<div align="center">

# roam-code

**Understand your codebase. See what a change might affect. Give your coding agent better context.**

[![PyPI version](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/roam-code?style=flat-square&color=blue)](https://pypi.org/project/roam-code/)
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[![Python 3.10+](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.10+-3776AB?logo=python&logoColor=white)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
[![License: Apache 2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache_2.0-blue.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0)

<sub>Runs on your machine · no account or API key for local analysis · no automatic source-code or telemetry upload · free and open source</sub>

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-headline-counts -->
<sub>287 commands · 246 MCP tools (17 in the default `core` preset) · 28 languages</sub>
<!-- END auto-count:readme-headline-counts -->

![roam terminal demo](docs/assets/roam-terminal-demo.gif)

</div>

---

**Jump to** —
[Why Roam](#why-roam-is-different) ·
[Install](#install--first-four-commands) ·
[Context for your agent](#context-for-your-agent) ·
[Core commands](#core-commands) ·
[MCP server](#mcp-server) ·
[AI-tool integration](#integration-with-ai-coding-tools) ·
[Roam Guard (PR gate)](#roam-guard-for-prs) ·
[Performance](#performance) ·
[Compare](#how-roam-compares) ·
[Pricing](#paid-layers-free-cli-stays-apache-20) ·
[FAQ](#faq)

---

## Why Roam is different

Roam helps you find your way around a repository before you change it. It builds
a local map of functions, classes, imports, and the connections between them,
then uses that map to answer questions like:

- Where does this feature start, and which files should I read?
- Who calls this function? What else could my change affect?
- Which tests are connected to this code?
- What did we actually check before calling this change ready?

Use it yourself in the terminal, or let your coding agent query it through the
CLI or MCP (a standard way for assistants to use tools). You do not need to
learn hundreds of commands: start with the [five below](#core-commands).

Roam complements your editor, text search, tests, and code review. Its useful
difference is the connections: a search finds a name; Roam helps you follow
where that name is defined and used. Those connections come from static
analysis, so they can be incomplete. A suggested test list is not test coverage,
and a good health score is not permission to merge.

Local analysis needs no account or API key. It does not automatically upload
your code, index, findings, or telemetry. Installation and the first parser
download need network access; optional online features have explicit triggers.
See [what can contact the network](docs/network-boundary.md) before using Roam
in a restricted environment.

For teams that need a review record, Roam can save what changed, which checks
ran, and why a gate passed or stopped. Signed records can reveal later changes
to the evidence; they cannot prove that every relevant check was captured.
Read [what verification evidence does and does not prove](docs/concepts/verification-evidence.md).

---

## Install + first four commands

Start in a Git repository you want to explore:

```bash
pip install "roam-code[mcp]"          # 1. install the CLI and optional agent-tool server
cd /path/to/your/repo
roam init                            # 2. build the local index and project configuration
roam health                          # 3. see a summary of code structure and findings
roam preflight <symbol>              # 4. check a function or class before changing it
```

Python 3.10+. `pipx install roam-code` and `uv tool install roam-code` work too. Drop `[mcp]` for CLI-only. See [`docs/fresh-install-smoke.md`](docs/fresh-install-smoke.md) for a verbatim transcript of these four commands against a clean venv.

Replace `<symbol>` with a function or class from your project. To find one,
run `roam search <name>`. The first index takes longer than later refreshes;
timing depends on repository size and your machine. Use `roam index` instead
of `init` if you only want the index, without creating project configuration.

Here is a recorded example from Roam's own codebase. `open_db` is used widely,
so the report calls out the size of the change before you make it. The counts
below are a snapshot, not live measurements of your checkout:

```text
$ roam preflight open_db
VERDICT: Significant risk — CRITICAL, 17922 symbols in blast radius

Pre-flight check for `open_db (src/roam/db/connection.py:1076)`:

  Blast radius:     17922 symbols in 1732 files              [CRITICAL]
  Affected tests:   681 direct, 14126 transitive             [OK]
  Complexity:       cc=5, nest=2                             [LOW]
  Coupling:         2 files often change together            [MEDIUM]
  Conventions:      no violations                            [OK]
  Fitness:          target passes; 1 rule(s) fail on sibling symbols [OK]

  Overall risk: CRITICAL
  Risk driver:  blast radius (17922 symbols in 1732 files, CRITICAL)
```

*“Blast radius” means code that could be affected through the indexed connections;
it does not mean all of those functions will break.*

<details>
<summary><strong>Alternate install methods + Docker</strong></summary>

```bash
pipx install roam-code                                   # isolated environment (recommended)
uv tool install roam-code                                # uv-managed tool
pip install git+https://github.com/Cranot/roam-code.git  # from source

# Docker (local build; CLI + MCP dependencies)
docker build -t roam-code .
docker run --rm --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -e HOME=/tmp -v "$PWD:/workspace" roam-code index
docker run --rm --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -e HOME=/tmp -v "$PWD:/workspace" roam-code health
```

Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. **Windows:** if `roam` is not found after installing with `uv`, run `uv tool update-shell` and restart your terminal.

</details>

---

<a id="the-compiler--your-agents-first-token-already-knows-the-answer"></a>

## Context for your agent

When you ask an agent “who calls `handleSave`?”, it often starts by searching
and opening files. Roam's **task compiler** can do some of that preparation
locally and attach relevant context to the prompt: callers with line numbers,
recent changes, or the source around a reported bug. It makes no model calls
of its own. Your agent still needs to assess the context and do the work.

For Claude Code, install the hooks once from the project directory:

```bash
pip install "roam-code[mcp]"
cd your-repo && roam init
roam hooks claude --write     # compile-before + verify-after, wired into Claude Code
```

Then use `claude` exactly as you always do. Undo anytime with
`roam hooks claude --uninstall --write`. Compile-time context injection is
fail-open. After an edited turn, the Stop gate is deliberately fail-closed:
findings, malformed output, an unavailable check, or incomplete evidence must
be resolved before Claude reports completion. No-edit Q&A turns fast-exit.

Historical tests found fewer agent turns and lower costs for some tasks, with
regressions on others. These are dated experiments, not a promise about your
model or repository. The full results and limitations remain below.

<details>
<summary><strong>Benchmark results and history (May–July 2026)</strong></summary>

**What was measured head-to-head on Claude** (same prompts, same
repo, with and without the compiler — June 2026, 41 cells):

| Median per task | vanilla | compiled | delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent turns (navigation/comprehension) | 6 | 1 | **−83%** |
| Input tokens | 271K | 53K | **−80%** |
| Cost | $1.30 | $0.48 | **−63%** |
| Wall time | — | — | **−50%** |

A second run on Opus shows the same direction at smaller magnitude (−33%
turns overall; the best single cell hit −88%). And the compiler knows
where it *doesn't* help: prompts that ask the agent to **write** code get
no envelope at all — injection there was measured as pure overhead, so it
spends your tokens only where it wins.

