cocosearch-deps

Dependency Graph Exploration with CocoSearch

A guided workflow for understanding how files connect through dependencies. Use this skill when the goal is specifically about dependency relationships — impact analysis, connection tracing, or hub identification.

When to use this skill vs. others:

Goal	Skill
"What breaks if I change X?"	cocosearch-deps (this skill)
"How does X work?"	cocosearch-explore
"I need to safely refactor X"	cocosearch-refactoring (uses deps as part of impact analysis)
"Trace this bug through call chains"	cocosearch-debugging (uses deps for call tracing)
"What are the most connected files?"	cocosearch-deps (this skill)
"How are X and Y connected?"	cocosearch-deps (this skill)

Pre-flight Check

1. Resolve index name (use the resolved name for all operations):
   • Try cocosearch.yaml for indexName field -- if found, use it
   • If no config file, call list_indexes() and match the current project's directory name against available indexes. The MCP tools auto-derive index names from directory paths (e.g., my-project/ -> my_project), so a match is likely if the repo was indexed without a config file.
   • If no match found, the project is genuinely not indexed -- offer to index it. Do NOT abandon CocoSearch tools just because cocosearch.yaml is missing.
2. list_indexes() to confirm project is indexed
3. Verify dependency index exists and is fresh — call get_file_dependencies on any known file:

get_file_dependencies(file="<any-known-file>", depth=1)

• If error or empty: Dependency index is missing. Offer: "No dependency data found. Want me to extract dependencies? This requires running index_codebase with deps extraction or cocosearch deps extract . via CLI." Do NOT proceed without dependency data -- this skill relies entirely on it.
• If response contains warnings with type deps_outdated or deps_branch_drift: Warn: "Dependency data is outdated and may not reflect recent changes. Want me to re-extract dependencies first? (index_codebase with extract_deps=True)" Do NOT proceed without user acknowledgment -- stale deps can lead to incorrect analysis.
• If results returned with no warnings: Dependency index is ready, proceed.

4. Linked index health (if cocosearch.yaml has linkedIndexes):
   • Check the warnings array from index_stats() for entries starting with "Linked index"
   • If stale/missing: warn user — "Linked index 'X' is stale/missing. Cross-project dependency tracing may be incomplete. Want me to reindex?"

Step 1: Classify Intent

Parse the user's request to determine the exploration mode:

User says...	Mode	Primary tool
"What breaks if I change X?" / "Impact of modifying X"	Impact Analysis	get_file_impact
"What does X depend on?" / "X's dependencies"	Dependency Exploration	get_file_dependencies
"How are X and Y connected?" / "Path between X and Y"	Connection Tracing	Both tools
"Most connected files" / "Hub files" / "Critical files"	Hub Identification	Both tools, multiple files
"Show only imports" / "What references X?"	Type Filtering	Either tool with dep_type

If ambiguous: Ask the user which mode they want. Present the five options.

Confirm with user: "I'll run [mode] on <file>. Proceed?"

Step 2a: Impact Analysis

Goal: Answer "what would be affected if this file changes?"

Run the impact query:

get_file_impact(file="<target_file>", depth=3)

Format results as a tree:

<target_file>
  <- <direct_dependent_1> (import)
     <- <transitive_dependent_A> (import)
  <- <direct_dependent_2> (reference)
  <- <direct_dependent_3> (import)
     <- <transitive_dependent_B> (import)
        <- <transitive_dependent_C> (import)

Assess risk level:

Dependents	Risk	Recommendation
0	None	File is a leaf -- change freely
1-5	Low	Review each dependent before changing
6-15	Medium	Consider incremental changes; check test coverage
16+	High	High-impact hub -- coordinate changes carefully

Present summary: "Changing <target_file> directly affects N files and transitively affects M more. Risk level: [LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH]."

Checkpoint: Offer follow-up actions:

• "Want me to trace deeper (increase depth)?"
• "Want me to filter by dependency type (imports only, references only)?"
• "Want me to pull up the code for any of these dependents?"
• "Want to see the reverse -- what does this file depend ON?"

Step 2b: Dependency Exploration

Goal: Answer "what does this file depend on?"

Start shallow:

get_file_dependencies(file="<target_file>", depth=1)

Separate internal vs. external dependencies:

Internal dependencies (within project):
  - src/module_a/utils.py (import)
  - src/module_b/models.py (import)

External/unresolved:
  - os (import, stdlib)
  - requests (import, third-party)

Present summary: "<target_file> depends on N internal files and M external modules."

