Sharpitect: Semantic C# Navigation

Overview

Sharpitect provides semantic understanding of C# codebases through MCP tools. Always prefer Sharpitect MCP tools over text-based searching (Grep/Glob) when working with C# code.

When to Use Sharpitect Tools

Use Sharpitect tools as your first choice for:

Finding Declarations

• Instead of: Grep with pattern matching
• Use: search_declarations to find classes, interfaces, methods, properties by name
• Benefits: Exact semantic matches, understands C# syntax, filters by declaration kind

Understanding Type Hierarchies

• Instead of: Reading class files and searching for base classes
• Use: get_inheritance with direction: descendants (implementations) or ancestors (base types)
• Benefits: Complete hierarchy tree, includes interfaces and abstract classes

Finding Method/Property Usage

• Instead of: Grep for method names (which may match strings, comments, etc.)
• Use: get_callers to find what calls a method, or get_usages for all references
• Benefits: Accurate call sites only, no false positives from comments or strings

Understanding Dependencies

• Instead of: Reading code to find what a method calls
• Use: get_callees to see all methods/properties a method uses
• Benefits: Complete dependency graph, includes transitive calls

Exploring Code Structure

• Instead of: Glob to list files and Read to understand structure
• Use: get_tree to see containment hierarchy, get_children for members
• Benefits: Semantic structure, filtered by kind, shows relationships

Finding Project Dependencies

• Instead of: Reading .csproj files or searching for using statements
• Use: get_dependencies (what a project references) or get_dependents (what depends on a project)
• Benefits: Complete project graph, includes transitive dependencies

Tool Selection Guide

Use Sharpitect MCP tools for:

1. Finding C# elements: Classes, methods, properties, interfaces
2. Understanding relationships: Inheritance, calls, dependencies, usages
3. Navigating structure: Hierarchies, containment, project organization
4. Precise queries: "Find all implementations of IFoo"

Fall back to generic tools only when:

1. Reading source code: Use Read to see actual implementation
2. Searching non-code content: Comments, strings, XML docs, config files
3. Cross-language search: JavaScript, JSON, Markdown files
4. Pattern matching: Complex regex patterns not supported by Sharpitect

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: "Find implementations of an interface"

1. search_declarations(query="IGraphRepository", kind="interface")
2. get_inheritance(id="...", direction="descendants")

Workflow 2: "Where is this method called?"

1. search_declarations(query="LoadGraph", kind="method")
2. get_callers(id="...", depth=1)

Workflow 3: "What does this class depend on?"

1. search_declarations(query="SqliteGraphRepository", kind="class")
2. get_relationships(id="...", relationshipKind="uses", direction="outgoing")

Workflow 4: "Show me all classes in a namespace"

1. search_declarations(query="Sharpitect.Analysis.Graph", kind="namespace")
2. get_children(id="...", kind="class")

Workflow 5: "Find all methods that call a specific method"

1. search_declarations(query="SaveNode", kind="method")
2. get_usages(id="...", usageKind="call")

Key Sharpitect Tools Reference

Tool	Purpose	When to Use
search_declarations	Find declarations by name	First step for finding any C# element
get_inheritance	Get type hierarchy	Understanding class/interface relationships
get_callers	Find who calls a method	Tracing method usage upstream
get_callees	Find what a method calls	Understanding method dependencies
get_usages	Find all references	Comprehensive usage analysis
get_relationships	Get all relationships	Exploring complex relationships
get_dependencies	Project dependencies	Understanding project references
get_tree	Containment hierarchy	Exploring code structure
get_signature	Type/method signature	Getting detailed type information
get_file_declarations	Declarations in a file	Quick overview of file contents

Important Notes

• Always use Sharpitect first: Even if you think Grep might work, try Sharpitect first
• Combine with Read: Use Sharpitect to find locations, then Read to see implementation
• Be specific with kinds: Use kind parameter to filter (class, interface, method, property, etc.)
• Use depth wisely: For get_callers/get_callees, start with depth=1, increase if needed
• Check the database: If Sharpitect returns no results, the codebase may not be analyzed yet (run sharpitect analyze)

Examples

❌ Don't do this:

Grep pattern="class.*IGraphRepository" to find implementations

✅ Do this instead:

1. search_declarations(query="IGraphRepository", kind="interface", matchMode="exact")
2. get_inheritance(id="...", direction="descendants")

---

❌ Don't do this:

Grep pattern="LoadGraph\\(" to find method calls

✅ Do this instead:

1. search_declarations(query="LoadGraph", kind="method")
2. get_callers(id="...")

---

❌ Don't do this:

Read all files in a namespace to understand structure

✅ Do this instead:

1. search_declarations(query="Sharpitect.Analysis", kind="namespace")
2. get_tree(rootId="...", maxDepth=2)

Summary

When working with C# code, think "Sharpitect first, generic tools second." Sharpitect understands C# semantics and provides accurate, efficient navigation. Only fall back to Grep/Glob/Read when you need non-semantic searches or actual source code content.