<details>
<summary><b>The full data</b> — every bench cell (including the losses), the ground-truth bug bench, and routing stats</summary>

| Task | turns | input tokens | cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| "where is `open_db` defined?" | 3 → **1** | 156K → 51K | $0.67 → $0.28 |
| "which files depend on `cli.py`?" | 6 → **1** | 252K → 51K | $1.15 → $0.30 |
| "where is the env var configured?" | 9 → **1** | 497K → 53K | $1.40 → $0.31 |
| "what are the layers of this codebase?" | 5 → **1** | 271K → 50K | $1.42 → $0.41 |
| "what changed in `cli.py` recently?" | 4 → **2** | 186K → 104K | $0.62 → $0.40 |
| "explain the compiler module's architecture" | 13 → **6** | 618K → 240K | $1.85 → $1.01 |
| "trace how a command becomes an MCP tool" | 12 → **8** | 464K → 303K | $1.25 → $1.01 |
| security-hook comprehension (hard, multi-file) | 6 → **2** | 267K → 117K | $1.15 → $0.56 |
| "what are the biggest cycles in this codebase?" (re-measured 06-11) | 6 → **1** | — | $0.65 → **$0.07** |
| "where is the CLI entry point?" (trivial, re-measured 06-11) | 1 → 1 | 48K → 50K | $0.21 → $0.22 |
| "write a pytest for X" (generation, re-measured 06-11) | 5 → 7 | 275K → 396K | $0.61 → **$0.45** |

The last two rows were the published LOSSES (trivial prompts once paid
the envelope for nothing at +$0.20; generation once cost +17%). After the
generation-skip lever (write-code prompts get a ~0.6 KB lean envelope or
none — measured 3.5% of a 723-prompt real corpus) and the entry-point
routing fix, both cells were re-measured at n=3 medians on the same
model: generation flipped to a −26% cost / −18% wall win — input tokens
rise (cache-read-heavy, cheap) while expensive output tokens drop −29%
across more-but-cheaper turns — and the trivial cell is a tie within
noise. Losses are findable because we publish them — and fixable because
the compiler routes them.

**Bug-fixing, ground-truth graded** (a failing test must transition to
passing — no LLM judging): 20 cells of planted bugs with real tracebacks —
10/10 fixed in both arms at −13% dollar cost. Read that honestly: **n=10
cannot establish quality parity** (the 95% interval on 10/10 spans
[72%, 100%]), and the dollar saving comes with **more tokens, not fewer**
on this task class — the envelope shifts spend into cheaper cache reads. No
quality difference was *detected*; the sample has little power to detect one.

**Routing, replayed on 723 real prompts** from live agent sessions: **57%
of envelopes ship pre-executed answers** (L1 probes) — the envelope already
contains the literal answer — and a further ~33% ship structured facts
(context, not the literal answer), at **p50 0.45 s cold / p50 92 ms live**
(warm cache) compile latency, fully local. Zero model calls.

**Eval history by version** — losses are published, attacked, then
re-measured. The ledger is **not** re-run on every release: the newest
measured kernel is **v13.7 (Jul 11)**, and later kernel releases have shipped
since without a fresh A/B. Read every row
below as measured-at-the-stated-kernel, not as a current-release claim. The
table is the summary ledger; raw per-cell data for the historical runs is
retained privately, not in this repository:

| measured | kernel | what | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 09 | v13.4 | 41-cell nav/comprehension A/B | turns −83%, tokens −80%, cost −63% |
| Jun 09 | v13.4 | 20-cell ground-truth bugbench | 10/10 both arms (n=10 — no parity claim), $ −13% but tokens up |
| Jun 09 | v13.4 | trivial-prompt cell | **+80% cost — published loss** |
| Jun 09 | v13.4 | generation cell | **+17% cost — published loss** |
| Jun 11 | v13.6 | trivial-prompt cell, re-measured n=3 | tie ($0.21 → $0.22) |
| Jun 11 | v13.6 | generation cell, re-measured n=3 | **−26% cost win** |
| Jun 11 | v13.6 | "biggest cycles" cell, re-measured n=3 | **−89% cost win** ($0.65 → $0.07, 6→1 turns) |
| Jun 11 | v13.6 | 723-prompt routing replay | 57% L1 (answer-shipping) + ~33% facts, p50 0.45 s cold |
| Jul 11 | v13.7 | live dogfood rolling window (separate population, not the replay harness) | cold-compile median 410 ms |

Caveats that always ship with these numbers: trivial prompts the agent
one-shots anyway gain nothing (now a within-noise tie after the lean/skip
levers); cells are n=2–3 with medians and ranges.

<details>
<summary><strong>Benchmark archaeology — runs #1–#4 (May 2026), including the honest negative result that drove the fixes</strong></summary>

Two independent A/B runs at different scales — the larger sample inverts the smaller. Reporting both honestly.

**Run #1 (n=3 per cell, 27 cells, $16.88):** compile appeared to dominate (−29% wall vs static). That static prompt included a `"Hard cap: 4 tool calls"` line that turned out to act as a quota.

**Run #2 (n=3–7 per cell, 78 cells, $54.88, "Hard cap" line removed from static):**

| Condition | Mean turns | Mean wall | Mean cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| vanilla | 7.0 | 33.2s | $0.68 |
| **static / roam_agent** | **5.8** | **25.1s** | **$0.66** |
| compile | 8.2 | 47.9s | $0.78 |

At scale, **static (with the "Hard cap" line removed) is the winner**: −17% turns and −24% wall vs vanilla, with cost within 3%. The compile-mode envelope was **+91% wall vs static on hard structural tasks** — variance probe revealed compile occasionally pushes the agent into over-tool-use (one t1 run hit 41 turns and $2.43). The compile-the-COMMAND itself is robust (250/250 latency cells, 14/15 fuzz, brief mode <300 chars across all 10 procedure families) — the issue is over-direction of the consuming agent, not the compiler.

Private raw cells are retained for audit; the public summary above is the quotable result.

**Run #3 (2026-05-31, n=1, 24 cells, $12.78, on 8-task user-shape corpus after W34→W37 fixes):**

| Condition | Mean turns | Mean wall | Mean cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| vanilla | 6.00 | 28.6s | $0.58 (1 cell timed out at 240s) |
| static / roam_agent | 5.38 | 39.9s | $0.63 |
| **compile** | **2.75** | 35.6s | **$0.46** |

This run inverts Run #2 on a different corpus. Compile **wins 7/8 shapes** including stack-trace, "what does X do", "what changed recently", `compare files`, `who calls X`, file coupling, and trace-flow. The compiler fix wave between Run #2 and Run #3 added six new probes (stack-trace source slice, body-embed for explain, git-log for history, sibling-test embed, path-comparison diff, symbol-pickaxe) and four real bug fixes (callers-backtick fallback, dead-code wrong CLI, consumer-dict flattening, stack-trace classifier missing PascalCase Errors). Headline win: a "what files are coupled to X" task that took vanilla 20 turns / $1.20 / 64s collapsed to compile's 1 turn / $0.32 / 11s — embedded coupling pairs eliminate 19 turns of exploration. The +24% wall vs vanilla is the envelope cache-creation tax at n=1; expected to amortize at n≥3.

Static remains a non-improvement (0/8 wins vs vanilla, 1/8 marginal vs compile). Caveat: Run #3 is n=1 per cell; n=3 replication ($30-40) is pending.

Private per-task tables and raw cells are retained for audit; the public summary above is the quotable result.

**Run #4 (2026-05-31, n=1, 24 cells, $13.00, same corpus after W43→W45 polish/improvements/corrections):**

| Condition | Mean turns | Mean wall | Mean cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| vanilla | 5.25 | 39.6s | $0.63 |
| static / roam_agent | 4.75 | 32.8s | $0.61 |
| **compile** | **1.88** | **25.2s** | **$0.40** |

Compile now **wins 8/8 shapes** and the +24% wall penalty from Run #3 is **gone**: compile is −36% wall vs vanilla. Aggregate **−64% turns / −36% cost / −36% wall** vs vanilla on Opus 4.7. The flip came from three wave-43-to-45 changes: (a) a 60-second bounded cache on `_run_roam` subprocess calls, (b) anti-Read directives in the `stack_trace_fix` and `synthesis_query` answer contracts, and (c) richer enrichment in the `write_pytest` probe (sibling test + source under test + nearest `conftest.py` together). The biggest single delta: `write_pytest` went from 10 vanilla turns to 6 compile turns (−40%, saving $0.29 / cell). Static remains 0/8 wins and should be retired from the default bench-compile conditions in a future release.

Private per-task tables and raw cells are retained for audit; the public summary above is the quotable result.

</details>
</details>

</details>

For scripts and CI: `roam compile "<task>" --artifact auto`.

Prefer a dedicated product CLI? [**compile-code**](https://github.com/Cranot/compile-code)
wraps the same context-and-verification loop and installs roam-code as a
dependency. See that repository for installation and its supported workflow.

