References and the assistant
Each reference project that is set up on this machine gets its own read-only tool server in the chat. The assistant queries the reference with the same index-based tools it uses for the active project. It reads there and writes here.
A reference that is missing on this machine has no server. Asked about it, the assistant points to the Reference Projects section of Project Settings instead of reading files from disk.
Reference servers
The tools of a reference are named mcp__ce-ref-<slug>__<tool>, for example
mcp__ce-ref-weatheringest__describe_symbol. The slug is shown next to the
reference in Project Settings.
| Group | Tools |
|---|---|
| Lookup | describe_symbol, code_search, text_search, find_similar, find_duplicates, find_ui_source, find_label, ui_elements, symbol_tests, boundary_list |
| Graph | neighbors, call_chain, call_tree, transitive_callers, transitive_callees, shortest_path, file_imports, file_importers, impact_radius, dependencies_radius |
| Structure | cluster_tree, cluster_files, semantic_domains, metrics, findings |
| projectdocs | projectdocs_list_phases, projectdocs_read_entry, projectdocs_search_docs, projectdocs_semantic_search, projectdocs_for_symbol, symbols_for_projectdoc |
| Specs | spec_list, spec_read, spec_search, spec_anchors_for_symbol, spec_coverage_for_symbol, spec_symbols_for_artifact |
| State | status |
There are no writing tools, no ticket, git or session tools.
status on a reference server returns the analyzed commit (git_hash) and
the checkout: branch, current commit, uncommitted files and
index_matches_checkout. For a snapshot, project_path lies under
ref-worktrees/ and the branch is empty. For questions that depend on a
version, the assistant checks status first and names the commit.
Cross-project tools
For references with the purpose Linked, the server of the active project has these tools:
| Tool | Returns |
|---|---|
boundary_list | The interface index of the active project, filtered by role, kind, method or file. Also available on every reference server. |
xref_links | The links between this project and its linked references in both directions, with confidence and detected path prefix. |
xref_unresolved | Calls and sent messages of this project that no linked reference answers. |
xref_call_tree | The call tree of a symbol across the boundary. Each node names its project. |
xref_compare | The comparison of two states of a reference, the same as Compare states. Without to, the list of available states. |
The assistant can open a cross-project call tree in the graph with a link of
the form
ce://graph-perspective?kind=xref_call_tree&symbol=fetchModelForecast&depth=2.
Typical questions:
- "Which endpoint answers the call in
fetchModelForecast, and what does it call?"xref_linksfor the boundary, thendescribe_symbolandcall_treeon the reference server. - "Which of our calls break with WeatherIngest
v2.0.0?"xref_compare. If the state is not analyzed yet, the assistant suggests pinning it as a snapshot.
Anchors to symbols of a reference
projectdocs_anchor_add, spec_add_anchor and spec_add_anchors_batch take
the parameter ref with the reference's slug. The symbol is checked against the
reference's index and stored as ref:<slug>:<path>::<name>, without a machine
path. projectdocs_for_symbol with ref finds the entries anchored to a
reference symbol. See Anchors.
The other direction: in a project that others reference,
projectdocs_for_symbol and spec_anchors_for_symbol list foreign anchors
under referenced_by, with project, entry and anchor. Tracemoor finds them
in the explorations on this machine that reference the open project. Before
renaming such a symbol, the assistant names these anchors, because they can only
be changed in their own exploration. The user interface does not show them.
Providers and limits
The reference servers work with Claude Code and with the API providers.
Some providers accept a limited number of tools, OpenAI and OpenCode 128. Tracemoor orders the tool list so that the core tools of the active project, the cross-project tools and the core tools of every reference come first. The remaining tools of the active project and of the references come last and are the ones left out.
In the permission modes ReadOnly and Safe, the file tools Read,
Grep and Glob of the API path may read in the project, the exploration, the
analysis cache and the folders and indexes of the references. In Brave this
limit does not apply.