Basemind Index Scan
Goldziher/basemind
Builds or refreshes the basemind code index from the command line, for when basemind reports no index or its MCP server is not running.
Chooses the right retrieval tool for code questions: compact context for unfamiliar repos, direct lookup for known symbols, call graphs for relationships and grep for exhaustive matches.
Install Codebase Search
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-search --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .claude/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .claude/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skillType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-search --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .agents/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .agents/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-search --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .cursor/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .cursor/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git --path skill--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-search --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .gemini/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .gemini/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-searchInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .github/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .github/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install Helweg/open-codebase-index codebase-search --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skill .opencode/skills/codebase-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "codebase-search" agent skill from https://github.com/Helweg/open-codebase-index/tree/main/skill into .opencode/skills/codebase-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "codebase-search", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
codebase-search- GitHub stars
- 216
- Token cost
- ~1.3k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 503 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 2
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Chooses the right retrieval tool for code questions: compact context for unfamiliar repos, direct lookup for known symbols, call graphs for relationships and grep for exhaustive matches.
- Works in 2 steps: Project Source Code — all code files in… → Knowledge Base Documentation — external…
- Getting oriented in an unfamiliar repository before broad file reads
- SKILL.md covers Important: Indexed Content, When to Use What, Task-specific Workflow and Tools, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
The skill assumes an index that holds both the project's source code and added knowledge base documentation such as usage guides, API references and example programs. A table maps each situation to a tool: codebase_context for orientation in an unfamiliar repository, codebase_search for questions about code, codebase_peek for file locations only, find_similar for duplicates, call_graph and call_graph_path for callers, callees and dependency paths, pr_impact for the reach of a pull request, implementation_lookup for a known symbol and grep when every occurrence is needed.
The workflow checks index_status first and indexes only when the index is missing, stale or incompatible. Unfamiliar repositories start with one compact codebase_context pass (tokenBudget 600, limit 5); known definitions go straight to implementation_lookup, and codebase_edit_context can supply bounded source plus graph evidence before an edit. When local search finds nothing it falls back to websearch or webfetch, and suggests adding a knowledge base folder if both fail.
When your agent uses it
- Getting oriented in an unfamiliar repository before broad file reads
- Finding who calls a function or tracing a dependency path between symbols
- Estimating which symbols a pull request affects
- Deciding between semantic search and grep for a lookup
Example prompts
- “I'm new to this repo; give me a compact orientation of how authentication is wired up.”
- “Show me every caller of parseConfig and the shortest path from main to it.”
- “Which symbols and hub nodes does this PR affect?”
- “Find the definition of RateLimiter without reading the whole directory.”
Requirements
- The codebase index tools (codebase_search, call_graph and the others) exposed to the agent
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Project Source Code — all code files in the current workspace
- Knowledge Base Documentation — external documentation, usage guides, API references, and example programs added via add_knowledge_base…
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit ca805a8. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Codebase Search loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 60 tokens; SKILL.md has 503 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from Helweg/open-codebase-index at commit ca805a8, republished under its MIT licence (© Helweg). 503 words, ~1,307 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/codebase-search/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- codebase-search
- description
- Task-specific semantic code and documentation retrieval. Use compact context for unfamiliar repository orientation, direct lookup for known definitions, graph tools for relationships, and grep for exhaustive literal matches.
Codebase Search Skill
Important: Indexed Content
The indexed codebase contains two types of content:
- Project Source Code — all code files in the current workspace
- Knowledge Base Documentation — external documentation, usage guides, API references, and example programs added via
add_knowledge_base(MCP/OpenCode) orknowledge_base_add(Pi).
When to Use What
| Scenario | Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unfamiliar repository layout or subsystem | codebase_context | Compact orientation before broad reads |
| Code/library/API question | codebase_search | Search local knowledge first |
| Just need file locations | codebase_peek | Metadata only, saves ~90% tokens |
| Need to see actual code | codebase_search | Returns full code content |
| Find duplicates/patterns | find_similar | Given code snippet → similar code |
| Understand code flow | call_graph | Find callers/callees of any function |
| Trace dependency paths | call_graph_path | Find a shortest known path between two symbols |
| Analyze PR blast radius | pr_impact | Find affected symbols, communities, hub nodes, and risk |
| Don't know function/class names | codebase_context | Natural-language orientation with bounded evidence |
| Know a symbol and need its definition | implementation_lookup | Authoritative source without a context prerequisite |
| Need ALL occurrences | grep | Semantic returns top N only |
| Access specific URL | webfetch | Direct URL access, no codebase search needed |
| Local search fails | websearch | Fallback when codebase has no results |
| Local and web search fails | suggest adding knowledge base | Notify user to add related folder |
Task-specific Workflow
- Check
index_statuswhen readiness or freshness is unknown. Index only when missing, stale, or incompatible. - For unfamiliar repository orientation, use one compact
codebase_contextfirst pass (tokenBudget: 600,limit: 5) and inspect its evidence before broad reads or searches. - For known definitions, use
implementation_lookupdirectly. For callers/callees or dependency paths, usecall_graphorcall_graph_pathdirectly once endpoints are identified. - For known or suspected edit targets, optionally use
codebase_edit_contextfor bounded source plus direct graph evidence. - Use
codebase_peekfor semantic locations orcodebase_searchfor matching content when needed. Neither requires another context call when scope is already known. - Read known paths directly; use
grepfor exact identifiers and exhaustive literal matches. Apply directory/file filters when the scope is known, rather than guessing a narrower scope.