### Check the work after an edit

`roam verify --auto` chooses checks for the files that changed. Depending on
the change, these include:

- **naming** — against the codebase's own per-language convention (sampled
  from production code only: test/vendored/generated files neither vote nor
  get flagged, framework lifecycle names like `setUp` are never touched)
- **imports** — check that imports resolve to
  the index, the stdlib, or a declared dependency. A module path that
  resolves to nothing fails as a likely hallucination; near-miss names get
  fuzzy did-you-mean candidates
- **error handling / syntax / complexity / cycles / duplicates** — scoped
  structural review with honest disclosure when any sub-check could not run
- **secrets** — a leak gate over every touched file: credential shapes
  (cloud keys, tokens, PEM blocks) fail the check, and an optional
  repo-local `.roam-leak-patterns.py` catalogue catches the strings *your*
  project must never publish
- **patterns** *(advisory, `--deep`)* — the algorithm/idiom catalog scoped
  to the diff: N+1 query shapes, loop-invariant calls, string-concat loops,
  each with the better approach and a fix sketch

**The fix loop.** Wired via `roam hooks claude --write`, findings come back
to the agent as an actionable list — *fix, then re-verify* — and the gate runs
again on each correction (Claude bounds consecutive continuations). A
human-reviewed exception can be recorded in `.roam-suppressions.yml`, keyed by
**symbol** so it survives refactors that shift line numbers; automatic hook
corrections cannot alter suppressions, policy, baselines, or verification
scope. The compile hook remains fail-open. The edited-turn Stop gate is quiet
only on a complete PASS and blocks when verification is unavailable,
malformed, incomplete, or reports non-advisory findings.

To focus on your current change or manage findings already in the project:

```bash
roam verify --auto                      # changed files, auto-selected checks
roam verify --diff-only                 # only lines you changed vs HEAD
roam verify --changed-lines cli.py:40-90   # exact ranges (agent harnesses)
roam verify --baseline-write            # snapshot current findings as accepted debt
roam verify --new-only                  # then: only NEW findings fail
roam verify --report --severity fail    # whole-repo ranked punch-list (non-gating)
roam verify --off / --on               # pause / resume the loop repo-wide
```

**The commands that run beside it** in the same post-edit stance:

| Command | Role in the loop |
|---|---|
| `roam verify-imports --path src/roam/cli.py` | Check import resolution in one file |
| `roam delete-check --ci` | Gates a deletion diff on surviving references (exit 5 on BREAK-RISK or an incomplete check) |
| `git diff \| roam critique` | Clones-not-edited check + blast radius on the patch (exit 5 on high severity) |
| `roam verify --report --persist` | Writes findings to the registry so the **compiler** embeds them as `known_findings` in future envelopes — debt gets fixed opportunistically |

The test suite includes deliberately broken examples, clean examples that
should not be flagged, and checks that saved exceptions survive refactoring.
Those tests help prevent regressions; they do not measure every detector's
accuracy on unfamiliar repositories. [Detector evidence and limitations](docs/concepts/detector-evidence.md)
explains where findings still need careful review.

---

## What's New

**v14.0.3 (2026-09-05) — clearer guidance and more trustworthy check results.** Saved proof files keep their review results when read back. Malformed evidence and failed collection cannot turn into a passing result. Benchmark reports keep missing measurements unknown and count failed attempts. The README and verification guide now explain how to get useful answers—and where tests and human review still matter. Full notes: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

**v14.0.2 (2026-09-05) — controlled cold starts and more precise loop advice.** Keep index control files with a redirected database, opt out of implicit indexing, and receive parseable JSON even on cold starts. Workspace import checks recognize shared development tools without hiding undeclared sibling dependencies. Loop advice accounts for collection mutation, positional lookups, clocks and randomness; complexity-hint matching avoids unrelated AST work. The pinned wheel build tool also receives its path-traversal fix. Full notes: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

**v14.0.1 (2026-09-05) — more precise findings and clearer verification.** Browser and TypeScript checks distinguish lifecycle calls from database operations, resolve NodeNext source extensions, and show stronger evidence for algorithm advice. Incomplete searches require review instead of authorizing deletion. MCP compatibility is tested against the supported SDK generation, retrieval benchmarks name their dependency profiles, and release checks enforce their stated worker budget. Official container publication remains on hold pending image-wide security review. Full notes: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

<details>
<summary><strong>Earlier release notes — v13.10</strong></summary>

**v13.10 (2026-07-28) — repeated work becomes measurable procedures, and post-edit verification becomes proof-complete.** Privacy-preserving transcript/shell-template mining can nominate repeated-work interventions without exposing raw prompts or claiming causal savings; `roam savings` promotes only prospectively joined, integrity-checked outcomes. The Claude adapter now binds every edited turn to a strict Verify receipt and blocks unavailable, malformed, incomplete, or failing evidence. Interrupted indexes carry a generation-bound, durably synced lifecycle marker and force a full non-light rebuild before analysis regardless of the direct caller; completion is published only after SQLite checkpoint/fsync, so a crash cannot turn partial graph state into plausible empty answers. Roam owns the canonical hooks end to end—Compile Code no longer rewrites installed source. Full notes: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>Earlier release notes — v13.6 → v13.0</strong></summary>

**v13.6 (2026-06-11) — The verify loop grows teeth + compiler injection economics.** The post-edit loop now runs a **secrets leak gate** by default (credential shapes + an optional repo-local `.roam-leak-patterns.py` catalogue) and an advisory **algorithm/idiom sweep** scoped to the diff; suppressions are **symbol-keyed** (refactor-proof) and the suppression file is append-only after a confirmed data-loss fix; the naming rule samples production code only (~2000 false positives removed on a test-heavy codebase) and `verify --auto` is **16× faster** on sweeping diffs. The compiler learns injection economics — generation-shaped prompts get **no envelope** (measured pure overhead) — plus graph-ranked retrieval (PageRank + file-role + path-token blend), new answer probes (taint scan, world-model idempotency/side-effects, design patterns, scoped algo findings, and verify findings riding into envelopes as `known_findings`), and routing waves for trace/entry-point phrasings. New offline lock suites (procedure-registry lint, suppression fuzz corpus, self-dogfood FP lock, envelope byte budgets, L1-rate floor) and a `prepush_check.py --release` gate that proves the full CI surface green before any release push. Full diff in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

**v13.5 (2026-06-10) — Compiler coverage waves + the Claude Code adapter.** Eight new compile intent procedures land from production-telemetry mining (`file_history` "what changed in X last week", `repo_structure` layers/clusters/health, `entry_point_where` with the authoritative `[project.scripts]` answer, `config_where` env-var lookup, module-name `describe_file` recall, `session_meta`, a zero-probe fast-path for self-contained batch prompts, and a `bug_site_slice` that embeds the source around "fix the bug in cli.py:45"); **`roam hooks claude --write`** wires the full compile-before/verify-after loop into Claude Code in one command (fail-open, idempotent, `--no-verify` / `--uninstall`); two reliability fixes seal a CliRunner stdout-swap race in the in-process probe pool and add a compiler fingerprint to all three compile cache keys; `envelope-diff` regression rules stop false-flagging budget bookkeeping keys. Compiler A/B on Claude (Fable 5): −83% turns / −80% input tokens / −63% cost on nav-comprehension (41 cells). Full diff in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

**v13.4 (released 2026-05-21) — Perf wave + Pattern-1 stabilisation + assurance hardening.** Major detector speed-ups (`clones` 43.8s → 13.1s, `intent` 66s → 12s, `doc-staleness` 93s → 19s, `sbom` 30s → 9s — all byte-identical output), 17 commands now emit `isError`/`status` on error envelopes + 11 commands route their argless `--json` path through a proper envelope (Pattern-1C drift-guards added), a persisted per-snapshot spectral gap powering a real `roam forecast` failure budget, MCP prompt-injection marker scan on tool-call egress, release supply-chain hardening (PEP 740 attestations, tag-bound artifacts), and large false-positive cuts in `feature-envy` / `shotgun-surgery` / `god-components`. Full diff in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

### v13.3 (released 2026-05-19) — MCP runtime security + UX polish

- **Egress secret-redaction at the MCP wrapper boundary**, 4-mode `policy_decision` enforcement with shadow-mode (`ROAM_MODE_DRY_RUN`), HMAC-linked `McpDecisionReceipt` + `receipt_integrity` verdict on `roam runs verify`.
- **3 new persisting detectors** (`boundary`, `test-hermeticity`, `compatibility`), `roam doctor` advisory-vs-blocking split, and `--json` warnings-channel discipline.

