SocratiCode

The codebase context engine for AI assistants.
Same understanding of your code, every assistant, every tool switch.

Full documentation, configuration reference, and benchmarks on GitHub →

The big number. On a 2.45M-line codebase, SocratiCode answers the same architectural question with 61% less context burned, 84% fewer tool calls, and 37x faster than a grep-based AI agent. Same model, dramatically better answers. Full benchmark on GitHub.

On Microsoft VS Code 1.99+ and compatible editors that implement the VS Code MCP provider API, this extension registers SocratiCode with the editor's native MCP registry. Independent clients such as Cline, Continue, and Roo Code require their own MCP configuration.

What it does

• Hybrid search (semantic + BM25, fused via Reciprocal Rank Fusion). Tested on codebases over 40 million lines.
• File-level dependency graphs across 18+ languages with circular- dependency detection.
• Symbol-level call graph and impact analysis: answers "what breaks if I change function X?" before the AI changes it.
• Call-flow tracing from any entry point, so onboarding to a legacy module takes minutes instead of days.
• Cross-repo search across linked workspaces. The bug is in the API gateway and the AI is looking at the front-end? It sees the full system in one query.
• Interactive graph viewer with blast-radius overlay, search, click-to-open-file, and PNG export. Opens directly inside the editor as a webview panel.
• Context artefacts: index database schemas, API specs and architecture docs alongside code. The AI sees the schema your team designed, not what it guessed from filenames.
• Branch-aware indexing: every branch gets its own index, so PR reviews see the code actually being reviewed. Applies only to path-derived project IDs: a project that sets SOCRATICODE_PROJECT_ID or projectId in .socraticode.json keeps one index shared by every branch, and SocratiCode logs a warning saying so.

Built for real-world big teams and projects

• Refactor safety on a monorepo. Blast-radius analysis surfaces every file and symbol that calls into a target before any change goes in. Particularly useful in regulated and legacy contexts.
• Multi-repo orgs. Cross-project search treats your microservices as one searchable surface, not N disconnected repos.
• Tool-independent. Move from Cursor to Copilot to Cline to whatever ships next. The index, dependency graphs and context artefacts survive every tool switch. No vendor lock-in.
• Air-gapped friendly. The default deployment runs entirely on your machine via Docker (Qdrant + Ollama). Code never leaves the network unless you explicitly point at an external service via the socraticode.env setting.
• Open source at the core (AGPL-3.0). Battle-tested across thousands of repositories. Every component that touches your code is inspectable.
• 18+ languages out of the box. TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, Kotlin, Scala, C#, C, C++, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Bash, Dart, Lua, Svelte, Vue, plus 35+ plain-text formats.

Quick start

1. Install the extension. Search SocratiCode in the Extensions panel and install it in the current editor profile from Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX.
2. Activate and verify it. In Microsoft VS Code, reload the window, start a new native Agent Chat, and run MCP: List Servers. Confirm that SocratiCode is listed and running. In another compatible editor, follow that host's integration instructions and verify through its own MCP server list.
3. Index the workspace. Open the SocratiCode sidebar (Activity Bar icon) and click Index this workspace. A local Ollama setup downloads its embedding model on first use if it is not already available; cloud and external providers do not. Subsequent updates are incremental.
4. Ask anything. In Microsoft VS Code, use native Agent Chat. In another compatible editor, use that host's available agent or chat interface after verifying the MCP provider. Ask: "where is auth handled?", "what breaks if I change processOrder?", "trace the nightly cron job", or "what tables does this API touch?".
5. Open the interactive graph. Command Palette → SocratiCode: Open interactive graph.

A walkthrough is shown on first install; re-open it any time via SocratiCode: Open getting-started walkthrough.

Requirements

• Microsoft VS Code 1.99+, or a compatible editor that implements vscode.lm.registerMcpServerDefinitionProvider.
• To verify tools in Microsoft VS Code's native Agent Chat, enable AI features and agents (chat.agent.enabled) and provide an available model through GitHub Copilot or another supported configured provider. When using Copilot, sign in with the account that has access and keep GitHub Copilot Chat current. Organization policy can disable agents or restrict model access.
• Node.js 18.17+ with npx on PATH (the engine launches via npx).
• Docker running for the default managed Qdrant and Ollama stack. Docker is optional when Qdrant is external and embeddings use either a detected native Ollama instance or a cloud or external provider. Configure these modes through socraticode.env; see Settings.

Commands

All commands appear under SocratiCode: in the Command Palette.

• SocratiCode: Index current workspace: kick off a one-time index.
• SocratiCode: Open interactive graph: render the dependency / call graph as an in-editor webview.
• SocratiCode: Refresh indexed projects: reload the sidebar tree.
• SocratiCode: Open getting-started walkthrough: replay the onboarding.
• SocratiCode: Show output / logs: open the SocratiCode output channel.

Settings

Compatibility

Microsoft VS Code Stable and Insiders implement the MCP provider API used by this extension. Open VSX makes the package available to VS Code-derived editors, but package installation alone does not prove that a host implements that API. In Microsoft VS Code, verify registration with MCP: List Servers. In another editor, use its own MCP server list. If SocratiCode is unavailable, configure it through that host's local stdio MCP settings.

The extension registers only with the editor's native MCP host. It does not write configuration for Cursor Agent, Cline, Continue, Roo Code, or another independent client.

Updating

In Microsoft VS Code, use the Extensions view or run Extensions: Check for Extension Updates, reload the window, start a new native Agent Chat, and verify the final version and server with MCP: List Servers. This updates the extension's UI and integration files. The separately launched MCP engine checks npm for the latest published release whenever that server starts, using the default socraticode.args shown above. In another editor, use that host's extension update flow, restart or reload it as documented, verify the registered MCP provider through its server list, and use its available agent or chat interface. See the host integration instructions.

SocratiCode Cloud (private beta)

The same engine, hosted by us. Adds managed infrastructure (no Docker or Qdrant or Ollama on your machine), webhook-driven auto-indexing on every push and every branch, shared team indexes across your whole organisation, SSO/SAML, audit logs, and SOC 2 / ISO 27001-aligned controls. Currently in private beta.

Request access at socraticode.cloud →

Privacy and data

• The engine indexes locally by default. Code never leaves your machine unless you explicitly configure an external service via socraticode.env.
• No telemetry from the extension.
• The engine is open source under AGPL-3.0; every component that touches your code is inspectable.

Learn more

The extension is the install surface. The full picture lives in the project repo:

• Full README, configuration reference, and benchmark methodology
• Issues and feature requests
• Discord community

Troubleshooting

• "Cannot find Docker": install and start Docker. Docker-free operation requires external Qdrant plus either a detected native Ollama instance or a cloud or external embedding provider; configure those modes through socraticode.env.
• MCP tools don't appear in the native agent: reload the window and start a new chat. In Microsoft VS Code, run MCP: List Servers and confirm that SocratiCode is listed and started. In another editor, use its MCP server list or follow the host integration instructions.
• First local index is slow: a local Ollama setup downloads the embedding model if it is not already available. Cloud and external providers do not. Subsequent runs are fast.
• Anything else: SocratiCode: Show output / logs from the command palette has the engine output.

License

AGPL-3.0-only. The engine and this extension are open source.