NetContextServer Tool Reference

This document provides detailed documentation for all available tools in NetContextServer. Each tool is documented with its description, parameters, and usage examples.

File Operations

`list_files`

Lists all .NET source files in the specified project directory.

Parameters:

--project-path (required): Absolute path to the project directory containing the .cs files

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- list-files --project-path "D:\Projects\MyApp\src\MyProject"

`list_projects`

Scans the current solution and returns all .csproj files found.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- list-projects

`list_projects_in_dir`

Searches a specific directory for .csproj files.

Parameters:

--directory (required): Absolute path to the directory to search for .csproj files

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- list-projects-in-dir --directory "D:\Projects\MyApp\src"

`list_solutions`

Returns all .sln files found in the base directory.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- list-solutions

`list_source_files`

Lists all source files in a project directory.

Parameters:

--project-dir (required): Absolute path to the project directory to scan for source files

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- list-source-files --project-dir "D:\Projects\MyApp\src\MyProject"

`open_file`

Reads and returns the contents of a specified file.

Parameters:

--file-path (required): Absolute path to the file to read

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- open-file --file-path "D:\Projects\MyApp\src\MyProject\Program.cs"

`set_base_directory`

Sets the base directory for all file operations.

Parameters:

--directory (required): Absolute path to set as the new base directory. Must be a valid, existing directory

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- set-base-dir --directory "D:\Projects\MyApp"

`get_base_directory`

Returns the current base directory used for all file operations.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- get-base-dir

Search Operations

`search_code`

Performs a text-based search across all code files for the specified text.

Parameters:

--text (required): The exact text string to search for in the codebase

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- search-code --text "public class Program"

`semantic_search`

Performs a semantic similarity search across the codebase using AI.

Parameters:

--query (required): Natural language description of the code you're looking for
--top (optional): Number of results to return (default: 5)

Example:

# With default number of results
dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- semantic-search --query "file handling operations"

# With custom number of results
dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- semantic-search --query "error handling" --top 10

Note: Requires Azure OpenAI credentials to be set in environment variables:

AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY

Package Analysis

`analyze_packages`

Analyzes NuGet packages in all projects found in the base directory.

Parameters:

--include-preview (optional): Whether to include preview/prerelease versions in update recommendations. Default is false (only stable versions).

Example:

# Default - show only stable version updates
dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- analyze-packages

# Include preview versions in update recommendations
dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- analyze-packages --include-preview

Output includes:

Package versions and available updates
Usage analysis and detection of unused packages
Security vulnerability warnings
Recommendations for updates or removal
Deep transitive dependency analysis
Visual dependency graph representation with smart grouping
Preview/prerelease version information (when requested or available)

Status Indicators:

✅ Up to date: Current version is the latest stable version
🔄 Update available: A newer stable version exists
🔆 Preview update available: When preview versions are included
🔅 Preview available: Indicates preview updates are available when not showing previews
⚠️ Unused: Package is not referenced in code

Dependency Graph Features:

Hierarchical tree visualization in ASCII-art format
Automatic grouping of related dependencies by namespace
Color-coding of dependencies in the console:
- Cyan: Leaf dependencies (end nodes)
- Green: Intermediate dependencies
- Yellow: Grouped namespaces
Clear visual separation between dependency groups
Configurable depth of transitive dependency resolution

Example Output:

Project: MyProject.csproj
  Found 3 package(s):
  - ✅ Newtonsoft.Json (13.0.1)
    Used in 5 location(s)

    Dependencies:
    └─ Newtonsoft.Json
       ├─ Microsoft.*
       │  └─ Microsoft.CSharp
       └─ System.*
          └─ System.ComponentModel

  - 🔄 Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection (5.0.2 → 6.0.1)
    Update available: 6.0.1
    Used in 3 location(s)

    Dependencies:
    └─ Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection
       └─ Microsoft.*
          └─ Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.Abstractions

  - ⚠️ Unused.Package (1.0.0)
    Consider removing this unused package

Ignore Pattern Management

`add_ignore_patterns`

Adds new patterns to the ignore list for file scanning operations.

