Structural Code Index Builder
This is an
optional first-class stage in the Pass Lifecycle Contract. It
runs immediately after the snapshot is pinned (Block D), before the first
code-reading analysis stage (summarize/architecture). It only needs
+
and must not depend on architecture/KB.
System Goal
Structural Code Index Builder. Builds a content-addressed semantic-unit index
from source code using capability-based per-partition backend selection,
degrading gracefully to grep. Provides
,
get_function_boundary(file, line)
, and call-site awareness to improve LLM
reasoning quality during discovery — supplementing (never replacing) grep-based
call-site discovery with structural data. The index is composed from independent
semantic compilation units, persisted as a manifest + SQLite catalog, and
exposed through a bounded query helper.
Command Definition
- Command:
- Description: Build a content-addressed semantic-unit index from source
code under .
- Arguments (optional; supplied by the orchestrator, consumed by Block A):
//. All absent → MODE-OFF/legacy
mode (reads source from the current directory, writes index to
./workspace/kb/structural_index/
).
Input/Output Contract
- Reads:
workspace/.mantis_state.json
(to read for provenance
checking and snapshot-aware rebuild logic).
workspace/kb/structural_index/manifest.json
(to check for
reuse-on-match idempotency — primary check).
workspace/kb/structural_index.jsonl
(backward-compat provenance check if
manifest absent).
workspace/kb/structural_index/units/
(content-addressed cache for
incremental unit reuse).
workspace/kb/structural_index/native/
and sidecar files
(prebuilt index attachments and metadata manifests).
- CODE_ROOT source files (via generated helper script — the script parses all
source files under ).
- Writes:
workspace/kb/structural_index/manifest.json
(STATE-RELATIVE — atomic
commit point, written LAST).
workspace/kb/structural_index/catalog.sqlite
(STATE-RELATIVE —
query-optimized serving store).
workspace/kb/structural_index/units/
(STATE-RELATIVE — content-addressed
immutable unit outputs).
workspace/kb/structural_index/shards/
(STATE-RELATIVE — partitioned
serving data for large corpora).
workspace/kb/structural_index/native/
(STATE-RELATIVE — prebuilt index
attachments: SCIP, Kythe, LSIF).
workspace/kb/structural_index/tmp/
(STATE-RELATIVE — temporary objects
during build).
workspace/kb/structural_index.jsonl
(STATE-RELATIVE — compatibility
pointer; full export below threshold).
workspace/helpers/build_structural_index.py
(STATE-RELATIVE — the builder
helper script).
workspace/helpers/query_structural_index.py
(STATE-RELATIVE — the query
helper script).
- Preconditions:
- Source files must exist under . If is not resolved
(MODE-OFF and no readable ), build against the current
directory with set to . Do NOT skip — this is the
standalone-efficiency case.
- Inert until wired: This skill returns an empty index until a caller
invokes it (the harness, , or ). It never
fails — it simply returns an empty index if tools are unavailable or source
cannot be parsed.
- Idempotency Guarantee:
- Read-only on . Writes only to STATE-RELATIVE paths. Re-running
with the same and reuses the existing index
(manifest match) rather than rebuilding — except in MODE-OFF,
where it always rebuilds. Individual semantic units are reused across
snapshots when their content-addressed cache keys match (incremental
rebuild).
Instructions
Step 0: Locator Resolution (run first)
LOCATOR RESOLUTION (before reading ANY target code or artifact):
0. ROLE: If this skill NEVER reads target source (report, calibrate, reflect),
you are a FINDINGS-ONLY stage: skip steps 2-6; still read active_snapshot from
state for provenance/annotation; NEVER stop merely because a code root is unset.
1. Determine CODE_ROOT, in this priority order:
a. If --target_root is passed on THIS invocation, CODE_ROOT = --target_root.
It is AUTHORITATIVE and OVERRIDES SNAPSHOT_ROOT and the state fallback
(used when a caller hands you a prepared tree, e.g. a patched shadow).
b. Else if --snapshot_root (or SNAPSHOT_ROOT) is passed, use it.
c. Else read state_root/workspace/.mantis_state.json (state_root from
--state_root if passed, else ./workspace/... relative to the current dir)
-> active_snapshot.root / .snapshot_id / .snapshot_pinned.
d. Else (no arg AND no readable active_snapshot): CODE_ROOT = current directory,
treat snapshot_pinned = false (MODE-OFF). Do NOT stop.
