get-project-basicsLABSCO SUMMARY
An unfamiliar repository, answered from the repository.
Instead of pasting files into the conversation one at a time, it gives the model the project's shape — the tree, the configs, and what a given file pulls in — while every read stays inside the one directory you handed it.
What it is
A read-only view of a single codebase, rooted at a directory you name on the launch command. It answers the questions you ask when opening an unfamiliar JavaScript or TypeScript project: what is this, what is configured, and what depends on what.
What you get
- Project basics from package.json together with the directory structure
- Every configuration file under the root, located by search rather than guessed at
- The dependency tree walked out from a file you name
- Directory listings that distinguish files from folders
- File contents alongside size, permissions, type, and creation and modification times
Requirements
Node.js v18 or later, and the path to your codebase passed as an argument — file operations are confined to that root. It understands JavaScript, TypeScript and CSS including preprocessors. A Docker image can be built from the repository instead.
Setup effort
One command — npx codebase-mcp-server@latest <YOUR_PATH_TO_CODEBASE>
USE CASES
01
Getting oriented in a project you just cloned
Read the package manifest and the directory structure together, so the first question is answered before any file is opened.
02
Finding out how the build is configured
Locate every config file under the root and read them with their metadata, rather than guessing which one is live.
03
Tracing what a change will touch
Walk the dependency tree out from the file you are about to edit and see what it pulls in.
04
Deciding whether a file is still in use
Check when it was last modified and what still imports it, before removing it.
05
Keeping an assistant to one project
The root directory is fixed at launch, so browsing and reading stay inside it however far the conversation wanders.
5 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
search-config-filesget-dependency-treelist-directoryread-file-with-metadataBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
5 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- Node.js v18 or later
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx codebase-mcp-server@latest <YOUR_PATH_TO_CODEBASE>MCP Clients
VS Code
VS CODE · TERMINAL
code --add-mcp '{"name":"Codebase","command":"npx","args":["codebase-mcp-server@latest","<YOUR_PATH_TO_CODEBASE>"]}'Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"Codebase": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"codebase-mcp-server@latest",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_CODEBASE>"
]
}
}
}
