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Context & code intelligence

These tools help the agent understand the code without reading it whole (token saving). Tramalia orchestrates them from tramalia context and/or wires them as MCP servers.

flowchart LR
    classDef s fill:#eef1ff,stroke:#9a92e8,color:#2a2160;
    SR["Serena<br/><small>decides what to read (symbols)</small>"]:::s --> RP["Repomix / codebase-memory-mcp<br/><small>build the map/graph</small>"]:::s
    RP --> CTX[".tramalia/context/<br/><small>derived memory</small>"]:::s

Repomix — packaged snapshot

  • What it is / scope: packages the repo into a single AI-friendly file (snapshot).
  • Requires: Node.
  • Install: mise use npm:repomix · direct: npm i -g repomix · without installing: npx repomix.
  • Tramalia uses it in: context — if present, it generates the snapshot; if not, Tramalia falls back to a stdlib tree.
  • Interacts with: feeds .tramalia/context/; complements Serena (snapshot vs. live navigation).

Serena — live semantic navigation (MCP)

  • What it is / scope: an MCP toolkit that uses language servers (LSP) so the agent reads only the exact symbol it's about to touch — surgical navigation, always fresh.
  • Requires: uv + Python (runs via uvx, no global install needed).
  • Install / wire: tramalia init already puts it in .mcp.json: 
    "serena": { "command": "uvx",
  "args": ["--from","git+https://github.com/oraios/serena","serena","start-mcp-server"] }
  • Tramalia uses it in: it wires it into .mcp.json; the agent consumes it via MCP. The CLI doesn't invoke it directly.
  • Interacts with: it decides what to read before Repomix/codebase-memory build context; it reduces tokens during live work.

codebase-memory-mcp — structural code graph (MCP)

  • What it is / scope: indexes the code into a persistent knowledge graph (158 languages, hybrid LSP + tree-sitter): get_architecture, call graphs, impact analysis. ~99% fewer tokens than reading file by file. A more powerful alternative to Serena/Repomix as a context backend.
  • Requires: nothing (static binary, C/C++).
  • Install: binary from the repo's releases. Important: use --skip-config so it does not configure agents or write instructions outside Tramalia.
  • Tramalia uses it in: optional context backend / query MCP server.
  • Interacts with / caution: only its query tools. Its manage_adr and agent auto-configuration must not be used: ADRs live in docs/ai/05 and rules in AGENTS.md (Tramalia's governance).

How the three fit together

  • Serena = what to read (symbols, live).
  • Repomix = full snapshot when you need a picture.
  • codebase-memory-mcp = persistent structural graph (architecture, impact).

Tramalia doesn't compete with them: it declares them, detects them (doctor) and consumes their output in .tramalia/context/ or via MCP. You choose which one(s) to mount.