2. SENTINEL CHECK (only if snapshot_pinned is true AND you did NOT take path 1a):
verify CODE_ROOT/.mantis_snapshot_id exists and equals SNAPSHOT_ID. If missing
or different -> STOP "snapshot sentinel mismatch". (A --target_root tree (1a) is
deliberately mutated and is sentinel-EXEMPT.)
3. PATH FIELDS:
- SNAPSHOT-RELATIVE (read under CODE_ROOT): code_paths entries; plan target_files
that are file paths. Strip ONLY a trailing ":<digits>". A code_paths entry
containing "://" is a URL/endpoint, NOT a file read. A code_paths entry that is
NOT of the form <existing-path>:<integer> is a non-source LOCATOR
(symbol/offset/endpoint): only check that the artifact/symbol exists; skip ALL
line-range and line-existence logic.
- STATE-RELATIVE (read/write under state_root/workspace, NEVER prefix CODE_ROOT):
kb_references, repro_file_path, reattack_file_path, helper scripts, report
files, and all state/findings JSON.
4. Never WRITE under CODE_ROOT when snapshot_pinned is true. Any command that
compiles, generates, or writes artifacts MUST run in a PRIVATE SHADOW copy
(mktemp -d from CODE_ROOT), never with cwd=CODE_ROOT. Read-only inspection may
cd into CODE_ROOT.
5. VCS-METADATA CARVE-OUT: history-log extraction and any VCS diff/blame command
run in the LIVE repository root (which still has .git/.hg/.repo), NOT CODE_ROOT
(the snapshot copy strips VCS metadata). Do NOT stop merely because CODE_ROOT
lacks .git/.hg/.repo.
6. Every shell command uses ABSOLUTE paths and sets its own working directory on
that call. Do NOT assume the working directory persists between calls.
This is a CODE-READING stage — it reads target source files under CODE_ROOT via
the helper script. Block A step 0's findings-only skip does NOT apply.
Step 1: Idempotency / Freshness Check (MANDATORY FIRST)
MANDATORY FIRST STEP: Before writing any build scripts, probing backends, or
extracting symbols, check for MODE-OFF or an existing manifest:
- MODE-OFF check (FIRST): In MODE-OFF ( is or
absent) → always rebuild. Do NOT reuse a previous index,
because the live tree is mutable and is a constant (not a
freshness signal). Skip directly to Step 2 (individual units whose content
has not changed may still hit the content-addressed cache).
- If
workspace/kb/structural_index/manifest.json
exists, read its
field.
- If matches the current (and is NOT
) → reuse the index immediately and STOP. Do NOT invoke Step
2, probe backends, or write build scripts. This bounds cost across
retries/crash-resume.
- If is absent but
workspace/kb/structural_index.jsonl
exists
(backward compat), read its provenance header (,
keys). If matches (and is NOT ) → reuse and
STOP. Otherwise proceed to rebuild.
- If differs → proceed to rebuild (Steps 2–5). For incremental
reuse: before rebuilding a semantic unit, check for a
content-addressed cache hit (see Content-Addressed Cache Key below). A cache
hit reuses the unit output without re-extraction.
Step 2: Select Backend per Partition
Partition the codebase into semantic units (see Per-Language Semantic Units
below). For each unit, select the most precise backend available in this
environment using a capability-based, per-partition decision — not a single
global ladder. The following are examples, not an exhaustive enum. The
helper probes each tier per partition and selects the highest available:
- Snapshot-matched SCIP / LSIF / Kythe / clangd-static / remote index
(precision: ) — if a pre-built index matching the current
or is available. Most precise: full
type-aware cross-reference, call hierarchy, and hover/signature data.
- Compiler / typechecker-backed extractor (precision: ) — if
, build context, or typechecker is available.
Type-accurate symbol resolution and call edges.
- Language-aware AST extraction (precision: ) — if ,
, or a language-specific parser is available. Full AST parsing:
function boundaries, call expressions, signatures.
- Symbol-only extraction (precision: ) — if or
equivalent is on . Symbol table only (function definitions, locations —
no call graph). Call-site extraction uses a lightweight regex pass within
known function boundaries.