For repository implementation questions, use local source evidence before web search. External library/API documentation questions may need web sources when the local index lacks relevant documentation. Avoid repeating retrieval when existing evidence already answers the task.
Show full SKILL.md (135 more words)Show less
Tools
codebase_peek
Find WHERE code is. Returns metadata only (file, line, name, type).
codebase_peek(query="validation logic", chunkType="function", directory="src/utils")
codebase_peek(query="authentication flow", blameAuthor="jane@example.com")codebase_search
Find code with full content. Use when you need to see implementation.
codebase_search(query="error handling middleware", fileType="ts", contextLines=2)
codebase_search(query="rate limiter", blameSince="2025-01-01", blameUntil="2025-01-31")find_similar
Find code similar to a given snippet. Use for duplicate detection, pattern discovery, refactoring.
find_similar(code="function validate(input) { return input.length > 0; }", excludeFile="src/current.ts", blameSince="2025-01-01")call_graph
Query callers or callees of a function/method.
call_graph(name="validateToken", direction="callers")index_codebase
Manually trigger indexing. Required before first search.
index_status
Check if indexed and ready.
MCP/OpenCode knowledge-base tools
add_knowledge_base(path="/path/to/docs")list_knowledge_basesremove_knowledge_base(path="/path/to/docs")
Pi knowledge-base tools
knowledge_base_add(path="/path/to/docs")knowledge_base_listknowledge_base_remove(path="/path/to/docs")
Query Tips
Describe behavior, not syntax:
- Good:
"function that hashes passwords securely" - Bad:
"hashPassword"(use grep for exact names)
Search across documentation:
- Good:
"how to configure WiFi in ESP-IDF" - Good:
"GPIO initialization example"
Filters
| Filter | Example |
|---|---|
chunkType | function, class, interface, type, method |
directory | "src/api", "tests" |
fileType | "ts", "py", "rs" |
blameAuthor | "jane@example.com" or "Jane Doe" |
blameSha | "abc1234" |
blameSince | "2025-01-01" |
blameUntil | "2025-01-31" |
© Helweg, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skill of Helweg/open-codebase-index.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit ca805a8
Compare with similar skills
Codebase Search next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codebase Search this skillHelweg/open-codebase-index | 216 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Basemind Index ScanGoldziher/basemind | 106 | — | ~997 | Automated safety check: Warn | MIT | |
| trace-mcp Code Navigationnikolai-vysotskyi/trace-mcp | 185 | — | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Basemind Code ContextGoldziher/basemind | 106 | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MCP Code Search Tool SelectionContext-Engine-AI/Context-Engine | 402 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Context-Engine Code SearchContext-Engine-AI/Context-Engine | 402 | — | ~14k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Rules for choosing Qdrant-Indexer semantic search over grep or file reads when exploring code, debugging or asking where and why questions.
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More from Helweg/open-codebase-index
Codebase Search Workflow
Helweg/open-codebase-index
Directs an agent to use a local codebase index for repository orientation, definition lookups, call graphs and semantic search before turning to web lookups.
Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Codebase Search
What does Codebase Search do?
Chooses the right retrieval tool for code questions: compact context for unfamiliar repos, direct lookup for known symbols, call graphs for relationships and grep for exhaustive matches. The skill assumes an index that holds both the project's source code and added knowledge base documentation such as usage guides, API references and example programs. A table maps each situation to a tool: codebase_context for orientation in an unfamiliar repository, codebase_search for questions about code, codebase_peek for file locations only, find_similar for duplicates, call_graph and call_graph_path for callers, callees and dependency paths, pr_impact for the reach of a pull request, implementation_lookup for a known symbol and grep when every occurrence is needed.
When should I use Codebase Search?
Codebase Search fits situations like: getting oriented in an unfamiliar repository before broad file reads; finding who calls a function or tracing a dependency path between symbols; estimating which symbols a pull request affects; deciding between semantic search and grep for a lookup.
How do I install Codebase Search in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skill in Helweg/open-codebase-index) into .claude/skills/codebase-search in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Codebase Search in Codex?
Run `npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skill in Helweg/open-codebase-index) into .agents/skills/codebase-search in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Codebase Search in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Helweg/open-codebase-index --skill codebase-search -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/codebase-search, .gemini/skills/codebase-search, .github/skills/codebase-search and .opencode/skills/codebase-search in your project.
What does Codebase Search need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Codebase Search is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: The codebase index tools (codebase_search, call_graph and the others) exposed to the agent.
Does Codebase Search access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Codebase Search safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Codebase Search use?
Codebase Search is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Codebase Search use?
About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Codebase Search?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Codebase Search: Basemind Index Scan (Goldziher/basemind, 106 stars), trace-mcp Code Navigation (nikolai-vysotskyi/trace-mcp, 185 stars), Basemind Code Context (Goldziher/basemind, 106 stars) and MCP Code Search Tool Selection (Context-Engine-AI/Context-Engine, 402 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Codebase Search?
Helweg (a GitHub user) maintains it in Helweg/open-codebase-index, which has 216 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.
Source: Helweg/open-codebase-index on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.