### v13.2 (released 2026-05-16) — Evidence freshness + resolution disclosure

- **Canonical unresolved-path envelopes** across `impact` / `preflight` / `trace` / `test-map` / `context` / `safe-delete` / `split` / `why` — one explicit "not found" shape in JSON mode.
- **Evidence freshness stamped at the producer.** Runs record hashes for `.roam-rules.yml`, `.roam/constitution.yml`, `.roam/control-map.yml`.
- **PR Replay evidence coverage improved.** Replay path maps the 8 evidence questions, fully answers structural change/risk/policy axes, and marks identity/authority/approval evidence as partial, out of scope, or `producer_not_available` instead of silently omitted.

### v13.1 (released 2026-05-15) — Pattern-2 propagation + shared YAML helper + 3 flagship silent-fallback seals

- **3 flagship silent-fallback seals.** `cmd_taint`, `cmd_health`, `cmd_doctor` now emit `state="empty_corpus"` + `partial_success=True` on unanalyzed repos instead of false `Healthy 100/100` / `No taint findings` / `all checks passed` verdicts.
- **Shared YAML config-loader helper** (`load_yaml_with_warnings`). 5 of 7 surveyed loaders migrated; ~125 LOC removed.
- **5 new live smell detectors.** `type-switch`, `speculative-generality`, `empty-catch`, `cross-layer-clone`, `parallel-hierarchy` — `roam smells` now ships 24 deterministic detectors.
- **30+ behavioral Pattern-2 fixes** + empty-corpus smoke sweep across 25+ detectors.

### v13.0 (released 2026-05-13) — Agent-OS substrate + Laravel idioms + Vue SFC

- **Agent-OS control plane.** Repo-local substrates under `.roam/`: constitution, HMAC-chained run ledger, multi-agent leases, portable agent memory, 4 cumulative modes (`read_only` → `safe_edit` → `migration` → `autonomous_pr`).
- **World-model classifiers (R28).** `roam side-effects`, `roam idempotency`, `roam causal-graph`, `roam tx-boundaries`.
- **Laravel dynamic-dispatch idioms.** 7 of 8 implicit-edge idioms (Route closures, Eloquent scopes, Policy resolution, Observer registration, Job/Queue/Artisan dispatch).
- **Vue SFC import graph.** `.vue` template/script/style blocks parsed; component registrations resolved across the SFC boundary.
- **~20 new CLI commands** (`brief`, `next`, `mode`, `constitution`, `laws`, `memory`, `lease`, `runs`, `replay`, `agent-score`, `agents-md`, …) and schema bump (USER_VERSION 12 → 13).

</details>

Full release notes in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

## Best for

- **Getting oriented** — find entry points, important modules, and code worth reading first.
- **Working with a coding agent** — give it focused context instead of asking it to rediscover everything.
- **Planning a refactor** — inspect callers, dependencies, and related tests before editing.
- **Reviewing changes** — collect findings and record which checks actually ran.
- **Maintaining a growing project** — spot dependency cycles, frequently changed code, and repeated work.
- **Investigating security or performance concerns** — use findings as leads, then verify them with the right tests and specialist tools.

### When NOT to use Roam

- **Real-time type checking** — use an LSP (pyright, gopls, tsserver). Roam is static and offline.
- **Small scripts (<10 files)** — read the files directly.
- **Pure text search** — ripgrep is faster for raw string matching.

### What's measured vs advisory

Roam's surfaces differ in how rigorously they've been validated — know which is which before you gate on them:

- **Repair-intent retrieval** (`roam retrieve --repair-intent <patch>`) — **the one surface with a preregistered, held-out, stranger-repo result.** Give it the diff of a fix you just made and it reranks toward the *other* files that need the same repair, rather than the files that merely look similar. Measured on 576 real multi-site fixes from 12 third-party repos (rich, aiohttp, httpx, fastapi, click, flask, jinja, werkzeug, pydantic, pytest, attrs, urllib3), frozen before scoring and shipped in-repo:

  | vs plain lexical search | delta | 95% CI (bootstrap, n=2000) |
  |---|---|---|
  | nDCG@10 | **+0.064** (0.605 vs 0.541) | [+0.032, +0.097] |
  | P@3 | **+0.041** | [+0.024, +0.058] |
  | MRR | **+0.059** | [+0.026, +0.092] |
  | recall@10 | +0.034 | [−0.002, +0.070] — **not significant** |

  That clears the preregistered bar (nDCG@10 ≥ +0.05 with a CI excluding zero) and it survived an adversarial falsifier. **Read it for what it is: a real but modest improvement over lexical search on this task — not a step change.** The one striking result underneath: our graph-sibling candidate pool *on its own* scores **0.258**, far *worse* than lexical's 0.541. It only beats lexical once repair-intent reranking is applied. The reranking is not polish on a good pool — it is the reason the pool is usable at all.

  Scope honestly: it needs a real patch as input, and it finds *repair siblings*. It is not a general-purpose search improvement, and recall is not measurably better. This is the only roam surface we would put in front of your codebase without hedging.
- **Reachability triage** (`roam vuln-reach`, `roam sbom`) — the most conservatively designed surface: reachability is derived only from import evidence (import sites and import edges, with file:line), never from symbol-name coincidence, so a CVE with no import evidence reports as unknown rather than reachable. Strong precision by construction; real-CVE recall on unfamiliar repos is still being measured — use it as a high-precision triage signal, and treat "unknown" as unverified rather than safe.
- **Taint packs** (`roam taint`) — validated on synthetic fixtures; real-code recall on arbitrary repositories is low/unmeasured. Treat findings as leads to investigate, not a completeness guarantee; the `--ci` gate is opt-in.
- **Idiom & long-tail detectors** (`roam auth-gaps`, `roam missing-index`, `roam over-fetch`, `roam n1`, framework idioms) — advisory. Blind precision on unfamiliar repos is not yet measured for all of them, and framework idiom detectors that measured low on stranger repos are opt-in (not on the default surface). Review each finding; don't gate CI on these alone.

## Core commands

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-canonical-mention -->
**Start with these five commands.** Use `understand`, `context`, `retrieve`, `preflight`, and `critique` for everyday exploration and change review. You can discover the rest as you need them: **287 commands (280 canonical + 7 aliases) organised into 7 categories**. An alias is another name for the same command; you do not need to memorize them. Explore the remaining 282 commands when you need more detail.
<!-- END auto-count:readme-canonical-mention -->

| Verb | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `roam understand` | Get an overview of the project and where to start reading |
| `roam context <symbol>` | Read a definition alongside the code that calls it and the code it calls |
| `roam retrieve "<task>"` | Find useful code for a question such as “trace the login flow” |
| `roam preflight <symbol>` | See what a change could affect, including connected code and tests |
| `roam critique` | Review a patch for related code you may have missed; pipe in `git diff`. High-severity findings exit 5 |

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-sarif-surface-mention -->
The full surface spans **7 categories** — Getting Started, Daily Workflow, Codebase Health, Architecture, Exploration, Reports & CI, and Refactoring. Run `roam --help` for the 5-verb core, `roam --help-all` for every command name, and `roam surface --json` for the machine-readable inventory. Every command accepts `roam --json <cmd>` for structured output and `roam --sarif <cmd>` for CI integration (SARIF 2.1.0, honoured by 39 commands).
<!-- END auto-count:readme-sarif-surface-mention -->

<details>
<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-cli-command-list-summary -->
<summary><strong>Full command reference — canonical command list (all 280)</strong></summary>
<!-- END auto-count:readme-cli-command-list-summary -->

The complete, always-current list with flags and examples lives in the [Command Reference](https://roam-code.com/docs/command-reference).

