# Girder

Girder builds a local codebase graph to supply coding agents with isolated functions instead of full files. It helps preserve the context window during deep code reviews or edits.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 14
- Author: dhishwasher
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/dhishwasher/Girder
- Updated: 2026-10-07
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/girder

## What it does

Girder runs locally without cloud dependencies, API keys, or user logins. It parses repositories into a semantic graph so agents inspect exact definitions, callers, callees, and task context through tools such as `get_source` or `find_definition`. The bundled `orient` command aggregates callers, source, and affected tests in one payload to trim repetitive back-and-forth prompts.

An included `test-impact` tool maps modified lines to affected test targets, preferring caution over silent omissions. Audits across 100 call sites confirmed sound responses for Rust and Python. In contrast, TypeScript integration is still stabilizing around duplicate test-suite naming collisions, and Go audit stages remain incomplete.

On Windows, SmartScreen raises an untrusted publisher warning on initial launch because the current setup binary lacks a code signature.

## Requirements
- Needs: Node.js (commands run via npx)

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add girder -- npx -y girder-mcp
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add girder -- npx -y girder-mcp
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "girder": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "girder-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "girder": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "girder-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add girder npx -y girder-mcp
```

## When to use it
- fetch isolated function bodies without loading surrounding source files
- trace incoming callers and outgoing callees across repository symbols
- bundle callers, source, and related tests into a single query
- identify which test suites are impacted by code modifications

## Example prompts
- Inspect `format_greeting` and retrieve its callers without reading the full file.
- Run `orient` on `crate::greeter::shout_greeting` to pull its context and related tests.
- Check which tests might break after editing this module using `test-impact`.

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