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mcp-digger

mcp-digger

Local
github.comDeveloper Tools0Updated 23w ago

About mcp-digger

mcp-digger is an MCP server that gives AI coding agents progressive access to source in .NET NuGet repositories. Its focused C# indexing and layered tools support discovery from package overviews down to individual files without placing managed clones in the workspace.

Key features

  1. 01Index .NET and NuGet source repositories
  2. 02Discover repositories and packages
  3. 03Search symbols, implementations, and references
  4. 04Inspect public API signatures
  5. 05Read individual source files
  6. 06Refresh indexes and check repository health

Use cases

  1. 01Look up private C# library APIs while coding
  2. 02Trace types across configured packages
  3. 03Inspect signatures before reading full source
  4. 04Refresh indexes after repository changes

MCP support

mcp-digger exposes ten tools to MCP clients for repository status, package discovery, symbol search, signatures, source reading, and index maintenance. It is scoped to .NET/C# repositories containing `.csproj` packages and `.cs` files.

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

mcp.json · Universal config
{
"mcpServers": {
"janeksm-mcp-digger": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-digger"
]
}
}
}
Run commandnpx -y mcp-digger

Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.

Packages
npmmcp-digger1.1.3

Tools

2

Saved tool list · updated 3w ago

This tool takes no parameters.

Details

From the project README

mcp-digger

Code context for AI coding agents. Progressive, on-demand access to your internal .NET / NuGet package source — agents browse, search, and read private C# libraries autonomously, with zero workspace pollution.

⚠ Scope: .NET / C# only. mcp-digger indexes NuGet-style repos containing .csproj packages and .cs source files. It is not a general-purpose source indexer — other languages (TypeScript, Python, Java, Go, etc.) are out of scope.


✨ Why

Public NuGet packages have documentation ecosystems — API references, tutorials, community Q&A. Tools like context7 serve that well.

Internal .NET packages often have source code as their primary documentation. mcp-digger turns that source into structured, searchable, token-efficient context that any MCP-compatible agent can consume — bridging the documentation gap in private C# library ecosystems.

Without it:

  • 🐢 Slow context gathering — git clone + find + grep + cat chains burn tokens on infrastructure before useful context is retrieved.
  • 🔍 No semantic search — file system tools find text, not API surfaces. "Every type implementing this interface" means writing extraction scripts on demand.
  • 💸 Token waste — agents read whole files when a single method signature would do.
  • 🖱 Permission click fatigue — dozens of shell-command approvals per session.
  • 🧹 Workspace noise — referenced repos pollute file search, git status, and the agent's context window.

With it:

  • ✅ Correct code on the first try — real signatures, generic constraints, interface contracts, base class patterns.
  • ⚡ Self-service context — point the agent at your NuGet repos once; it browses, searches, and reads autonomously.
  • 🪙 Progressive disclosure — 200-token overview before 5,000 tokens of source. Most questions resolve at L1 or L2.
  • 🧼 Zero workspace pollution — managed clones live outside your project tree.
  • 🌐 Any Git host — GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, self-hosted — HTTPS or SSH.

🛠 How it works

Ten purpose-built tools, escalating from broad to deep. The agent picks the cheapest tool that answers its question.

                                                           ┌─→ 📦 dig_package_overview ─┐
                                                           │   (docs, key types)        │
   🩺 dig_status  →  📋 dig_list  →  📖 dig_repo_overview  ┤                            ├─→  🔎 dig_lookup     →  📄 dig_file
   (health)          (discover)      (README + summaries)  │                            │   (symbol → file)       (full source)
                                                           ├─→ 📁 dig_package_files ────┤
                                                           │   (file listing)           │
                                                           └────────────────────────────┴─→  📝 dig_signatures
                                                                                            (stripped API)

   Operational:  🔄 dig_refresh   (force cache invalidation, on demand)
   Bootstrap:    🌱 dig_init      (only when no config exists)

🧰 Tools (10)

TierToolWhat it does
Health🩺 dig_statusConfig summary, connectivity check per repo, index health stats
Discovery📋 dig_listLists configured repos + their packages with one-line .csproj summaries
L1 Overview📖 dig_repo_overviewRepo README.md (filtered to architecture sections) + package count
L1 Overview📦 dig_package_overviewPackage docs, key interfaces, abstract classes, file count
L1 Overview📁 dig_package_files.cs file listing for a package, with directory summary header
L2 Search🔎 dig_lookupIndexed symbol search — symbol, implements, or references mode. Cross-package supported.
L2 Search📝 dig_signaturesStripped C# public API surface filtered by keyword (no method bodies)
L3 Source📄 dig_fileFull source of a single file (capped at 1 MB)
Operational🔄 dig_refreshForce-rebuild caches for one or all repos
Bootstrap🌱 dig_initCreates starter .digger/config.json (registered only when no config is found)