Checkpoint: Offer follow-up actions:

• "Want to see the transitive dependency tree (depth=3)?"
• "Want to check the impact direction -- what depends on this file?"
• "Want me to search for the code in any of these dependencies?"

If user wants transitive tree:

get_file_dependencies(file="<target_file>", depth=3)

Format as indented tree showing the full dependency chain.

Step 2c: Connection Tracing

Goal: Answer "how are X and Y connected?"

Multi-call orchestration:

1. Forward from X:

get_file_dependencies(file="<file_X>", depth=3)

2. Reverse from Y:

get_file_impact(file="<file_Y>", depth=3)

3. Check for overlap: Compare the two result sets. Any file appearing in BOTH the forward tree from X and the reverse tree from Y is on the connection path.

If structural path found: "Files X and Y are connected through: X -> A -> B -> Y (via import chains)."

Show the full path with edge types.

If no structural path: "No direct dependency path found between X and Y."

Offer fallback:

• "Want me to try deeper traversal (increase depth)?"
• "Want me to search semantically for connections? Files may be related through shared concepts rather than direct imports."

search_code(
    query="<concept connecting X and Y>",
    use_hybrid_search=True,
    smart_context=True,
    include_deps=True
)

Cross-project search: If linkedIndexes is configured in cocosearch.yaml, searches automatically expand to linked indexes. For cross-project connections, pass index_names=["project1", "project2"].

Step 2d: Hub Identification

Goal: Find the most connected files in the project.

Strategy: Probe candidate files with both forward and reverse queries, then rank by total connections.

Step 1: Identify candidates. Good candidates include:

• Entry points (main files, CLI entrypoints, server files)
• Init files (__init__.py, index.ts, mod.rs)
• Config/model files (often imported by many modules)
• Files the user suspects are hubs

Ask the user: "Which files should I check, or want me to probe common entry points and init files?"

Step 2: For each candidate, run both queries at depth=1:

get_file_dependencies(file="<candidate>", depth=1)
get_file_impact(file="<candidate>", depth=1)

Step 3: Present ranked table:

| File | Depends On | Depended By | Total | Role |
|------|-----------|-------------|-------|------|
| src/core/models.py | 2 | 18 | 20 | Data hub (heavily imported) |
| src/cli.py | 12 | 1 | 13 | Orchestrator (imports many) |
| src/utils/helpers.py | 1 | 9 | 10 | Utility hub |

Interpret roles:

• High "Depended By": Data hubs, shared utilities -- changes here have wide impact
• High "Depends On": Orchestrators, entry points -- aggregate functionality
• High both: Central nodes -- critical to architecture, change with caution

Checkpoint: "Want me to run full impact analysis on any of these hubs?"

Step 2e: Type Filtering

Goal: Filter dependencies by edge type for focused analysis.

Edge types in CocoSearch:

Type	Meaning	Example
import	Code imports (Python import, JS require/import, Go import)	from utils import helper
call	Symbol-level calls	helper.process()
reference	Grammar-level references (metadata.kind for specifics)	Helm chart_member, subchart_of

Run filtered query:

get_file_dependencies(file="<target_file>", depth=2, dep_type="import")

or

get_file_impact(file="<target_file>", depth=2, dep_type="import")

Compare by type: Run the same query with different dep_type values and present side-by-side:

Import dependencies:
  - module_a.py, module_b.py

Reference dependencies:
  - config.yaml (chart_member)
  - parent/Chart.yaml (subchart_of)

Step 3: Follow-Up Actions

After completing any mode, offer these follow-ups:

• Deeper trace: "Increase depth to see more transitive connections?"
• Code context: "Pull up the actual code for any file using search_code with include_deps=True?"
• Reverse direction: "Check the opposite direction (impact -> dependencies or vice versa)?"
• Cross-reference with search: "Search for semantic connections beyond structural dependencies?"

search_code(
    query="<relevant concept>",
    use_hybrid_search=True,
    smart_context=True,
    include_deps=True
)

Tips

• Start shallow (depth=1), go deeper on request. Deep traversals on hub files can return very large trees.
• External dependencies are leaves. They won't resolve to project files -- this is expected.
• Cycle detection is built in. The query layer handles circular dependencies automatically; you won't get infinite loops.
• Combine with search for full understanding. Dependencies show structural connections; search finds semantic relationships. Use both for a complete picture.
• Dependency data requires extraction. Unlike search (which works immediately after indexing), dependencies need explicit extraction via --deps flag or deps extract command.

For common search tips (hybrid search, smart_context, symbol filtering), see skills/README.md.

For installation instructions, see skills/README.md.