MCP Tree-sitter Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides code analysis capabilities using tree-sitter, designed to give Claude intelligent access to codebases with appropriate context management.
Features
- Flexible Exploration: Examine code at multiple levels of granularity
- Context Management: Provides just enough information without overwhelming the context window
- Language Agnostic: Supports many programming languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, C, C++, Swift, Java, Kotlin, Julia, and APL via tree-sitter-language-pack
- Structure-Aware: Uses AST-based understanding with efficient cursor-based traversal
- Searchable: Find specific patterns using text search and tree-sitter queries
- Caching: Optimized performance through parse tree caching
- Symbol Extraction: Extract and analyze functions, classes, and other code symbols
- Dependency Analysis: Identify and analyze code dependencies and relationships
- State Persistence: Maintains project registrations and cached data between invocations
- Secure: Built-in security boundaries and input validation
For a comprehensive list of all available commands, their current implementation status, and detailed feature matrix, please refer to the FEATURES.md document.
Installation
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- Tree-sitter language parsers for your preferred languages
Basic Installation
Development Installation
Quick Start
Running with Claude Desktop
You can make the server available in Claude Desktop either through the MCP CLI or by manually configuring Claude Desktop.
Using MCP CLI
Register the server with Claude Desktop:
Manual Configuration
Alternatively, you can manually configure Claude Desktop:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:Create the file if it doesn't exist.
- Add the server to the
mcpServerssection:Alternatively, if using uv or another package manager:Note: Make sure to replace/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/YOUR/PROJECTwith the actual absolute path to your project directory.
- Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
The MCP tools icon (hammer) will appear in Claude Desktop's interface once you have properly configured at least one MCP server. You can then access the
tree_sitter server's functionality by clicking on this icon.Configuring with Released Version
If you prefer not to manually install the package from PyPI (released version) or clone the repository, simply use the following configuration for Claude Desktop:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration file (same location as above).
- Add the tree-sitter server to the
mcpServerssection:
- Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
This method uses
uvx to run the installed PyPI package directly, which is the recommended approach for the released version. The server doesn't require any additional parameters to run in its basic configuration.State Persistence
The MCP Tree-sitter Server maintains state between invocations. This means:
- Projects stay registered until explicitly removed or the server is restarted
- Parse trees are cached according to configuration settings
- Language information is retained throughout the server's lifetime
This persistence is maintained in-memory during the server's lifetime using singleton patterns for key components.
Running as a standalone server
Using with the MCP Inspector
Usage
Register a Project
First, register a project to analyze:
Explore Files
List files in the project:
View file content:
Analyze Code Structure
Get the syntax tree:
Extract symbols:
Search Code
Search for text:
Run tree-sitter queries:
Analyze Complexity
Direct Python Usage
While the primary intended use is through the MCP server, you can also use the library directly in Python code:
Configuration
Create a YAML configuration file:
Load it with:
About preferred_languages
The
preferred_languages setting controls which language parsers are pre-loaded at server startup rather than on-demand. This provides several benefits:- Faster initial analysis: No delay when first analyzing a file of a pre-loaded language
- Early error detection: Issues with parsers are discovered at startup, not during use
- Predictable memory allocation: Memory for frequently used parsers is allocated upfront
By default, all parsers are loaded on-demand when first needed. For optimal performance, specify the languages you use most frequently in your projects.
You can also configure specific settings:
Or use environment variables:
The server will look for configuration in:
- Path specified in
configure()call
- Path specified by
MCP_TS_CONFIG_PATHenvironment variable
- Default location:
~/.config/tree-sitter/config.yaml
Available Resources
The server provides the following MCP resources:
project://{project}/files- List all files in a project
project://{project}/files/{pattern}- List files matching a pattern
project://{project}/file/{path}- Get file content
project://{project}/file/{path}/lines/{start}-{end}- Get specific lines from a file
project://{project}/ast/{path}- Get the AST for a file
project://{project}/ast/{path}/depth/{depth}- Get the AST with custom depth
Available Tools
The server provides tools for:
- Project management:
register_project_tool,list_projects_tool,remove_project_tool
- Language management:
list_languages,check_language_available
- File operations:
list_files,get_file,get_file_metadata
- AST analysis:
get_ast,get_node_at_position
- Code search:
find_text,run_query
- Symbol extraction:
get_symbols,find_usage
- Project analysis:
analyze_project,get_dependencies,analyze_complexity
- Query building:
get_query_template_tool,list_query_templates_tool,build_query,adapt_query,get_node_types
- Similar code detection:
find_similar_code
- Cache management:
clear_cache
- Configuration diagnostics:
diagnose_config
See FEATURES.md for detailed information about each tool's implementation status, dependencies, and usage examples.
Available Prompts
The server provides the following MCP prompts:
code_review- Create a prompt for reviewing code
explain_code- Create a prompt for explaining code
explain_tree_sitter_query- Explain tree-sitter query syntax
suggest_improvements- Create a prompt for suggesting code improvements
project_overview- Create a prompt for a project overview analysis
License
MIT
MCP Tree-sitter Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides code analysis capabilities using tree-sitter, designed to give Claude intelligent access to codebases with appropriate context management.
