About gitnexus-impact-analysis
gitnexus-impact-analysis is a GitNexus skill for developers assessing the effects of code changes. It traces upstream dependencies and affected execution flows, then uses Git changes to help evaluate risk before editing or committing.
Key features
- 01Find upstream dependents of a symbol
- 02Review affected execution flows
- 03Map Git changes to flows
- 04Assess impact by depth and confidence
- 05Check staged changes
Use cases
- 01Assess risk before changing a function
- 02Identify direct callers that may break
- 03Review affected flows before committing
- 04Estimate the reach of a code change
MCP support
The skill uses GitNexus impact and detect_changes tools and reads repository process resources to examine affected execution flows.
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/gitnexus-impact-analysisin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEImpact Analysis with GitNexus
When to Use
- "Is it safe to change this function?"
- "What will break if I modify X?"
- "Show me the blast radius"
- "Who uses this code?"
- Before making non-trivial code changes
- Before committing — to understand what your changes affect
Workflow
1. impact({target: "X", direction: "upstream"}) → What depends on this
2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/processes → Check affected execution flows
3. detect_changes() → Map current git changes to affected flows
4. Assess risk and report to user
If "Index is stale" → run
node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyzein terminal.
Checklist
- [ ] impact({target, direction: "upstream"}) to find dependents
- [ ] Review d=1 items first (these WILL BREAK)
- [ ] Check high-confidence (>0.8) dependencies
- [ ] READ processes to check affected execution flows
- [ ] detect_changes() for pre-commit check
- [ ] Assess risk level and report to user
Understanding Output
| Depth | Risk Level | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| d=1 | WILL BREAK | Direct callers/importers |
| d=2 | LIKELY AFFECTED | Indirect dependencies |
| d=3 | MAY NEED TESTING | Transitive effects |
Risk Assessment
| Affected | Risk |
|---|---|
| <5 symbols, few processes | LOW |
| 5-15 symbols, 2-5 processes | MEDIUM |
| >15 symbols or many processes | HIGH |
| Critical path (auth, payments) | CRITICAL |
Tools
impact — the primary tool for symbol blast radius:
impact({
target: "validateUser",
direction: "upstream",
minConfidence: 0.8,
maxDepth: 3
})
→ d=1 (WILL BREAK):
- loginHandler (src/auth/login.ts:42) [CALLS, 100%]
- apiMiddleware (src/api/middleware.ts:15) [CALLS, 100%]
→ d=2 (LIKELY AFFECTED):
- authRouter (src/routes/auth.ts:22) [CALLS, 95%]
detect_changes — git-diff based impact analysis:
detect_changes({scope: "staged"})
→ Changed: 5 symbols in 3 files
→ Affected: LoginFlow, TokenRefresh, APIMiddlewarePipeline
→ Risk: MEDIUM
Example: "What breaks if I change validateUser?"
1. impact({target: "validateUser", direction: "upstream"})
→ d=1: loginHandler, apiMiddleware (WILL BREAK)
→ d=2: authRouter, sessionManager (LIKELY AFFECTED)
2. READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/processes
→ LoginFlow and TokenRefresh touch validateUser
3. Risk: 2 direct callers, 2 processes = MEDIUM
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