- Heuristic fallback (precision: ) — Python stdlib regex pass
over source files. Identifies function definitions and call patterns using
language-agnostic heuristics. Less precise but zero-dependency.
- Coverage-only manifest + lexical fallback (precision: ) —
grep; no structural index is written. Manifest records .
Consumers fall back to grep-based discovery (today's behavior byte-for-byte).
Native Index Probing & Resolution Rules:
- Probe instruction: Before evaluating per-partition backends, probe
workspace/kb/structural_index/native/
and subdirectories
native/{scip,lsif,kythe}/
for prebuilt index files.
- Snapshot-declaration convention: Because native formats (SCIP, LSIF,
Kythe) do not embed snapshot identity directly in their binary payload,
prebuilt indexes MUST declare their target snapshot using a sidecar
manifest located at
workspace/kb/structural_index/native/provenance.json
or
native/<kind>/provenance.json
. The manifest contains an array of
attachments:
[{"kind": "scip|lsif|kythe", "path": "...", "snapshot_id": "...", "root_fingerprint": "...", "language": "...", "indexer": "...", "precision": "semantic", "files": [...]}]
.
A native index is matched if its declared equals
(when ) or its matches the
workspace's calculated root fingerprint. If the array is absent or
empty, treat the native index as covering no individual files directly (record
in but do not update rows; fall through
to lower tiers for all files).
- Record-and-Defer Ingestion Rule: Parsing raw binary native indexes (e.g.
SCIP protobuf) in pure Python without dependencies is costly and complex.
Option A builder scripts MUST detect matching prebuilt native indexes, record
their entries in , and set the table
(e.g., or ) for all files listed in the
provenance manifest. If is NOT populated with symbols from
the native index (raw binary deferred to harness/MCP readers), set
coverage.status = "deferred"
and (with
). This prevents the query helper from claiming an
un-ingested partition is "authoritative empty" at precision,
ensuring consumers run the mandatory grep fallback. When IS
populated (e.g., via Option B pre-ingestion or ), set
and .
LSP is NOT equivalent to SCIP / LSIF. LSP is an interactive protocol whose
workspace state may be partial or mutable. Use it only when the server can
demonstrate snapshot identity AND complete workspace coverage. A running
language server does not automatically qualify as a
backend.
SCIP merging. SCIP explicitly permits merging complementary information from
indexers with different precision levels. Its format records indexer version and
per-document language metadata. The builder MAY merge results from multiple
indexers (e.g., a SCIP index for Go + tree-sitter for Python) within a single
catalog.
The determinism lives in a runtime-generated versioned helper
(
build_structural_index.py
,
# MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5
, grep-and-regenerate
on reuse) that probes and selects backends per partition. No shipped binaries;
air-gapped-safe.
Deterministic partial coverage. On very large source trees, a full rebuild
can dominate stage-0 wall-clock. Replace discovery-order truncation with a
deterministic priority queue:
- Explicit target files and symbols (from , if available).
- Changed units and known reverse dependencies (from Block E diff +
reverse-dependency edges in the existing catalog).
- Containing packages/modules and direct imports of tier 1+2 units.
- Remaining units in normalized path order.
Apply deterministic
(default: 10000) or
(default:
500MB) bounds to that queue. Persist deferred units in the manifest so another
invocation can resume. Statuses:
,
,
,
.
A consumer should only interpret "no callers" strongly when the relevant
partition is complete, snapshot-matched, covered, and semantically precise.
Otherwise the answer is "no indexed callers", followed by the existing lexical
fallback. The index is HINT-only, so partial coverage is safe (grep remains
authoritative).
Step 3: Write and Run Helper Scripts
Two runtime-generated helpers are used. Both follow the grep-and-regenerate
pattern: before reuse, grep the first line for the version marker; if absent or
a different integer, REGENERATE.
Builder: build_structural_index.py
- Write the builder to
workspace/helpers/build_structural_index.py
. The FIRST
LINE MUST be exactly # MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5
. Before reusing an
existing helper, grep its first lines for MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5
; if
that marker is absent or a different integer, REGENERATE the helper.
- The builder partitions the codebase into semantic units (see Per-Language
Semantic Units), computes content-addressed cache keys, checks for
reuse, selects a backend per partition (Step 2), extracts symbols + edges,
and writes results to .
- The builder must extract:
- Symbols: , , , ,
, , , , , ,
, .