Parameters:

--patterns (required): Array of glob patterns to ignore (e.g. '.generated.cs', 'bin/')

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- add-ignore-patterns --patterns "*.generated.cs" "bin/*" "obj/*"

`clear_ignore_patterns`

Removes all user-defined ignore patterns from both memory and the persistent state file.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- clear-ignore-patterns

`get_ignore_patterns`

Retrieves the current list of active ignore patterns from memory.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- get-ignore-patterns

`get_state_file_location`

Returns the absolute path to the ignore_patterns.json state file.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- get-state-file-location

`remove_ignore_patterns`

Removes specific patterns from the ignore list.

Parameters:

--patterns (required): Array of glob patterns to remove from the ignore list

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- remove-ignore-patterns --patterns "*.generated.cs" "bin/*"

Default Ignore Patterns

The following patterns are ignored by default to protect sensitive information:

*.env - Environment files
appsettings.*.json - Application settings
*.pfx - Certificate files
*.key - Key files
*.pem - PEM files
*password* - Files containing "password" in the name
*secret* - Files containing "secret" in the name

General Tools

`hello`

Simple health check endpoint that returns a greeting message.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- hello

`version`

Gets version and configuration information about the NetContextServer.

Parameters: None

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- version

Output Example:

NetContextServer v1.0.0
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

System Information:
  • Runtime: .NET 9.0.0
  • OS: Unix 24.1.0

Features:
  • Semantic Search: ✗ Disabled

Active Configuration:
  • Base Directory: /Users/username/projects/myapp
  • Has Ignore Patterns: true
  • State File Location: /Users/username/projects/myapp/ignore_patterns.json

Response Fields:

version: Current version of NetContextServer
runtimeVersion: Current .NET runtime version
operatingSystem: Current operating system information
semanticSearchEnabled: Whether semantic search is configured and available
activeConfiguration: Dictionary of current configuration settings including:
- BaseDirectory: Current base directory for file operations
- HasIgnorePatterns: Whether custom ignore patterns are defined
- StateFileLocation: Path to the ignore patterns state file

`think`

Provides a space for structured thinking during complex operations, allowing AI models to reason about actions, verify compliance with rules, and plan next steps without making any state changes.

Parameters:

--thought (required): The thought or reasoning to process

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- think --thought "Planning to refactor the authentication module to use JWT tokens"

Output Example:

{
  "thought": "Planning to refactor the authentication module to use JWT tokens",
  "message": "Thought processed successfully",
  "category": "Refactoring",
  "timestamp": "2024-03-21T14:30:00.000Z",
  "characterCount": 58
}

When to Use: The think tool is particularly valuable when you want Claude to:

Break down complex problems into manageable steps
Analyze tool outputs before taking further actions
Verify compliance with project policies and rules
Plan multi-step operations that require careful consideration
Document reasoning about architectural decisions

📚 Learn More: This implementation is based on Anthropic's research on improving Claude's performance with a dedicated thinking space. Read their detailed blog post for more insights.

Best Practice Examples:

Multi-step Task Planning

Before implementing a new feature, use the think tool to:
- List all required functionality
- Identify affected components and files
- Plan the implementation sequence
- Consider potential edge cases
- Outline test scenarios

Example: When adding authentication, think through: user flow, security requirements, error states, and affected API endpoints.

Policy Compliance Verification

When evaluating solutions against project guidelines, use the think tool to:
- List all relevant policies
- Check each policy requirement against the solution
- Identify any compliance gaps
- Document justifications for approach
- Flag areas needing further review

Example: "Before implementing this database change, let me verify it meets our data security policies..."

Tool Output Analysis

After receiving complex tool outputs (like search results or code analysis), use the think tool to:
- Summarize key findings
- Identify patterns across results
- Connect information from different sources
- Determine next investigation steps
- Validate assumptions based on collected data

Example: "After searching the codebase for auth-related files, I've found these patterns..."

Architectural Decision Documentation

When making architectural choices, use the think tool to:
- Document decision criteria
- Compare alternative approaches
- List pros and cons of each option
- Justify the chosen solution
- Note implications for future development

Example: "Considering three approaches for the caching layer: in-memory, Redis, or database..."

