Semfora Engine

Semantic code analyzer that produces compressed TOON (Text Object-Oriented Notation) output for AI-assisted code review. Extracts symbols, dependencies, control flow, state changes, and risk assessments from source files.

→ Quick Start — build, index, and connect your AI agent in under 5 minutes.

Installation

Download a prebuilt binary from Releases, or build from source:

# From source
cargo install --path .

# Or build without installing
cargo build --release
# Binaries land in target/release/

→ Full installation guide — all platforms, package managers, troubleshooting.

Binaries

The project builds four binaries:

Binary	Purpose
semfora-engine	Main CLI: analysis, indexing, querying, and MCP server
semfora-daemon	WebSocket daemon for real-time index updates
semfora-benchmark-builder	Benchmark tooling
semfora-security-compiler	Security pattern compiler

Note: The MCP server is built into semfora-engine as the serve subcommand. There is no separate semfora-engine-server binary.

Usage

# Analyze a single file
semfora-engine analyze path/to/file.rs

# Analyze a directory
semfora-engine analyze ./src

# Analyze uncommitted changes
semfora-engine analyze --uncommitted

# Generate a semantic index for the current project
semfora-engine index generate .

# Search for symbols by name
semfora-engine search "authenticate"

# Query the index
semfora-engine query overview
semfora-engine query symbol --help

# Start MCP server (for AI coding assistants)
semfora-engine serve --repo /path/to/project

# Start WebSocket daemon (for real-time updates)
semfora-daemon

See CLI Reference for full documentation.

Supported Languages

Programming Languages

Language	Extensions	Family	Implementation Details
TypeScript	.ts, .mts, .cts	JavaScript	Full AST extraction via tree-sitter-typescript; exports, interfaces, enums, decorators
TSX	.tsx	JavaScript	TypeScript + JSX/React component detection, hooks, styled-components
JavaScript	.js, .mjs, .cjs	JavaScript	Functions, classes, imports; framework detection for React, Express, Angular
JSX	.jsx	JavaScript	JavaScript + JSX component detection
Rust	.rs	Rust	Functions, structs, traits, enums; pub visibility detection via tree-sitter-rust
Python	.py, .pyi	Python	Functions, classes, decorators; underscore-prefix privacy convention
Go	.go	Go	Functions, methods, structs; uppercase-export convention via tree-sitter-go
Java	.java	Java	Classes, interfaces, enums, methods; visibility modifiers
Kotlin	.kt, .kts	Kotlin	Classes, functions, objects; visibility modifiers via tree-sitter-kotlin-ng
C	.c, .h	C Family	Functions, structs, enums; macro and extern detection via tree-sitter-c
C++	.cpp, .cc, .cxx, .hpp, .hxx, .hh	C Family	Classes, templates, RAII patterns via tree-sitter-cpp
Assembly (Generic)	.s, .asm, .S	Low-level	Instruction blocks, labels, directives via tree-sitter-asm
Shell / Bash	.sh, .bash, .zsh, .fish	Shell	Functions, variable assignments, command invocations via tree-sitter-bash
Gradle (Groovy)	.gradle	JVM Build	Groovy-based build files via tree-sitter-groovy

---

Build Systems & Tooling Languages

These are critical for large C, C++, embedded, and retro-console codebases.

Language / Format	Extensions	Purpose	Implementation Details
Makefile	Makefile, .mk	Build system	Target graph, recipes, variables via tree-sitter-make
CMake	CMakeLists.txt, .cmake	Build system	Target definitions, dependencies via tree-sitter-cmake
GNU Linker Scripts	.ld	Toolchain	Structural parsing only (no semantic pass yet)
GCC Attributes & Pragmas	inline in C/C++	Compiler control	Parsed as part of C/C++ AST