- Call edges: , , , ,
, .
- Function boundaries: , , ,
, , .
- Coverage: , , , ,
, .
- The builder writes the manifest LAST (Step 4) and the compatibility pointer.
- The builder MUST use ABSOLUTE paths and set its own working directory (Block
A step 6). It MUST NOT write anything under when
is true (Block A step 4). Backends that produce sidecar
files (ctags , cscope , clangd cache) MUST be redirected to
STATE-RELATIVE paths:
ctags -f <state>/helpers/tags
,
cscope -f <state>/helpers/cscope.out
,
CLANGD_INDEX_STORAGE=<state>/helpers/
. Read-only LSP/SCIP queries to a
running server need no redirect.
Query helper: query_structural_index.py
- Write the query helper to
workspace/helpers/query_structural_index.py
. The
FIRST LINE MUST be exactly # MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5
. Before reusing an
existing helper, grep its first lines for MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5
; if
absent or a different integer, REGENERATE.
- The query helper provides bounded, paginated operations against
(or a remote endpoint — identical API). It IS the
consumption contract (see Query Interface below).
- If is absent but exists, the query
helper falls back to linear scanning of the JSONL file (slower but
functional). If both are absent, it returns empty results with
coverage.partition_status = "empty"
.
Step 4: Write Manifest and Commit
- Write the manifest to
workspace/kb/structural_index/tmp/manifest.json
first. Then atomically rename it to
workspace/kb/structural_index/manifest.json
. This is the atomic commit
point — the manifest is written LAST, after all units, catalog, and coverage
data are written.
- Write a compatibility pointer to
workspace/kb/structural_index.jsonl
(STATE-RELATIVE — NEVER under ). Below a configurable threshold
(default: 10K records), emit a complete JSONL export (provenance header + all
records). Above the threshold, emit only a provenance header with
compat_pointer.full_export = false
and compat_pointer.symbol_count
set.
Large consumers MUST use the query interface.
- The manifest
provider.backend_versions
field records which backend was used
per language (e.g.,
{"go": {"backend_name": "scip-clangd", "precision": "semantic"}, "python": {"backend_name": "tree-sitter", "precision": "ast"}}
),
so consumers know the precision level.
- Interrupted builds leave unreferenced temp objects in without
corrupting the last published index. On resume, check status
and (Step 1).
Step 5: Return Results / Notify Caller
- Return the path to , , and the query helper.
Include a summary (unit count, symbol count, call-edge count, backends used,
coverage status).
- If the index is empty (no tools available or no source files found), notify
the caller: "Structural index is empty — structural context unavailable."
- Do not notify the user directly — this skill is invoked as a sub-agent by the
harness, planner, or researcher.
Index Schema and On-Disk Contract
On-Disk Layout
workspace/kb/structural_index/
├── manifest.json # Atomic commit point — written LAST
├── catalog.sqlite # Query-optimized serving store (both directions indexed)
├── units/ # Content-addressed immutable unit outputs
│ └── ab/cd/abcdef... # sha256 prefix sharding (2+2 hex dirs)
├── shards/ # Partitioned serving data (large corpora)
│ └── shard_0000.sqlite
├── native/ # Prebuilt index attachments (SCIP, Kythe, LSIF)
│ ├── provenance.json # Prebuilt index provenance manifest
│ ├── scip/
│ └── kythe/
└── tmp/ # Temporary objects during build
workspace/helpers/
├── build_structural_index.py # Builder (MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5)
└── query_structural_index.py # Query helper (MANTIS_HELPER_VERSION = 5)
workspace/kb/structural_index.jsonl # Compatibility pointer
Manifest Schema ()
json
{
"schema_version": 1,
"snapshot_id": "<SNAPSHOT_ID or 'unknown'>",
"root_fingerprint": "<sha256 of sorted (path, content_sha256) for all source files>",
"status": "complete|partial|empty|failed",
"provider": {
"kind": "local-build|baseline+overlay|remote",
"catalog": "catalog.sqlite",
"backend_versions": {
"cpp": {"backend_name": "tree-sitter", "backend_version": "0.20.8", "precision": "ast"},
"go": {"backend_name": "scip-clangd", "backend_version": "0.2.3", "precision": "semantic"}
}
},
"units": {"total": 0, "reused": 0, "rebuild": 0, "failed": 0},
"coverage": {"total_files": 0, "indexed_files": 0, "failed_files": 0, "deferred_files": 0},
"shards": [{"id": "", "path": "", "checksum": "", "partition_key": "", "symbol_count": 0, "edge_count": 0}],
"deferred_units": [{"unit_id": "", "language": "", "files": [], "priority": 4, "reason": ""}],
"native_indexes": [{"kind": "scip", "path": "", "snapshot_id": "", "root_fingerprint": "", "language": "", "indexer": "", "precision": ""}],
"baseline": {"source": "ci|local|none", "snapshot_id": "", "manifest_path": ""},
"overlay": {"units_added": 0, "units_modified": 0, "files": []},
"compat_pointer": {"path": "structural_index.jsonl", "full_export": true, "symbol_count": 0},
"created_at": "<ISO 8601>",
"build_duration_ms": 0
}
Atomic commit: The manifest is written LAST (atomic rename from
).