Features:

Automatic thought categorization:
- Refactoring: Code restructuring and improvements
- Security: Security-related considerations
- Performance: Optimization and performance improvements
- Testing: Testing and debugging thoughts
- Architecture: Design and architectural decisions
- General: Other uncategorized thoughts
Detailed metadata including timestamps and character counts
Content validation for potentially harmful patterns
Support for Unicode characters and emoji
Automatic log rotation for debugging logs

Limitations and Considerations:

The tool is stateless - it doesn't persist thoughts between invocations
No state changes are made to the codebase
Maximum thought length is 32KB (32,768 characters)
Potentially harmful content is automatically rejected
Timestamps are in ISO 8601 format (UTC)
Log files are automatically rotated at 5MB

Logging Configuration: Enable thought logging by setting the environment variable:

# PowerShell
$env:NETCONTEXT_LOG_THOUGHTS="true"

# Bash
export NETCONTEXT_LOG_THOUGHTS="true"

Logs are stored in:

Location: [AppDirectory]/logs/thoughts.log
Format: [Timestamp] JSON-formatted-thought-data
Rotation: Automatic at 5MB with timestamp-based archiving

Integration with AI Workflows: When working with Claude, the think tool can be used to:

Document decision-making processes
Create structured plans for complex refactoring
Validate approaches against project guidelines
Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps
Maintain a clear record of reasoning in the conversation history
Track thought patterns through categorization

Error Handling: The tool returns error responses in the following cases:

{
  "error": "Missing required parameter 'thought'"
}

{
  "error": "Error: Thought exceeds maximum length of 32768 characters"
}

{
  "error": "Error: Thought contains invalid content"
}

Coverage Analysis Tools

`coverage-analysis`

Analyzes test coverage data from various formats and provides detailed insights.

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- coverage-analysis --report-path <path> [--format <format>]

Parameters:

--report-path: Path to the coverage report file
--format (optional): Coverage report format. Supported values:
- coverlet-json (default): Coverlet JSON format
- lcov: LCOV format
- cobertura: Cobertura XML format

Output: Returns a list of coverage reports for each file, including:

File path
Coverage percentage
List of uncovered lines
Branch coverage data (where available)
Recommendations for improving coverage

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- coverage-analysis --report-path "TestResults/coverage.json"

`coverage-summary`

Generates a summary of test coverage across all files.

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- coverage-summary --report-path <path> [--format <format>]

Parameters:

--report-path: Path to the coverage report file
--format (optional): Coverage report format (same as coverage-analysis)

Output: Returns a summary object containing:

Total number of files
Overall coverage percentage
Total number of uncovered lines
List of files with coverage below threshold
List of files with lowest coverage

Example:

dotnet run --project src/NetContextClient/NetContextClient.csproj -- coverage-summary --report-path "TestResults/coverage.json"

Error Handling

The server provides clear error messages for common scenarios:

Directory not found
Access denied (outside base directory)
Invalid patterns
File size limits exceeded
Restricted file types
Missing environment variables for semantic search

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

NetContextServer Tool Reference

File Operations

`list_files`

`list_projects`

`list_projects_in_dir`

`list_solutions`

`list_source_files`

`open_file`

`set_base_directory`

`get_base_directory`

Search Operations

`search_code`

`semantic_search`

Package Analysis

`analyze_packages`

Ignore Pattern Management

`add_ignore_patterns`

`clear_ignore_patterns`

`get_ignore_patterns`

`get_state_file_location`

`remove_ignore_patterns`

Default Ignore Patterns

General Tools

`hello`

`version`

`think`

Coverage Analysis Tools

`coverage-analysis`

`coverage-summary`

Error Handling

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NetContextServer Tool Reference

File Operations

list_files

list_projects

list_projects_in_dir

list_solutions

list_source_files

open_file

set_base_directory

get_base_directory

Search Operations

search_code

semantic_search

Package Analysis

analyze_packages

Ignore Pattern Management

add_ignore_patterns

clear_ignore_patterns

get_ignore_patterns

get_state_file_location

remove_ignore_patterns

Default Ignore Patterns

General Tools

hello

version

think

Coverage Analysis Tools

coverage-analysis

coverage-summary

Error Handling

`list_files`

`list_projects`

`list_projects_in_dir`

`list_solutions`

`list_source_files`

`open_file`

`set_base_directory`

`get_base_directory`

`search_code`

`semantic_search`

`analyze_packages`

`add_ignore_patterns`

`clear_ignore_patterns`

`get_ignore_patterns`

`get_state_file_location`

`remove_ignore_patterns`

`hello`

`version`

`think`

`coverage-analysis`

`coverage-summary`