---

Framework Detection (JavaScript Family)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
React	Import from react	Components, hooks, forwardRef, memo	✅ Done
Next.js	/app/, /pages/ patterns	API routes, layouts, server/client components	✅ Done
Express	Import from express	Route handlers, middleware	✅ Done
Angular	Decorators (@Component)	Components, services, modules	✅ Done
Vue	.vue files	SFC script extraction, Composition API	✅ Done
NestJS	Decorators + bootstrap	Controllers, modules, providers	✅ Done
Koa	Router + app.use	Route handlers, middleware	☐ Planned
Fastify	fastify.METHOD, hooks	Route handlers, lifecycle hooks	☐ Planned
Hapi	server.route + lifecycle hooks	Route handlers, request lifecycle	☐ Planned
Sails / Adonis	Controller/action patterns	Route actions, policies	☐ Planned
Remix	Route module exports	loader, action, default	☐ Planned
Astro	Route files + endpoints	SSR routes, API handlers	☐ Planned
SvelteKit	+page/+layout/+server files	load, actions, endpoints	☐ Planned
Nuxt	pages/, server/api/, plugins	Routes, middleware, modules	☐ Planned
Serverless (Vercel/Netlify/AWS)	Handler exports	Serverless entry handlers	☐ Planned
Cloudflare Workers	fetch/scheduled handlers	Worker entry points	☐ Planned
Socket.io / ws	Connection + event handlers	Realtime entry handlers	☐ Planned
GraphQL (Apollo/Yoga/Helix)	Resolver map exports	Resolvers, schema bindings	☐ Planned
Tooling (Vite/Webpack/Rollup/Babel)	Config + plugin hooks	Build entry + plugin hooks	☐ Planned
CLI (Commander/Yargs/Oclif)	Command registration	CLI command handlers	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (C# / .NET)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
ASP.NET Core MVC	Attributes + controller base	Controller actions	☐ Planned
ASP.NET Minimal APIs	MapGet/MapPost handlers	Route handlers	☐ Planned
Razor Pages	PageModel handlers	Page lifecycle methods	☐ Planned
Blazor	@page directives	Routed components	☐ Planned
gRPC	Service base classes	RPC handlers	☐ Planned
Azure Functions	[FunctionName] attributes	Function handlers	☐ Planned
Unity	MonoBehaviour lifecycle	Start, Update, Awake	☐ Planned
Godot (C#)	Node lifecycle methods	_Ready, _Process, _PhysicsProcess	☐ Planned
MAUI / Xamarin	App lifecycle	App entry + page routes	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (Python)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
Django	URL + view patterns	Views, URL routes	☐ Planned
Flask	@app.route decorators	Route handlers	☐ Planned
FastAPI	@app.get/post decorators	Route handlers, DI	☐ Planned
Celery / RQ	Task decorators	Task entry points	☐ Planned
Click / Typer	CLI decorators	Command handlers	☐ Planned
Airflow	DAG declarations	Workflow entry points	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (Go)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
net/http	Handler registration	Route handlers	☐ Planned
Gin/Echo/Fiber/Chi	Router registration	Route handlers	☐ Planned
gRPC	Service impls	RPC handlers	☐ Planned
Cobra	Command registration	CLI command handlers	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (Java/Kotlin)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
Spring Boot / MVC	Annotations	Controllers, routes	☐ Planned
Micronaut / Quarkus	Annotations + DI	Controllers, beans	☐ Planned
JAX-RS / Jakarta EE	Annotations	Resource handlers	☐ Planned
Android (Java/Kotlin)	App lifecycle + manifest	Activities, services	☐ Planned
Ktor	Routing blocks	Route handlers	☐ Planned
Jetpack Compose	@Composable	UI entry points	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (Rust)

Framework	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
Actix/Axum/Rocket/Warp	Route macros	Route handlers	☐ Planned
Tonic	Service trait impls	RPC handlers	☐ Planned
Bevy	System registration	Game systems + app entry	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (C / C++)

Framework / Domain	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
Unreal Engine	Reflection macros	Gameplay classes, module entry	☐ Planned
SDL/GLFW/Qt	App init + event loop	Application entry	☐ Planned
Embedded / RTOS	ISR naming + startup code	Interrupt handlers	☐ Planned

---

Framework Detection (Swift / PHP / Odin / Dreamcast)

Framework / Domain	Detection Method	Extracted Information	Status
SwiftUI	@main app + Scene	App entry + scene graph	☐ Planned
Vapor	Route registration	Route handlers	☐ Planned
Laravel/Symfony	Controller/routes	Web entry points	☐ Planned
WordPress	Hook/action patterns	Plugin entry points	☐ Planned
Odin	package main, proc main	Language entry points	☐ Planned
Dreamcast/KOS	main, init routines	Boot sequence + subsystem entry points	☐ Planned

---

Markup & Styling

Language	Extensions	Implementation Details
HTML	.html, .htm	DOM structure via tree-sitter-html
CSS	.css	Stylesheet structure via tree-sitter-css
SCSS / SASS	.scss, .sass	Nested rules via tree-sitter-scss
Markdown	.md, .markdown	Section and block structure via tree-sitter-md

---

Configuration & Data

Language	Extensions	Implementation Details
JSON	.json	Structural parsing via tree-sitter-json
YAML	.yaml, .yml	Structural parsing via tree-sitter-yaml
TOML	.toml	Config parsing via tree-sitter-toml-ng
XML	.xml, .svg, .plist, .pom	Tree structure via tree-sitter-xml
HCL / Terraform	.tf, .hcl, .tfvars	IaC parsing via tree-sitter-hcl

---

Single-File Components

Format	Extension	Implementation Details
Vue SFC	.vue	Script extraction with language-aware parsing

---

Duplicate Detection & Boilerplate Patterns

Semfora Engine includes semantic duplicate detection that identifies structurally similar code while filtering expected boilerplate.

