Symbiote Impact

Symbiote Impact Analysis

Analyze the blast radius of a code change before making it — trace dependencies, find affected files, and surface risks.

When to Use

• Before refactoring a widely-used function or module
• When renaming a symbol across the codebase
• To understand what tests might break from a change
• When planning a large-scale migration

Process

Step 1: Identify the Target

Determine what the user wants to change:

• A specific symbol (function, class, type) → use get_impact
• Uncommitted git changes → use detect_changes
• A file's full dependency tree → use get_context_for_file

Step 2: Run Impact Analysis

For a specific symbol:

Use the get_impact MCP tool with the symbol name. It returns every affected file with confidence scores and traversal depth (max 3 levels).

For uncommitted changes:

Use the detect_changes MCP tool. It maps git diffs to modules and assigns risk levels.

For a file's dependency tree:

Use the get_context_for_file MCP tool to see all dependencies and dependents.

Step 3: Trace Deeper (if needed)

For high-risk changes, go deeper:

• trace_flow — trace execution from an entry point through the call graph
• trace_data — trace data flow forward or backward from a symbol
• find_implementations — find all classes implementing an interface

Step 4: Check for Safe Rename

If the change is a rename, use rename_symbol MCP tool to get a preview of all files that would change (dry-run, no writes).

Step 5: Present Results

Summarize in this format:

## Impact Analysis: {symbol or change description}

**Direct dependents:** {count} files
**Transitive impact:** {count} files (depth {N})
**Risk level:** {low|medium|high}

### Affected Files
- `path/to/file.ts` — {why it's affected}
- `path/to/other.ts` — {why it's affected}

### Recommendations
- {what to test}
- {what to update}
- {risks to watch for}