Interrupted builds leave unreferenced temp objects without corrupting the last
published index.
SQLite Catalog Schema ()
sql
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS schema_meta (
key TEXT PRIMARY KEY, value TEXT NOT NULL
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS symbols (
symbol_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
qualified_name TEXT NOT NULL,
namespace TEXT,
language TEXT NOT NULL,
file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
start_line INTEGER NOT NULL,
end_line INTEGER,
kind TEXT NOT NULL,
signature TEXT,
backend TEXT NOT NULL,
precision TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (precision IN ('semantic','typecheck','ast','symbol-only','heuristic','deferred','coverage-only')),
corpus TEXT DEFAULT 'default',
partition_key TEXT,
unit_cache_key TEXT,
source_layer TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'baseline'
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS call_edges (
edge_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
caller_id TEXT NOT NULL,
callee_id TEXT,
callee_name TEXT NOT NULL,
file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
line INTEGER NOT NULL,
edge_kind TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (edge_kind IN ('direct','indirect','virtual','macro','unresolved')),
corpus TEXT DEFAULT 'default',
partition_key TEXT,
source_layer TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'baseline',
FOREIGN KEY (caller_id) REFERENCES symbols(symbol_id),
FOREIGN KEY (callee_id) REFERENCES symbols(symbol_id)
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS function_boundaries (
symbol_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
start_line INTEGER NOT NULL,
end_line INTEGER NOT NULL,
signature TEXT,
language TEXT NOT NULL,
FOREIGN KEY (symbol_id) REFERENCES symbols(symbol_id)
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS coverage (
file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
indexed INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
backend TEXT,
precision TEXT,
unit_cache_key TEXT,
status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
corpus TEXT DEFAULT 'default',
partition_key TEXT,
PRIMARY KEY (file_path, corpus)
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS unit_cache (
cache_key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
unit_id TEXT NOT NULL,
language TEXT NOT NULL,
extractor_name TEXT NOT NULL,
extractor_version TEXT NOT NULL,
file_count INTEGER NOT NULL,
symbol_count INTEGER NOT NULL,
edge_count INTEGER NOT NULL,
source_bytes INTEGER NOT NULL,
created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
snapshot_id TEXT NOT NULL
);
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS deferred_units (
unit_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
language TEXT NOT NULL,
files TEXT NOT NULL,
priority INTEGER NOT NULL,
reason TEXT NOT NULL,
cache_key TEXT,
created_at TEXT NOT NULL
);
-- Indexes: both directions!
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_symbols_name ON symbols(name);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_symbols_qualified ON symbols(qualified_name);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_symbols_file ON symbols(file_path, start_line);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_symbols_lang ON symbols(language);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_edges_caller ON call_edges(caller_id);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_edges_callee ON call_edges(callee_id);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_edges_callee_name ON call_edges(callee_name);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_edges_file ON call_edges(file_path, line);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_boundaries_file ON function_boundaries(file_path, start_line, end_line);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_coverage_status ON coverage(status);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_deferred_priority ON deferred_units(priority);
Partitioning: When symbols exceed 500K or edges exceed 2M, partition into
shard SQLite files under
by
lang:{language}:bucket:{NN}
(stable
hash). Each shard has the same schema. The query helper routes queries to the
correct shard(s) based on the manifest.