</details>

A few representative commands beyond the core five:

- **Health & architecture:** `roam health` (0-100 score), `roam weather` (churn × complexity hotspots), `roam smells` (24 deterministic detectors), `roam algo` (34-task anti-pattern catalog), `roam clusters` / `roam layers` / `roam cycles`.
- **Change safety:** `roam impact <symbol>` (blast radius), `roam diff` (uncommitted-change blast radius), `roam pr-risk` (0-100 PR risk), `roam diagnose <symbol>` (root-cause ranking).
- **Backend quality:** `roam n1` (N+1 queries), `roam auth-gaps`, `roam missing-index`, `roam over-fetch`, `roam taint` (graph-reach taint, 11 rule packs).
- **Index-aware search:** `roam search <pattern>`, `roam grep <pattern> -C 5` (grep + bounded code packets + reachability + PageRank), `roam grep <pattern> --whole-symbol` (deduplicated enclosing functions/classes), `roam uses <name>` (graph-precise references, no string-literal false positives).
- **Multi-agent:** `roam orchestrate --agents 3` (conflict-aware partitioning), `roam fleet plan`, `roam lease` (parallel-agent coordination).

## Walkthrough

<details>
<summary><strong>10-command walkthrough investigating Flask</strong> (click to expand)</summary>

How you'd use Roam to understand a project you've never seen before, using Flask as an example.

```
$ roam understand                       # briefing: languages, stack, layers/clusters, health, key abstractions, entry points
$ roam file src/flask/app.py            # file skeleton: definitions + signatures + health
$ roam deps src/flask/app.py            # what imports this file
$ roam weather                          # hotspots ranked by churn × complexity
$ roam health                           # composite 0-100 + god components / cycles / layer violations
$ roam context Flask                    # AI-ready context: files to read with line ranges
$ roam preflight Flask                  # pre-change gate: blast radius + tests + complexity + fitness
$ roam split src/flask/app.py           # internal symbol groups + extraction suggestions
$ roam why Flask url_for Blueprint      # role classification (Hub/Bridge/Core) + reach + risk
$ roam health --gate                    # CI quality gate (exit 5 on failure)
```

Ten commands. Complete picture: structure, dependencies, hotspots, health, context, safety checks, decomposition, and CI gates.

</details>

## Integration with AI coding tools

Roam is designed to be called by coding agents. Instead of repeatedly grepping and reading files, the agent runs one `roam` command and gets a verdict-first envelope. `roam preflight` (above) replaces grep+read+test-impact+complexity+fitness in one ~3KB call; `roam health` rolls the whole codebase into one score:

```text
$ roam health
VERDICT: Fair codebase (77/100) — 65 critical, 0 warnings, focus: god_components

Health Score: 77/100  |  Tangle: 0.0% (0/44056 symbols in cycles)
Propagation Cost: 6.0%  |  Algebraic Connectivity: 0.0146

Health: 65 issues — 65 CRITICAL, 37 INFO
  (0 actionable cycles, 37 local/test cycles ignored, 50 god components
   (19 actionable, 31 expected utilities), 15 bottlenecks (2 actionable))
  Breakdown: cycles [0 issues], god [50 CRITICAL], bottlenecks [15 CRITICAL], layers [0 issues]

Top CRITICAL issues (run `roam --detail health` for the full breakdown):
  god component: result (prop, degree=2198)
  god component: path (prop, degree=677)
```

*The verdict line works alone — an agent that reads nothing else still knows where to look.* Pipe `--json` for the structured envelope your agent consumes.

**Fastest setup (Claude Code):** wire the compile/verify loop in one command — no config files, no MCP setup, no rules to write:

```bash
roam hooks claude --write           # compile-before + verify-after hooks; --uninstall to undo
```

For other agents (or alongside the hooks), point them at Roam via instructions in their config file:

```bash
roam describe --write               # auto-detects CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules, etc.
roam describe --agent-prompt        # compact ~500-token prompt — copy-paste into an existing config
roam minimap --update               # inject/refresh an annotated codebase minimap (won't touch other content)
```

This teaches the agent which command fits each situation: `roam preflight` before changes, `roam context` for files to read, `roam diagnose` for debugging.

<details>
<summary><strong>Where to put agent instructions for each tool</strong></summary>

| Tool | Config file |
|------|-------------|
| **Claude Code** | `CLAUDE.md` in your project root |
| **OpenAI Codex CLI** | `AGENTS.md` in your project root |
| **Gemini CLI** | `GEMINI.md` in your project root |
| **Cursor** | `.cursor/rules/roam.mdc` (add `alwaysApply: true` frontmatter) |
| **Windsurf** | `.windsurf/rules/roam.md` (add `trigger: always_on` frontmatter) |
| **GitHub Copilot** | `.github/copilot-instructions.md` |
| **Aider** | `CONVENTIONS.md` |
| **Continue.dev** | `config.yaml` rules |
| **Cline** | `.clinerules/` directory |

</details>

## MCP Server

Roam includes a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server for direct integration with MCP-aware tools.
See [protocol compatibility](docs/mcp-protocol-compatibility.md), the [agent CLI guide](docs/agent-cli.md),
and [container installation and release evidence](docs/containers.md) for supported versions and bounded examples.

```bash
pip install "roam-code[mcp]"
roam mcp
```

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-default-preset -->
**Default preset:** `core` (17 tools: 16 core + `roam_expand_toolset` meta-tool).
<!-- END auto-count:readme-default-preset -->

246 MCP tools span 8 selectable presets (`core`, `review`, `refactor`, `debug`, `architecture`, `compliance`, `compile-curated`, `full`); `core` stays narrow to keep the prompt tight. Most tools are read-only index queries; side-effect tools are explicitly annotated. Set `ROAM_MCP_PRESET=full roam mcp` for the complete toolset.

**When a tool cannot finish.** MCP tools report missing prerequisites and
incomplete work in a structured response, with a status, explanation, and next
step. Consumers should check `partial_success` and errors, not just whether
the tool returned a response.

**MCP runtime security.** Three controls run at the wrapper boundary inside the server, protecting every client even with no gateway present: egress secret-redaction, mode-gated `policy_decision` enforcement (opt-in shadow-mode via `ROAM_MODE_DRY_RUN`), and HMAC-linked decision receipts bound into the signed run ledger. Mixed query/write tools are classified per invocation, so a read-only form stays available while an explicit persist/write flag raises the required mode and receipt effects. Gateway integrators: see [`dev/MCP-SECURITY-POSTURE.md`](dev/MCP-SECURITY-POSTURE.md).

See [Using Roam via MCP](https://roam-code.com/docs/mcp-usage) for the first-run flow and canonical agent sequence.

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-mcp-core-preset-tools -->
Core preset tools: `roam_alerts`, `roam_ask`, `roam_batch_search`, `roam_coupling`, `roam_dead_code`, `roam_deps`, `roam_diagnose_issue`, `roam_fetch_handle`, `roam_file_info`, `roam_grep`, `roam_metrics`, `roam_prepare_change`, `roam_search_symbol`, `roam_taint`, `roam_understand`, `roam_uses`.
<!-- END auto-count:readme-mcp-core-preset-tools -->

`roam_ask` (and `roam ask` on the CLI) is a natural-language codebase question dispatcher — 'is it safe to delete X?', 'where does login validate?', 'who owns module Y?' — that routes intent to one recipe in the graph-aware 31-recipe registry, replacing a Grep+Read round trip with one call.