Search modes for dig_lookup:

ModeFinds
symbol (default)Type/method declarations matching a name substring
implementsClasses/structs implementing an interface or extending a base class
referencesFiles referencing a given type name (word-boundary, case-sensitive)

🚀 Quick start

Install
npm install -g mcp-digger
# or run directly
npx mcp-digger

Requires Node.js 20+, git on PATH, and a .NET / C# source repo (NuGet packages with .csproj + .cs sources).

Minimal config

Create .digger/config.json in your workspace root:

{
  "repos": [
    {
      "name": "my-libraries",
      "url": "https://github.com/org/shared-libs.git",
      "packageFilter": "MyCompany.*",
      "auth": {
        "strategy": "pat",
        "PAT-EnvVarName": "GIT_PAT"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Don't have a config yet? Start the server, then call dig_init to scaffold one.

Agent setup
Claude Code

Add to .claude/settings.json or project settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "digger": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-digger"]
    }
  }
}
Codex CLI

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml for project-scoped):

[mcp_servers.mcp-digger]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mcp-digger"]
Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "digger": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-digger"]
    }
  }
}
VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json (workspace) or your user mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "digger": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-digger"]
    }
  }
}
Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "digger": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-digger"]
    }
  }
}
Verify

Once connected, ask your agent to call dig_status — it reports config validation, per-repo connectivity, and index health.


⚙ Configuration

Repos & packages

A repos[] entry has three ways to declare packages:

OptionBehavior
"packages": ["A", "B"]Explicit list — these packages plus any local sibling project they pull in via <ProjectReference> (transitive, sibling-only).
"packageFilter": "MyCompany.*"Wildcard — narrows to packages matching the prefix, found via .sln/.slnx/Directory.Packages.props workspace scan. Follows transitive ProjectReference links automatically.
(omit both)Auto-discover all non-test .csproj directories under sourceRoot (recursive — nested layouts supported).

sourceRoot defaults to "src" — set it to whichever directory holds your package folders. The walk is recursive, so nested layouts like src/Group/Foo/Foo.csproj are picked up.

Branch tracking

By default, managed clones use the repo's default branch. Pin to a specific one:

{
  "repos": [
    {
      "name": "my-libraries",
      "url": "https://github.com/org/shared-libs.git",
      "branch": "develop"
    }
  ]
}

The branch is used for both initial clone and subsequent fetches. Only applies to managed clones — for local repos, you control the checked-out branch yourself.

Local repos (Mode B)

Skip managed cloning when the repo is already on disk. The local path is read-only — mcp-digger never fetches or modifies it.

{
  "localRepos": {
    "my-libraries": "C:/repos/shared-libs"
  },
  "repos": [
    {
      "name": "my-libraries",
      "sourceRoot": "src"
    }
  ]
}
Auth strategies
StrategyBehavior
auto (default)Try unauthenticated, fall back to PAT if set
patAlways use PAT (fatal if not set)
noneNever authenticate

PATs can be inline ("PAT": "...") or via environment variable indirection ("PAT-EnvVarName": "MY_TOKEN"). The .env file in your workspace root is loaded automatically — values containing # should be quoted.

Environment variables
VariableDefaultPurpose
DIGGER_CONFIG.digger/config.jsonOverride config file path
MANAGED_SOURCE_DIR.digger/sourceOverride managed clone directory
CACHE_DIR.digger/cacheOverride cache directory

Secrets (PAT values) belong in .env or the real environment — never as env vars in this table.


🩺 Diagnostics & recovery

SymptomFirst callThen
Connection / auth issuesdig_statusReports auth attempts, exact error, actionable hints
"No matches" but you expect somedig_refresh <repo>Force-rebuilds index, picks up new extraction logic
Server starts but no tools visibledig_statusIf unconfigured, only dig_status + dig_init are registered
Need a config from scratchdig_initScaffolds .digger/config.json (atomic — won't overwrite existing)
Debug log

Enable debug logging in your config:

{ "debug": true, "repos": [...] }

Logs go to .digger/debug.log (capped at 5 MB, auto-truncated). Critical errors and crash output land in .digger/error.log.


💬 Feedback

Tried mcp-digger on your codebase? Share what worked, what broke, what's missing in GitHub Discussions. Bug reports go in Issues.


📜 License

MIT License — see LICENSE.

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