Content-Addressed Cache Key
python
cache_key = sha256(
schema_version +
extractor_name@version +
language +
compile_context_digest +
ordered_input_content_digests +
dependency_or_interface_digest
)
Critical:
is NOT in the cache key. It goes in provenance only.
This permits reuse across commits, branches, and snapshots with identical units.
Canonical Symbol IDs
Native IDs (when semantic backend is available):
Fallback IDs (when no semantic backend):
fallback:{language}:{file_path}:{sha256(qualified_name|start_line|signature)[:16]}
This distinguishes namespaces, overloads, methods, local functions, and
duplicate names across languages or repositories.
Edge Kinds
Edge kinds are kept explicitly separate — never silently merged:
- — statically resolved call to a known symbol
- — function pointer, closure, callback
- — virtual method dispatch (runtime-resolved)
- — call introduced by macro expansion
- — callee name found but no symbol_id resolved
Per-Language Semantic Units
| Language | Unit Type | Compile Context | Dependency Digest |
|---|
| C/C++ | Compilation unit | compile_commands.json entry | sha256 of transitive header interfaces |
| Go | Package | go.mod + build tags | sha256 of imported packages' exported API |
| Rust | Crate | Cargo.toml + features | sha256 of extern crate signatures |
| Java/Kotlin | Compiler batch | module path + classpath | sha256 of imported class signatures |
| TypeScript | Project | tsconfig.json | sha256 of imported module type declarations |
| Fallback | Individual file | None | Empty string |
Fallback Granularity Rule: For the fallback tier (regex, AST parser, or
lightweight crawler without a language build system),
each source file MUST be
its own independent semantic unit. Never bundle multiple source files into a
single fallback unit. Per-file unit isolation is essential for content-addressed
cache efficiency — when one file changes in a future snapshot, only that single
file's unit invalidates while all unchanged files hit the cache
(
).
Baseline + Delta Overlay
- Static baseline: Built once in CI for the complete snapshot.
- Incremental cache: Immutable unit outputs reused across snapshots.
- Delta overlay: Changed/target files indexed locally, layered over
baseline.
- Remote serving: Optional when global index is too costly locally.
At query time, the query helper merges baseline + overlay results. Overlay
symbols supersede baseline symbols for the same file. The manifest records
provider.kind = "baseline+overlay"
with baseline manifest reference and
overlay unit count.
Compatibility JSONL Export
The old
format is retained as a compatibility export
only — it is NOT the query contract. Below the threshold (default 10K records),
a complete JSONL export is emitted. Above the threshold, only a provenance
pointer is written. Large consumers MUST use the query interface.
Line 1 — provenance header:
json
{"_provenance": true, "snapshot_id": "abc123", "tool": "tree-sitter"}
Lines 2+ — structural records (one per line,
discriminator):
json
{"_type": "function", "key": "src/parser.c:parse_input", "start_line": 45, "end_line": 120, "signature": "int parse_input(char *buf, size_t len)", "calls": ["malloc", "validate_input", "memcpy"]}
{"_type": "call_edge", "caller": "parse_input", "callee": "malloc", "file": "src/parser.c", "line": 78}
{"_type": "call_edge", "caller": "main", "callee": "parse_input", "file": "src/main.c", "line": 203}
Provenance header fields:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| bool | Always — marks this as the provenance header line |
| string | the index was built against |
| string | Backend used (e.g. , , , , ) |
Record types:
| Description | Key fields |
|---|
| Function definition with boundary and signature | , , , , |
| A call from caller to callee at file:line | , , , |
Snapshot Safety
- Build from , not live tree (when pinned). When the snapshot is
pinned, the structural index is built from the pinned , ensuring
it reflects the exact bytes the pipeline is analyzing.
- Reuse-on-match. If already carries the current
(and is NOT — in MODE-OFF, always
rebuild), reuse it — do not rebuild. Rebuild when differs or is
. Individual units may still be reused from the content-addressed
cache. This bounds cost across retries/crash-resume.
- Manifest atomicity. The manifest is written LAST via atomic rename from
. Interrupted builds leave unreferenced temp objects without corrupting
the last published index. On resume, check status and
.
- STALE flag in HALT mode. When is false (HALT), the
index may be built from the unpinned but is marked as potentially
stale. Consumers treat structural hints as advisory.