Features
- Flexible Exploration: Examine code at multiple levels of granularity
- Context Management: Provides just enough information without overwhelming the context window
- Language Agnostic: Supports many programming languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, C, C++, Swift, Java, Kotlin, Julia, and APL via tree-sitter-language-pack
- Structure-Aware: Uses AST-based understanding with efficient cursor-based traversal
- Searchable: Find specific patterns using text search and tree-sitter queries
- Caching: Optimized performance through parse tree caching
- Symbol Extraction: Extract and analyze functions, classes, and other code symbols
- Dependency Analysis: Identify and analyze code dependencies and relationships
- State Persistence: Maintains project registrations and cached data between invocations
- Secure: Built-in security boundaries and input validation
For a comprehensive list of all available commands, their current implementation status, and detailed feature matrix, please refer to the FEATURES.md document.
Installation
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- Tree-sitter language parsers for your preferred languages
Basic Installation
Development Installation
Quick Start
Running with Claude Desktop
You can make the server available in Claude Desktop either through the MCP CLI or by manually configuring Claude Desktop.
Using MCP CLI
Register the server with Claude Desktop:
Manual Configuration
Alternatively, you can manually configure Claude Desktop:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:Create the file if it doesn't exist.
- Add the server to the
mcpServerssection:Alternatively, if using uv or another package manager:Note: Make sure to replace/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/YOUR/PROJECTwith the actual absolute path to your project directory.
- Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
The MCP tools icon (hammer) will appear in Claude Desktop's interface once you have properly configured at least one MCP server. You can then access the
tree_sitter server's functionality by clicking on this icon.Configuring with Released Version
If you prefer not to manually install the package from PyPI (released version) or clone the repository, simply use the following configuration for Claude Desktop:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration file (same location as above).
- Add the tree-sitter server to the
mcpServerssection:
- Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
This method uses
uvx to run the installed PyPI package directly, which is the recommended approach for the released version. The server doesn't require any additional parameters to run in its basic configuration.State Persistence
The MCP Tree-sitter Server maintains state between invocations. This means:
- Projects stay registered until explicitly removed or the server is restarted
- Parse trees are cached according to configuration settings
- Language information is retained throughout the server's lifetime
This persistence is maintained in-memory during the server's lifetime using singleton patterns for key components.
Running as a standalone server
Using with the MCP Inspector
Usage
Register a Project
First, register a project to analyze:
Explore Files
List files in the project:
View file content:
Analyze Code Structure
Get the syntax tree:
Extract symbols:
Search Code
Search for text:
Run tree-sitter queries:
Analyze Complexity
Direct Python Usage
While the primary intended use is through the MCP server, you can also use the library directly in Python code:
Configuration
Create a YAML configuration file:
Load it with:
About preferred_languages
The
preferred_languages setting controls which language parsers are pre-loaded at server startup rather than on-demand. This provides several benefits:- Faster initial analysis: No delay when first analyzing a file of a pre-loaded language
- Early error detection: Issues with parsers are discovered at startup, not during use
- Predictable memory allocation: Memory for frequently used parsers is allocated upfront
By default, all parsers are loaded on-demand when first needed. For optimal performance, specify the languages you use most frequently in your projects.
You can also configure specific settings:
Or use environment variables:
The server will look for configuration in:
- Path specified in
configure()call
- Path specified by
MCP_TS_CONFIG_PATHenvironment variable
- Default location:
~/.config/tree-sitter/config.yaml
Available Resources
The server provides the following MCP resources:
project://{project}/files- List all files in a project
project://{project}/files/{pattern}- List files matching a pattern
project://{project}/file/{path}- Get file content
project://{project}/file/{path}/lines/{start}-{end}- Get specific lines from a file
project://{project}/ast/{path}- Get the AST for a file
project://{project}/ast/{path}/depth/{depth}- Get the AST with custom depth
Available Tools
The server provides tools for:
- Project management:
register_project_tool,list_projects_tool,remove_project_tool
- Language management:
list_languages,check_language_available
- File operations:
list_files,get_file,get_file_metadata
- AST analysis:
get_ast,get_node_at_position
- Code search:
find_text,run_query
- Symbol extraction:
get_symbols,find_usage
- Project analysis:
analyze_project,get_dependencies,analyze_complexity
- Query building:
get_query_template_tool,list_query_templates_tool,build_query,adapt_query,get_node_types
- Similar code detection:
find_similar_code
- Cache management:
clear_cache
- Configuration diagnostics:
diagnose_config
See FEATURES.md for detailed information about each tool's implementation status, dependencies, and usage examples.
Available Prompts
The server provides the following MCP prompts:
code_review- Create a prompt for reviewing code
explain_code- Create a prompt for explaining code
explain_tree_sitter_query- Explain tree-sitter query syntax
suggest_improvements- Create a prompt for suggesting code improvements
project_overview- Create a prompt for a project overview analysis
License
MIT