Smart Explore: AST-Powered Code Navigation
This release introduces Smart Explore, a token-optimized structural code search system built on tree-sitter AST parsing. It applies the same progressive disclosure pattern used in human-readable code outlines — but programmatically, for AI agents.
Why This Matters
The standard exploration cycle (Glob → Grep → Read) forces agents to consume entire files to understand code structure. A typical 800-line file costs ~12,000 tokens to read. Smart Explore replaces this with a 3-layer progressive disclosure workflow that delivers the same understanding at 6-12x lower token cost.
3 New MCP Tools
smart_search— Walks directories, parses all code files via tree-sitter, and returns ranked symbols with signatures and line numbers. Replaces the Glob → Grep discovery cycle in a single call (~2-6k tokens).smart_outline— Returns the complete structural skeleton of a file: all functions, classes, methods, properties, imports (~1-2k tokens vs ~12k for a full Read).smart_unfold— Expands a single symbol to its full source code including JSDoc, decorators, and implementation (~1-7k tokens).
Token Economics
| Approach | Tokens | Savings |
|---|---|---|
| smart_outline + smart_unfold | ~3,100 | 8x vs Read |
| smart_search (cross-file) | ~2,000-6,000 | 6-12x vs Explore agent |
| Read (full file) | ~12,000+ | baseline |
| Explore agent | ~20,000-40,000 | baseline |
Language Support
10 languages via tree-sitter grammars: TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Rust, Go, Java, C, C++, Ruby, PHP.
Other Changes
- Simplified hooks configuration
- Removed legacy setup.sh script
- Security fix: replaced
execSyncwithexecFileSyncto prevent command injection in file path handling