- MODE-OFF: build, do not skip. When is absent
(MODE-OFF), build against the current directory (cwd) with provenance
set to . This is the standalone-efficiency case —
the index is still useful for the researcher/planner even without snapshot
pinning. Do NOT return an empty index merely because the snapshot is absent.
Consumption Contract
These are runtime instructions for callers — they define how consumers use the
structural index. The structural index is a HINT-only enhancement; skills that
do not use it behave exactly as they do today.
Query Interface
The query helper IS the contract. All consumers use
query_structural_index.py
(or a compatible remote endpoint). The JSONL file is
NOT the query contract — it is a compatibility export only.
Operations:
-
resolve_symbol(name, language?, file?, namespace?)
→
{results, total, ambiguous, coverage}
- Returns ALL matches — no silent selection among ambiguous symbols.
- Caller MUST disambiguate before calling / .
-
find_callers(symbol_id, limit=100, offset=0)
→
{results, total, has_more, coverage}
- Bounded, paginated caller lookup.
- Each result carries , , .
- Empty results carry
coverage.partition_status
.
-
find_callees(symbol_id, limit=100, offset=0)
→
{results, total, has_more, coverage}
-
get_function_boundary(file, line)
→
{symbol_id, start_line, end_line, signature, precision, backend}
-
→
{total_files, indexed_files, failed, deferred, partition_status, backends_used}
Key properties:
- Bounded results and pagination (prevents loading entire index into memory).
- Explicit name resolution before graph traversal (no silent selection among
ambiguous symbols).
- Precision and backend attached to every result.
- Coverage attached to empty results.
- Identical operations for local and remote providers (remote via
MANTIS_STRUCTURAL_INDEX_URL
env var or manifest ).
Coverage on empty results:
| Meaning | Consumer action |
|---|
| All files indexed | "No indexed callers" (still run grep per HINT-only rule) |
| Some files deferred or failed | "Not fully indexed" — MUST run grep fallback |
| No backend available | "Not indexed" — MUST run grep fallback |
| Backend attempted but failed | "Index failed" — MUST run grep fallback |
mantis-plan
- Use the structural index query helper for function-level dependency fan-out.
When planning investigations, call then to
identify all functions that call into a target — this broadens the audit set
beyond single-file analysis.
- The structural index decides ORDER of investigations (which functions to audit
first based on call-graph centrality), never MEMBERSHIP. It may broaden the
audit set (safe over-reporting), but must never REMOVE or drop a file; the
planner's existing logic remains the membership floor.
mantis-researcher
- Wave 1 (Rapid Triage): Run a repo-wide grep for the function name to build
the exhaustive set of candidate call-sites — this is the mandatory floor. Then
use the structural index query helper ( then )
to RANK and prioritize which call-sites to audit first (the index
distinguishes actual calls from comments/strings/variable names). Audit the
union of both result sets — the structural index may miss macro-based calls,
function pointers, and dynamic dispatch, so grep remains the floor.
- Wave 2 (Deep Audit): Use
get_function_boundary(file, line)
to start with
the enclosing function, expanding to callers/callees/file as needed for
cross-function context — this saves context while preserving coverage.
- If the structural index is absent or empty, fall back to grep-based discovery
(today's behavior). The structural index is a coverage HINT only — it improves
audit quality but is never required.
Safety
Non-negotiable invariants:
- Agnostic. Nothing is ever required; no-tool / parse-fail / not-invoked →
empty index → grep fallback = today's behavior byte-for-byte. Optional in the
Pass Lifecycle Contract; a non-conformant harness simply skips it.
- HINT-only / union / never MEMBERSHIP. Consumers audit the union with
grep; a symbol the index misses must still be reachable by the exhaustive
sweep. The structural index decides ORDER, never MEMBERSHIP. The query
contract enforces this: returns HINTs, never authoritative
membership — consumers MUST union with grep.
- No verdicts, touches no findings. Cannot violate INV-1 and cannot itself
drop a finding.
- Narrow scope: source cross-reference only. Binary/build-derived
reachability ("is it compiled into production") is explicitly out of scope —
a dev customization, not part of this skill, because absence-from-a-build can
hide a real finding (INV-2). Do not fold build-derived reachability into this
skill.
A reference blueprint is available at
mantis-pipeline-adapter/references/mantis-structural-index.md.
It is a stub that points to this SKILL.md as the single source of truth — do not
duplicate spec content there.