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-mcp-tool-list-link -->
The full 246-tool table with descriptions lives in [`docs/mcp-tools.md`](docs/mcp-tools.md).
<!-- END auto-count:readme-mcp-tool-list-link -->

<!-- MCP Registry ownership token. The registry scans the PUBLISHED PyPI
     long_description (this file) for the literal string below to bind the
     package to the server name in server.json. Keep it byte-identical to
     server.json -> name; tests/test_distribution_manifests.py pins that. -->
<!-- mcp-name: io.github.cranot/roam-code -->

<details>
<summary><strong>MCP client setup (Claude Code / Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code)</strong></summary>

**Prerequisite for every client below:** Python 3.10+ and `pip install "roam-code[mcp]"`.
Each config launches the `roam` binary from your `PATH`; if roam is not installed the
server exits with `command not found` before it can report anything more useful.

**Claude Code:** `claude mcp add roam-code -- roam mcp`, or add to `.mcp.json`:

```json
{ "mcpServers": { "roam-code": { "command": "roam", "args": ["mcp"] } } }
```

**Claude Desktop** — add to `claude_desktop_config.json` (include `"cwd": "/path/to/your/project"`).

**Cursor** — add the same `mcpServers` block to `.cursor/mcp.json`.

**VS Code + Copilot** — add to `.vscode/mcp.json` under a `servers` key with `"type": "stdio"`.

**Which preset ships where.** The Claude Code plugin (`.claude-plugin/plugin.json`) pins
`ROAM_MCP_PRESET=core` — a consumer wants a tight prompt surface. This repo's own
`.mcp.json` pins `full` on purpose: agents working *on* roam-code dogfood the entire
246-tool surface. The two files name the same server and disagree deliberately; the split
is pinned by `tests/test_distribution_manifests.py` so neither drifts into the other.

</details>

## Go deeper

Pick the path that matches your role:

- **5-min demo (CTO/CISO/dev-tools-lead):** [The Canonical Demo](https://roam-code.com/docs/canonical-demo) — install → health → preflight → critique → signed `ChangeEvidence` packet, five commands, no laptop egress.
- **Developer tutorial (15 min):** [Getting Started](https://roam-code.com/docs/getting-started) — install, index, query, ship.
- **Agent integration:** `roam mcp-setup claude-code --write` (or `cursor`, `windsurf`, `vscode`, `gemini-cli`, `codex-cli`) — then [Using Roam via MCP](https://roam-code.com/docs/mcp-usage) for the cold-start envelope and canonical agent loop.
- **Full surface:** [Command Reference](https://roam-code.com/docs/command-reference) — every command, flag, and JSON envelope.
- **Architecture:** [How it fits together](https://roam-code.com/docs/architecture) — graph, findings registry, run ledger, evidence compiler.

## CI/CD integration

All you need is Python 3.10+ and `pip install roam-code`.

```yaml
# .github/workflows/roam.yml
name: Roam Analysis
on: [pull_request]

jobs:
  roam:
    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@34e114876b0b11c390a56381ad16ebd13914f8d5 # v4.3.1
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          persist-credentials: false
      # For production, replace the tag with the reviewed 40-character SHA it
      # points at — a release tag is readable but remains movable.
      - uses: Cranot/roam-code@v14.0.2
        with:
          version: '14.0.2'
          commands: health
          gate: "score>=70"
          sarif: 'true'
          comment: 'true'
```

Generate this workflow explicitly with `roam init --with-ci=github` or
`roam ci-setup --platform github --write`; plain `roam init` does not modify CI configuration.
The Action accepts `commands`, `gate` (quality-gate expression, exit 5 on
failure), `sarif` (upload to GitHub Code Scanning), `comment` (sticky PR
comment), `cache`, and `changed-only` (incremental mode).

<!-- BEGIN auto-count:readme-sarif-output-count -->
**SARIF output.** 39 commands honour the global `--sarif` flag (health, complexity, dead, smells, clones, vulns, taint, secrets, n1, …). Minimal upload:
<!-- END auto-count:readme-sarif-output-count -->

```yaml
- run: roam --sarif health > roam-health.sarif
- uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@03e4368ac7daa2bd82b3e85262f3bf87ee112f57 # v3.36.0
  with:
    sarif_file: roam-health.sarif
```

For GitLab / Jenkins / Azure / Bitbucket templates, severity gates, and upload guardrails, see [docs/ci-integration.md](docs/ci-integration.md).

## Roam Guard for PRs

`roam guard-pr` collects the current change's review record in one command:
what changed, which checks were required, which ran, and why the result is
`pass`, `pass_with_warnings`, `needs_review`, or `blocked`. The saved JSON
record is called an **Agent Change Proof Bundle v1**. It records available
evidence; it does not independently authenticate every supplied claim.

```bash
# Local — show the markdown verdict for your current branch's pr-bundle.
roam guard-pr --format markdown

# CI — one line; --ci is shorthand for --strict + --init-if-missing + markdown.
roam guard-pr --ci --output guard.md

# CI — post to GitHub Check Runs (works with the default GITHUB_TOKEN).
roam guard-pr --post-check --gh-repo $REPO --gh-sha $SHA
```

**Example reviewer markdown:**

```markdown
## 🛑 Roam Guard verdict: `blocked`

> **0** of **4** required checks ran. **4** missing. Risk: `low`.

### Verdict reasons
- `required_checks_not_run` (×4) — `because=config_file_changed`
  - `lint.make.lint` (detail=['.mcp.json'])
  - `test.make.test` (detail=['.mcp.json'])

### Verification checks
| Status | Command | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 🛑 missing | `lint.make.lint` | config_file_changed |
| 🛑 missing | `test.make.test` | config_file_changed |
```

**Verdict → CI exit + GitHub conclusion map.** Exit codes are only emitted under
`--strict` (which `--ci` implies); without it `guard-pr` always exits 0 and the
verdict is reporting-only, so a CI gate must pass `--ci` or `--strict`:

| Roam verdict | Exit code (`--strict` / `--ci`) | Exit code (default) | GitHub conclusion | Build status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `pass` | 0 | 0 | `success` | ✅ green |
| `pass_with_warnings` | 0 | 0 | `neutral` | 🟡 yellow |
| `needs_review` | 4 | 0 (+ stderr banner) | `action_required` | 🟠 attention |
| `blocked` | 5 | 0 (+ stderr banner) | `failure` | 🛑 red |

A reporting-only run never passes *silently*. When the verdict would have
gated (`needs_review` / `blocked`) but no `--strict`/`--ci` was given, `guard-pr`
writes a loud banner to **stderr** naming the flag and the exit code it
suppressed, and the `--json` envelope carries the same fact in
`summary.gate_enforced`, `summary.gate_suppressed` and
`summary.verdict_exit_code`. Check `gate_suppressed`, not `exit_code`, if you
need to tell "verdict was clean" from "verdict was blocking but this run
wasn't gating" — `exit_code` is 0 in both cases.

**Output formats:** `text` (default), `markdown` (PR comment / GH Check), `json` (the full AgentChangeProofBundle v1). SARIF is not a `guard-pr` format — emit it from the same bundle with `roam proof-bundle --format sarif`.

**Choose what must be checked.** YAML rules decide which checks a change
requires. Roam ships a default rule pack; review it for your project's layout
and risks. Override it with `roam guard-pr --rules templates/examples/roam-guard-rules.default.yml`:

```yaml
name: my-repo
extends: default
file_patterns:
  - id: api_schema_changed
    regex: '^src/api/.*\.proto$'
    applies_to_kinds: [test, build]
```

**JSON Schema** for the v1 bundle ships at `src/roam/schemas/agent_change_proof_bundle.v1.json`. Validate any bundle with `roam proof-bundle --validate`.

