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MCP AST Explorer

Official registry AI and agents

Python symbol exploration for codebase onboarding agents.

Source code Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

PYPI package mcp-ast-explorer
Claude Code 
claude mcp add mcp-ast-explorer -- uvx mcp-ast-explorer==0.1.0
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp-ast-explorer": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-ast-explorer==0.1.0"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. mcp-ast-explorer
  2. Codebase Onboarding Stack
  3. Status
  4. Tools
  5. Supported Scope
  6. Current Limitations
  7. Local Development
  8. License

mcp-ast-explorer

MCP server for deterministic Python codebase symbol exploration.

mcp-ast-explorer indexes Python source files with LibCST and exposes focused MCP tools for codebase onboarding: definition lookup, function signatures, local references, direct call chains, and simple class hierarchy queries.

Codebase Onboarding Stack

mcp-ast-explorer is the semantic symbol layer in a three-server MCP tool stack for Project 6 wayfinder, a codebase onboarding agent.

  • mcp-repo-mapper maps repository structure, languages, entry points, framework evidence, and Python dependency edges.
  • mcp-ast-explorer provides symbol-grounded Python definition, signature, reference, call-chain, and class-hierarchy lookups.
  • mcp-test-runner runs local pytest/Jest checks and coverage summaries so agent claims can be verified against execution.

In wayfinder, this server feeds entry-point and symbol explanation while refusing to invent missing symbols.

Status

This is a Python-only v1. TypeScript is registered as an unsupported backend placeholder so the server has an explicit extension point, but TypeScript analysis is not implemented yet.

The server does not use an LLM for symbol lookup. If a requested symbol or class is not present in the parsed index, tools return a structured not-found result instead of inventing an answer.

Tools

ToolPurpose
health()Returns ok for smoke checks.
find_definition(path, symbol, language="python")Finds a module, class, function, or method definition.
function_signature(path, symbol, language="python")Returns the signature for a function or method symbol.
find_references(path, symbol, language="python")Returns same-module CST name references for an existing symbol.
call_chain(path, from_symbol, depth=2, language="python")Returns direct callers detected from local references.
class_hierarchy(path, class_name, language="python")Returns direct subclasses detected from simple base-class names.

Supported Scope

  • Python files parsed by LibCST.
  • Symbol kinds: modules, classes, functions, and methods.
  • Same-module reference lookup for simple names.
  • Direct caller detection from function or method containers.
  • Direct subclass detection for simple class Child(Base): inheritance.
  • Structured error responses for unsupported languages and missing symbols.

Current Limitations

  • Cross-file imports and package-wide resolution are out of scope for v1.
  • Aliases, star imports, dynamic attribute access, and qualified references are not resolved.
  • call_chain currently returns direct callers only; recursive multi-hop expansion is not implemented.
  • class_hierarchy currently returns direct subclasses only and handles simple base names.
  • TypeScript is intentionally unsupported in v1.

Local Development

Install dependencies:

uv sync --extra dev

Run the MCP server:

uv run mcp-ast-explorer

Run verification:

uv run ruff check .
uv run mypy
uv run pytest

License

MIT

Frequently asked questions

What is MCP AST Explorer?

Python symbol exploration for codebase onboarding agents.

How do I install MCP AST Explorer?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add mcp-ast-explorer -- uvx mcp-ast-explorer==0.1.0. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does MCP AST Explorer need an API key?

Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.

Is MCP AST Explorer open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains MCP AST Explorer?

It is published by LovRanRan. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.