antonbabenko Code Intelligence
Pick the search tool by task, not by habit. Generic and language-agnostic;
domain skills extend it with server capability matrices and ecosystem
prerequisites - for example the terraform-skill plugin (same marketplace)
owns the terraform-ls capability matrix and Terraform setup. It is
model-triggered guidance, not enforcement.
Tool Precedence
| Goal | Use | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol relationships: definition, references, call sites, rename safety | Language server (LSP) at a position | Needs a running server + indexed workspace |
| Exact text, known name, exhaustive enumeration, config/value files | rg then Read |
No semantic scope; matches strings in comments too |
| Conceptual / fuzzy / "where might this live" / cross-repo discovery | A semantic/neural search tool, if the host provides one | Not exact; never use for counts or completeness claims |
Detail: Precedence Table, When LSP Is Wrong.
Calling the LSP
- DO call at a position (
file:line:character). Anchor the position with a text search for a known occurrence first. - DON'T pass a bare symbol name and expect resolution. A name-only call that returns empty is a usage defect, not server failure.
- DO Read the returned locations for source text; LSP returns locations and symbols, not the lines.
- DO retry once on a cold start: the first call after launch may return empty while the server indexes.
- DO prefer the server's own operation when it advertises it: use
rename/prepareRenamefor renames and call hierarchy for callers - they carry language-specific semantics a manual pass misses. - DON'T report an unsupported operation as a finding. When the server lacks
one, redirect:
findReferences(then filter to call sites) instead of call hierarchy; enumerate references then hand-edit instead of a rename provider.
Detail: Position Anchoring, Unsupported Operations.
Degradation Gate
Two distinct cases:
- No LSP at all (host exposes no language-server tool, or the server fails to start): that IS unavailability. Disclose it on the first line (see below) and use text search. The gate does not apply - there is nothing to gate.
- LSP callable but a position-anchored call returns empty: do NOT conclude
"unavailable" yet. Pass ALL three:
documentSymbolon an in-scope file returns symbols -> server responsive (responsiveness only, NOT proof of complete reference coverage).- The failing call was position-anchored (not symbol-name-only).
- That anchored call still returned empty after a cold-start retry.
Only after the three-part case passes is a disclosed text fallback warranted.
Detail: Degradation Gate.
Disclose Substitutions
State any tool substitution OR omission on the FIRST line of the response, not in a later summary (post-hoc accounting is a rule violation):
Intended: <tool>. Actual: <tool>. Reason: <why>. Impact: <completeness/confidence>.
Detail: Disclosure Format.
Do Not Invent a Missing Tool
Before claiming a tool (e.g. rg) is shimmed, aliased, or absent, prove it:
type -a <tool>, ls -l the resolved path, <tool> --version shows the
expected banner. An unproven "tool is missing" claim followed by a fallback is
a verification failure, not a sanctioned substitution.
If genuinely absent or aliased: prefer the LSP for semantic tasks; for exact
text use the host-approved text search; git grep / grep only as an
explicitly disclosed last resort, never the default substitute.
Detail: Anti-Phantom-Shim Proof.