grepai-trace-callers

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

Find function callers with GrepAI trace. Use this skill to discover what code calls a specific function.

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Sourceyoanbernabeu/grepai-skills
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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add yoanbernabeu/grepai-skills grepai-trace-callers

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
grepai-tracefunction-callerscode-navigationcode-refactoringcli-utility

SKILL.md Content

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GrepAI Trace Callers

This skill covers using 
grepai trace callers
to find all code locations that call a specific function or method.

When to Use This Skill

  • Finding all usages of a function before refactoring
  • Understanding function dependencies
  • Impact analysis before changes
  • Code navigation and exploration

What is Trace Callers?

grepai trace callers
answers: "Who calls this function?"
func Login(user, pass) {...}
        ↑
        │
┌───────┴───────────────────┐
│   Who calls Login()?      │
├───────────────────────────┤
│ • HandleAuth (auth.go:42) │
│ • TestLogin (test.go:15)  │
│ • CLI (main.go:88)        │
└───────────────────────────┘

Basic Usage

bash
grepai trace callers "FunctionName"

Example

bash
grepai trace callers "Login"
Output:
🔍 Callers of "Login"

Found 3 callers:

1. HandleAuth
   File: handlers/auth.go:42
   Context: user.Login(ctx, credentials)

2. TestLoginSuccess
   File: handlers/auth_test.go:15
   Context: result := Login(testUser, testPass)

3. RunCLI
   File: cmd/main.go:88
   Context: err := auth.Login(username, password)

JSON Output

For programmatic use:
bash
grepai trace callers "Login" --json
Output:
json
{
  "query": "Login",
  "mode": "callers",
  "count": 3,
  "results": [
    {
      "file": "handlers/auth.go",
      "line": 42,
      "caller": "HandleAuth",
      "context": "user.Login(ctx, credentials)"
    },
    {
      "file": "handlers/auth_test.go",
      "line": 15,
      "caller": "TestLoginSuccess",
      "context": "result := Login(testUser, testPass)"
    },
    {
      "file": "cmd/main.go",
      "line": 88,
      "caller": "RunCLI",
      "context": "err := auth.Login(username, password)"
    }
  ]
}

Compact JSON (AI Optimized)

bash
grepai trace callers "Login" --json --compact
Output:
json
{
  "q": "Login",
  "m": "callers",
  "c": 3,
  "r": [
    {"f": "handlers/auth.go", "l": 42, "fn": "HandleAuth"},
    {"f": "handlers/auth_test.go", "l": 15, "fn": "TestLoginSuccess"},
    {"f": "cmd/main.go", "l": 88, "fn": "RunCLI"}
  ]
}

TOON Output (v0.26.0+)

TOON format offers ~50% fewer tokens than JSON:
bash
grepai trace callers "Login" --toon
Output:
callers[3]:
  - call_site:
      context: "user.Login(ctx, credentials)"
      file: handlers/auth.go
      line: 42
    symbol:
      name: HandleAuth
      ...
Note: 
--json
and 
--toon
are mutually exclusive.

Extraction Modes

GrepAI offers two extraction modes:

Fast Mode (Default)

Uses regex patterns. Fast and dependency-free.
bash
grepai trace callers "Login" --mode fast

Precise Mode

Uses tree-sitter AST parsing. More accurate but requires tree-sitter.
bash
grepai trace callers "Login" --mode precise

Comparison

ModeSpeedAccuracyDependencies
fast
⚡⚡⚡GoodNone
precise
⚡⚡Excellenttree-sitter

Configuration

Configure trace in 
.grepai/config.yaml
:
yaml
trace:
  mode: fast  # fast or precise

  enabled_languages:
    - .go
    - .js
    - .ts
    - .py
    - .php
    - .rs

  exclude_patterns:
    - "*_test.go"
    - "*.spec.ts"

Supported Languages

LanguageExtensions
Go
.go
JavaScript
.js
, 
.jsx
TypeScript
.ts
, 
.tsx
Python
.py
PHP
.php
C/C++
.c
, 
.h
, 
.cpp
, 
.hpp
, 
.cc
, 
.cxx
Rust
.rs
Zig
.zig
C#
.cs
Java
.java
Pascal/Delphi
.pas
, 
.dpr

Use Cases

Before Refactoring

bash
# Find all usages before renaming
grepai trace callers "getUserById"

# Check impact of changing signature
grepai trace callers "processPayment"

Understanding Codebase

bash
# Who uses this core function?
grepai trace callers "validateToken"

# Find entry points to a module
grepai trace callers "initialize"

Debugging

bash
# Where is this function called from?
grepai trace callers "problematicFunction"

Code Review

bash
# Verify function usage before approving changes
grepai trace callers "deprecatedMethod"

Handling Common Names

If your function name is common, results may include unrelated code:

Problem

bash
grepai trace callers "get"  # Too common, many false positives

Solutions

  1. Use more specific name:
bash
grepai trace callers "getUserProfile"
  1. Filter results by path:
bash
grepai trace callers "get" --json | jq '.results[] | select(.file | contains("auth"))'

Combining with Semantic Search

Use together for comprehensive understanding:
bash
# Find what Login does (semantic)
grepai search "user login authentication"

# Find who uses Login (trace)
grepai trace callers "Login"

Scripting Examples

Bash

bash
# Count callers
grepai trace callers "MyFunction" --json | jq '.count'

# Get caller function names
grepai trace callers "MyFunction" --json | jq -r '.results[].caller'

# Get file paths only
grepai trace callers "MyFunction" --json | jq -r '.results[].file' | sort -u

Python

python
import subprocess
import json

result = subprocess.run(
    ['grepai', 'trace', 'callers', 'Login', '--json'],
    capture_output=True,
    text=True
)

data = json.loads(result.stdout)
print(f"Found {data['count']} callers of Login:")
for r in data['results']:
    print(f"  - {r['caller']} in {r['file']}:{r['line']}")

Common Issues

❌ Problem: No callers found ✅ Solutions:
  • Check function name spelling (case-sensitive)
  • Ensure file type is in 
    enabled_languages
  • Run 
    grepai watch
    to update symbol index
❌ Problem: Too many false positives ✅ Solutions:
  • Use more specific function name
  • Add exclude patterns in config
  • Filter results with 
    jq
❌ Problem: Missing some callers ✅ Solutions:
  • Try 
    --mode precise
    for better accuracy
  • Check if files are in ignore patterns

Best Practices

  1. Use exact function name: Case matters
  2. Check symbol index: Run 
    grepai watch
    first
  3. Use JSON for scripts: Easier to parse
  4. Combine with search: Semantic + trace = full picture
  5. Filter large results: Use 
    jq
    or grep

Output Format

Trace callers result:
🔍 Callers of "Login"

Mode: fast
Language files scanned: 245

Found 3 callers:

1. HandleAuth
   File: handlers/auth.go:42
   Context: user.Login(ctx, credentials)

2. TestLoginSuccess
   File: handlers/auth_test.go:15
   Context: result := Login(testUser, testPass)

3. RunCLI
   File: cmd/main.go:88
   Context: err := auth.Login(username, password)

Tip: Use --json for machine-readable output
     Use --mode precise for more accurate results