool. Text search → Grep. Before using Grep, ask: Is this a STRUCTURE question (definitions, callers, impact) or a TEXT question (strings, config)? QUICK START: `return await api.searchSymbols({query: "AuthService"})` — simple queries are one-liners. Run `api.listMethods()` for full API reference with signatures and descriptions. Run `api.help("methodName")` for inline TypeScript type definitions — no resource reads needed. Compose: `const [impact, deps] = await Promise.all([api.impactAnalysis({symbolId}), api.getDependents({filePath})]);` WHY THIS TOOL: Graph-backed intelligence finds indirect relationships, transitive dependencies, and breaking change risks that text search cannot detect. "What uses X?" disambiguation: getDependents (file imports) vs getCallGraph (call chain) vs traceSymbolUsage (all usages). USE IMMEDIATELY WHEN: • BEFORE using Edit on a function/class → run impactAnalysis({symbolId}) first • BEFORE exploring an unfamiliar codebase → run getArchitectureOverview() • BEFORE refactoring → trace getDependencies + getDependents for blast radius • Running 3+ Grep calls for structure? STOP → use code_intel instead TOP 5 QUESTIONS (query is case-insensitive substring match): • "Where is X defined?" / "Find function Y" → searchSymbols({query}) • "What calls X?" / "What imports this?" → getDependents({filePath}) or getCallGraph({symbolId}) • "What does X depend on?" → getDependencies({filePath}) • "Safe to modify X?" / "Blast radius?" → impactAnalysis({symbolId}) • "Find dead code" / "Unused exports?" → findOrphanedCode() • "Complex functions?" / "Refactoring targets?" → searchSymbols results include complexity.cyclomaticComplexity + complexityRisk per function NOT FOR: literal string search, log messages, config values, or reading source code. Use Grep/Glob/Read for those. Supports TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and more — run api.getCapabilities() to check your project. File-path-scoped methods (getDepend

Parameterscwdrequiredcoderequiredhooktimeout

Version history

3
  1. v1.3.0LatestOct 21, 2026
  2. v1.2.11Oct 1, 2026
  3. v1.2.10Sep 16, 2026

Score

90% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 days25 pts
  • Auth declared10 pts

    Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.

  • Tools listedRequired15 pts
  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts