Right-click any line. Ask why. Get the real answer.
CodebaseOS turns your repository's history into a queryable knowledge graph
(commits, PRs, issues, reviews, files, people, decisions) backed by HydraDB +
a Merkle-verified provenance chain — then answers questions about why your
code exists, grounded in that graph.
Features
Why is this here? — hover any line → synthesized provenance from the
commits, PRs, and decisions that shaped it.
Five Whys — recursive root-cause chain from code → intent → decision.
Counterfactual — "what would happen if this change were reversed?"
Compare (with vs without HydraDB) — side-by-side of a graph-grounded
answer vs a plain LLM with no provenance.
Onboarding tour — generate a module walkthrough: key files, people,
decisions, and where to start.
Status bar — live cost ($X.XXXX / $5.00), node count, Merkle status.
All synthesis runs through a single cost-capped path ($5 hard limit); hovering
never triggers an LLM call.
Commands
Command
What it does
CodebaseOS: Why is this here?
Provenance for the current line
CodebaseOS: Five Whys
Recursive root-cause analysis
CodebaseOS: Counterfactual
Reason about reversing a decision
CodebaseOS: Compare (with vs without HydraDB)
Graph vs plain-LLM answer
CodebaseOS: Generate onboarding tour for current module
Module tour
CodebaseOS: Open Dashboard
Open the live graph dashboard
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
codebaseos.backendUrl
http://localhost:8000
CodebaseOS backend API
codebaseos.dashboardUrl
http://localhost:3000
Dashboard URL
codebaseos.repo
``
owner/name to scope provenance queries
codebaseos.enableCodeLens
true
Show "🧬 Why?" code lens
Requirements
A running CodebaseOS backend (backendUrl). The extension degrades gracefully
when the backend is offline.