**See also:**
- [templates/examples/roam-guard-pr.github-actions.yml](templates/examples/roam-guard-pr.github-actions.yml) — drop-in GHA workflow
- [templates/examples/roam-guard-pr.README.md](templates/examples/roam-guard-pr.README.md) — full adoption guide
- [templates/examples/roam-guard-rules.default.yml](templates/examples/roam-guard-rules.default.yml) — default rule pack

## Paid layers (free CLI stays Apache 2.0)

The CLI is Apache 2.0, uses a local zero-API-key analysis engine, and never expires. Three optional paid layers build on the same engine:

- **Roam Review** — hosted PR bot for AI-generated changes, built on `roam pr-analyze`. CodeRabbit/Greptile review PR *semantics*; Roam Review reads the *graph* (who calls the changed symbol, which layer it sits in) and emits a portable `ChangeEvidence` packet. The CLI engine is a working CI gate today: `git diff main..HEAD | roam pr-analyze --gate` (exit 5 on `BLOCK`).
- **Roam Cloud** — opt-in metrics history with no source upload. `roam metrics-push` sends a summary-only payload (numerical metrics, paths or SHA-256 hashes, identifier names) — never source-code bodies. Inspect the exact payload with `--dry-run`.
- **PR Replay** — one-shot paid audit of your last 30/90 merged PRs: a written structural-review report plus a founder walk-through. Free DIY sample via `roam pr-replay --tier sample`.

Early access — email [hello@roam-code.com](mailto:hello@roam-code.com). Full pricing at <https://roam-code.com/pricing>.

## Language Support

### Tier 1 — Full extraction (dedicated parsers)

| Language | Extensions | Symbols | References | Inheritance |
|----------|-----------|---------|------------|-------------|
| Python | `.py` `.pyi` | classes, functions, methods, decorators, variables | imports, calls, inheritance | extends, `__all__` exports |
| JavaScript | `.js` `.jsx` `.mjs` `.cjs` | classes, functions, arrow functions, CJS exports | imports, require(), calls | extends |
| TypeScript | `.ts` `.tsx` `.mts` `.cts` | interfaces, type aliases, enums + all JS | imports, calls, type refs | extends, implements |
| Java | `.java` | classes, interfaces, enums, constructors, fields | imports, calls | extends, implements |
| Go | `.go` | structs, interfaces, functions, methods, fields | imports, calls | embedded structs |
| Rust | `.rs` | structs, traits, impls, enums, functions | use, calls | impl Trait for Struct |
| C / C++ | `.c` `.h` `.cpp` `.hpp` `.cc` | structs, classes, functions, namespaces, templates | includes, calls | extends |
| C# | `.cs` | classes, interfaces, structs, enums, records, methods, properties, delegates, events | using directives, calls, `new`, attributes | extends, implements |
| PHP | `.php` | classes, interfaces, traits, enums, methods, properties | namespace use, calls, static calls, `new` | extends, implements, use (traits) |
| Ruby | `.rb` | classes, modules, methods, singleton methods, constants | require, require_relative, include/extend, calls | class inheritance |
| Kotlin | `.kt` `.kts` | classes, interfaces, enums, objects, functions, methods, properties | imports, calls, type refs | extends, implements |
| Scala | `.scala` `.sc` | classes, traits, objects, case classes, functions, val/var, type aliases | imports, calls, `new` | extends, with (trait mixins) |
| Swift | `.swift` | classes, structs, enums, protocols, functions, methods, properties | imports, calls, type refs | extends, conforms |
| Dart | `.dart` | classes, mixins, extensions, enums, type aliases, functions, methods, constructors | imports, calls, type refs | extends, implements, with |
| Visual FoxPro | `.prg` | functions, procedures, classes, methods, properties, constants | DO, SET PROCEDURE/CLASSLIB, CREATEOBJECT, `obj.method()` | DEFINE CLASS ... AS |
| SQL (DDL) | `.sql` | tables, columns, views, functions, triggers, schemas, types, sequences | foreign keys, view table deps, trigger refs | — |
| YAML (CI/CD) | `.yml` `.yaml` | GitLab CI jobs/anchors, GitHub Actions workflows/jobs, generic top-level keys | `extends:`, `needs:`, `!reference`, `uses:` | — |
| HCL / Terraform | `.tf` `.tfvars` `.hcl` | `resource`, `data`, `variable`, `output`, `module`, `provider`, `locals` | `var.*`, `module.*`, `data.*`, `local.*` | — |
| Vue / Svelte | `.vue` `.svelte` | via `<script>` block extraction (TS/JS) | imports, calls, type refs | extends, implements |

<details>
<summary><strong>Salesforce ecosystem (Tier 1)</strong></summary>

| Language | Extensions | Symbols | References |
|----------|-----------|---------|------------|
| Apex | `.cls` `.trigger` | classes, triggers, SOQL, annotations | imports, calls, System.Label, generic type refs |
| Aura | `.cmp` `.app` `.evt` `.intf` `.design` | components, attributes, methods, events | controller refs, component refs |
| LWC (JavaScript) | `.js` (in LWC dirs) | anonymous class from filename | `@salesforce/apex/`, `@salesforce/schema/`, `@salesforce/label/` |
| Visualforce | `.page` `.component` | pages, components | controller/extensions, merge fields, includes |
| SF Metadata XML | `*-meta.xml` | objects, fields, rules, layouts | Apex class refs, formula field refs, Flow actionCalls |

Cross-language edges mean `roam impact AccountService` shows blast radius across Apex, LWC, Aura, Visualforce, and Flows.

</details>

Tier 2 languages (and `.jsonc` / `.mdx`) get basic symbol extraction via a generic tree-sitter walker.

## Performance

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Index 200 files | ~3-5s |
| Index 3,000 files | ~2 min |
| Incremental (no changes) | <1s |
| Lightweight index queries | Often <0.5s; broader analyses can take much longer |

Every figure includes CLI process startup, which is host- and platform-dependent:
on a slow Windows host `roam --version` alone can cost ~1.5s, putting a floor
under every row above. Measure on your own machine before gating on these.

After the first full index, `roam index` reuses unchanged source data (mtime + SHA-256 hash), reprocesses changed files and affected neighbors, and checks Git history even when file contents are unchanged. The OSS benchmark harness in [`benchmarks/oss-eval/`](benchmarks/oss-eval/) tracks 14 repositories (Express, Axios, Vue, Laravel, Svelte, React, Django, cpython, Linux, …); the [committed snapshot](benchmarks/oss-eval/results/latest.md) records which targets completed and which failed or were not present locally.

Historical agent comparisons, per-task results, and their limitations are in
[Context for your agent](#context-for-your-agent).

## How It Works

```
Codebase
    |
[1] Discovery ──── git ls-files (respects .gitignore + .roamignore)
[2] Parse ──────── tree-sitter AST per file (28 languages)
[3] Extract ────── symbols + references (calls, imports, inheritance)
[4] Resolve ────── match references to definitions → edges
[5] Metrics ────── adaptive PageRank, betweenness, cognitive complexity, Halstead
[6] Algorithms ── 34-task anti-pattern catalog (O(n^2) loops, N+1, recursion, async)
[7] Git ────────── churn, co-change matrix, authorship, Renyi entropy
[8] Clusters ───── Louvain community detection
[9] Health ─────── per-file scores (7-factor) + composite score (0-100)
[10] Store ─────── .roam/index.db (SQLite, WAL mode)
```

Exclude paths with a `.roamignore` file (full gitignore syntax) or `roam config --exclude "*.proto"`. For the graph algorithms (Personalized PageRank for blast radius, Tarjan SCC, Louvain, Fiedler bisection, Mann-Kendall trend detection, …) and the weighted-geometric-mean health score, see the [Architecture guide](https://roam-code.com/docs/architecture).

Text retrieval uses SQLite's FTS5 full-text search, alongside the indexed code
connections that help rank relevant results.