Current Boilerplate Coverage

Language	Patterns	Status
JavaScript / TypeScript	19	Full support
Rust	13	Full support
C#	18	Full support
Python	0	Planned
Go	0	Planned
Java	0	Planned
C / C++	0	Planned
Assembly	N/A	Structural only

---

Planned Boilerplate Patterns

Language	Planned Patterns	Priority
Python	pytest fixtures, dataclasses, FastAPI routes, Pydantic models	High
Go	HTTP handlers, middleware, error wrapping	High
Java	Spring controllers, Lombok, DTOs, JPA entities	High
C / C++	RAII wrappers, copy/move boilerplate, driver init blocks	High
Kotlin	Data classes, coroutines, Ktor routing	High
Makefile	Repeated build targets, recursive includes	Medium

---

Language Roadmap

Prioritized by enterprise relevance, embedded systems reach, and large-repo payoff.

Completed

• C#
• HCL / Terraform
• JavaScript / TypeScript
• Rust
• Core C / C++

---

Priority 1: Deep C / C++ Expansion

Critical for:

• Embedded systems
• Emulators
• Operating systems
• Retro-console SDKs (KallistiOS, SDL ports)

Focus	Details
Assembly Integration	SH-4, ARM, x86 inline asm correlation
Driver Patterns	IRQ handlers, register maps, init/shutdown
Build Graphs	Makefile + CMake cross-analysis
Dreamcast (KOS)	Boot sequence, main, subsystem init

---

Priority 2: Kotlin

Item	Details
Parser	tree-sitter-kotlin-ng
Targets	Coroutines, sealed classes, Android + server

---

Priority 3: Swift

Item	Details
Parser	tree-sitter-swift
Targets	Protocols, SwiftUI, async/await

---

Priority 4: PHP

Item	Details
Parser	tree-sitter-php
Targets	Laravel, WordPress

---

Priority 5: Infra & Tooling (Structural)

Language	Extensions	Mode
Dockerfile	Dockerfile	Structural
PowerShell	.ps1	Structural
Linker scripts	.ld	Structural

---

Priority 6: Odin

Item	Details
Parser	tree-sitter-odin (or custom)
Targets	package main + proc main(), package init, game libs

---

Known Unsupported Formats

Format	Extensions	Reason
Jest Snapshots	.shot	Test artifacts
MDX	.mdx	Hybrid JSX + Markdown
AsciiDoc	.adoc	Docs-only
Protocol Buffers	.proto	Tree-sitter version mismatch
Scala	.scala	Low demand vs complexity
Elixir	.ex, .exs	Low enterprise priority

---

Architecture

src/
├── main.rs              # CLI entry point (semfora-engine binary)
├── cli.rs               # CLI argument definitions
├── lib.rs               # Library exports
├── lang.rs              # Language detection from file extensions
├── extract.rs           # Main extraction orchestration
├── schema.rs            # SemanticSummary output schema
├── toon.rs              # TOON format encoding
├── risk.rs              # Behavioral risk calculation
├── error.rs             # Error types and exit codes
├── cache.rs             # Cache management and querying
├── shard.rs             # Sharded index generation
├── detectors/           # Language-specific extractors
│   ├── javascript/      # JS/TS with framework support
│   │   ├── core.rs      # Core JS/TS extraction
│   │   └── frameworks/  # React, Next.js, Express, Angular, Vue
│   ├── rust.rs
│   ├── python.rs
│   ├── go.rs
│   ├── java.rs
│   ├── kotlin.rs
│   ├── shell.rs
│   ├── gradle.rs
│   ├── c_family.rs
│   ├── markup.rs
│   ├── config.rs
│   ├── grammar.rs       # AST node mappings per language
│   └── generic.rs       # Generic extraction using grammars
├── mcp_server/          # MCP server (semfora-engine-server binary)
│   ├── mod.rs           # MCP tool handlers
│   └── bin.rs           # Server entry point
└── socket_server/       # WebSocket daemon (semfora-daemon binary)
    ├── mod.rs           # Server architecture
    ├── bin.rs           # Daemon entry point
    ├── connection.rs    # Client connection handling
    ├── protocol.rs      # Message types
    └── repo_registry.rs # Multi-repo context management

Adding a New Language

1. Add tree-sitter grammar to Cargo.toml
2. Add Lang variant in lang.rs with extension mapping
3. Add LangGrammar in detectors/grammar.rs with AST node mappings
4. (Optional) Create dedicated detector in detectors/ for special features
5. Wire up in extract.rs dispatcher

Documentation

Document	Description
Quick Start	Get up and running in 5 minutes
CLI Reference	Complete CLI usage, subcommands, and examples
Features	Incremental indexing, layered indexes, risk assessment
MCP Tools Reference	All MCP tools for AI agent integration
MCP Workflows	Common MCP usage patterns
WebSocket Daemon	Real-time updates, protocol, and query methods
Adding Languages	Guide for adding new language support
Architecture	Implementation details and design

License