## How Roam Compares

Choose Roam when you want a reusable local map of how a project fits together.
Use this checklist to see whether it helps with your own code:

| Capability | Roam behavior | How to evaluate it |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent local index | SQLite symbols, references, and Git history | Index your repository and inspect the edges behind an answer |
| Architecture analysis | Centrality, cycles, communities, churn, and co-change | Review `roam health --explain` and the underlying findings |
| Change planning | Blast radius, simulation, and work partitioning | Compare predicted affected files with actual tests and changes |
| MCP tools for agents | 246 (17 in default core preset) | Choose a preset and inspect `roam mcp --list-tools` |
| Languages | 28 | Check the extraction tier and resolution limits for your language |
| Local analysis | No API keys for the local engine | Review explicit network features in the network-boundary inventory |
| Open source | Apache 2.0 | Inspect the implementation and reproduce results on your own code |
| Security integration | Taint heuristics and SARIF evidence | Pair findings with your security scanner and review false positives |
| Cross-repository analysis | Workspace overlay for sibling repositories | Validate the supported bridges for your project boundaries |

Roam supplies structural context to editors and agents through CLI and MCP,
and exports evidence to existing review and security workflows. Evaluate the
combination on your repository: supported syntax, edge resolution, false
positives, latency, and the decisions the output helps you make. Capabilities
and prices of other products depend on their current version and plan.

Read [detector evidence and limitations](docs/concepts/detector-evidence.md)
before acting on deletion, algorithm, effect, test-mapping, or security findings.
Static graph coverage and heuristic scores are not runtime coverage, authorship
proof, or permission to apply a suggested change.

The local CLI has no license fee. Budget separately for indexing time, CI
compute, integration work, and any optional hosted service. Start with a report
on one repository, review the findings, and enable `roam health --gate` when
the configured checks match your team's expectations. Save snapshots with
`roam trends --save` to track change over time.

## FAQ

**Does Roam send any data externally?**
Not during ordinary local analysis. Roam does not automatically upload source code, indexes, findings, telemetry, or analytics, and it performs no automatic update check. On first use, `tree-sitter-language-pack` downloads a checksum-verified parser bundle and keeps it in a local cache. Explicit features can contact PyPI, GitHub, user-selected URLs, Roam Cloud, or Sigstore services; [`docs/network-boundary.md`](docs/network-boundary.md) lists every built-in trigger, destination, and payload class. Inspect `roam metrics-push` with `--dry-run` before sending its allow-listed payload.

**Can Roam run in air-gapped environments?**
Yes, after installation and parser prewarming. Run `roam index --force` once while connected on each target platform; the retained bundle lets later grammar loads complete without network access. Avoid the explicit network triggers in the [network-boundary inventory](docs/network-boundary.md), use fixture/file inputs and offline-key signing, and enforce egress policy around project commands launched by `roam verify` or hooks.

**Does Roam modify my source code?**
Read-only by default. Creates `.roam/` with an index database. `roam mutate` (move/rename/extract) defaults to `--dry-run`; pass `--apply` explicitly to write changes.

**Can I control where and when the index is built?**
Set `ROAM_DB_DIR` to redirect the SQLite database and its `index.lock` / `index.state` sidecars together, or save a per-project location with `roam config --set-db-dir`. Set `ROAM_NO_AUTO_INDEX=1` to refuse implicit builds: an analysis command needing a missing or incomplete index exits `3` and emits a structured refusal in JSON mode. `roam index` and `roam init` still build when explicitly invoked. Use `roam index` if you only want to build the index; `init` intentionally also creates project configuration. The storage override does not redirect agent ledgers, response evidence, or other requested artifacts. Stop older indexers before upgrading or changing store locations; do not run mixed-version writers against one store.

**How does Roam handle monorepos and multi-repo projects?**
Monorepos: indexes from the root; batched SQL handles 100k+ symbols. Multi-repo: `roam ws init <repo1> <repo2>` builds a workspace overlay DB for cross-repo API edges, then `roam ws resolve` / `ws context` / `ws trace` work across repos.

**Is Roam compatible with SonarQube / CodeScene?**
Yes — they coexist in the same CI pipeline. SARIF output uploads to GitHub Code Scanning.

**Does Roam satisfy SOC 2 / ISO 42001 / EU AI Act on its own?**
No. Roam **maps to** controls and produces supporting evidence — the signed `ChangeEvidence` packet, HMAC-chained run ledger, and audit-trail records answer the eight evidence questions a reviewer asks after an AI-assisted change. Roam does not certify; your auditor still owns that step.

**What's the difference between the free CLI and Roam Review / Cloud / PR Replay?**
The CLI is Apache 2.0, runs its analysis engine locally, and never expires. Roam Review is a hosted PR bot, Roam Cloud is opt-in metrics history with no source-body upload, PR Replay is a one-shot paid audit. All three are layers on top of the same engine.

## Limitations

- **Static analysis primarily** — can't trace dynamic dispatch, reflection, or eval'd code. Runtime trace ingestion (`roam ingest-trace`) adds production data but requires external trace export.
- **Import resolution is heuristic** — complex re-exports or conditional imports may not resolve.
- **Limited cross-language edges** — Salesforce, Protobuf, REST API, and multi-repo edges are supported, but not arbitrary FFI.
- **Tier 2 languages** get basic symbol extraction only via the generic tree-sitter walker.
- **Large monorepos** (100k+ files) may have slow initial indexing.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| `roam: command not found` | Ensure install location is on PATH. For `uv`: `uv tool update-shell` |
| `Another indexing process owns the workspace` | Wait for the active writer and run `roam doctor`. A live or unprovable owner requires investigation; preserve `.roam/index.lock` and the lifecycle marker. Proven abandoned generations are recovered by the indexer. |
| `database is locked` | Finish the active indexer or watcher, close other database writers, and check for cloud-sync interference. Then retry `roam index`; rebuilding does not bypass a live SQLite lock. |
| `ROAM_NO_AUTO_INDEX` refusal (exit 3) | Run `roam index` explicitly after selecting the intended project and store, or unset the opt-out to restore automatic cold-start builds. JSON refusals distinguish missing and incomplete indexes without opening the database. |
| Unicode errors on Windows | `chcp 65001` for UTF-8 |
| Symbol resolves to wrong file | Use `file:symbol` syntax: `roam symbol myfile:MyFunction` |
| Health score seems wrong | `roam health --explain` for score contributions; use `roam --json health` for structured findings. The architectural score is separate from test and environment health. |
| Index stale after `git pull` or a commit | `roam index` refreshes source and Git metadata, including commits with unchanged file contents. Use `roam index --force` to rebuild derived index data. |

See the [troubleshooting guide](https://roam-code.com/docs/troubleshooting) and
[repository maintenance guide](docs/repository-maintenance.md) for environment
repair, index recovery, and the meaning of doctor advisories.

## Update / Uninstall

```bash
# Update
pipx upgrade roam-code        # or: uv tool upgrade roam-code / pip install --upgrade roam-code

# Uninstall
pipx uninstall roam-code      # or: uv tool uninstall roam-code / pip uninstall roam-code
```

Before removing `.roam/`, back up any rules, annotations, memory, signed run
ledgers, keys, or proof bundles you need to retain. That directory contains
project state as well as the rebuildable index; uninstalling the package does
not require deleting it.

## Contributing

```bash
git clone https://github.com/Cranot/roam-code.git
cd roam-code
uv sync --locked --no-default-groups --extra dev --group ci --python 3.12
uv run --no-sync pytest tests/test_basic.py -n 0
```

Follow [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the full test/release gates and
[the documentation map](docs/README.md) for maintained guides and references.

Good first contributions: add a [Tier 1 language](src/roam/languages/) (see `go_lang.py` or `php_lang.py` as templates), improve reference resolution, add benchmark repos, extend SARIF converters, add MCP tools. Please open an issue first to discuss larger changes.

## License

[Apache 2.0](LICENSE)
