explain.md

ix explain

Explain an entity — its role, importance, and structural context.

Usage

ix explain <symbol>

What It Does

1. Resolves the symbol in the graph
2. Collects facts: edges, container, children, claims
3. Infers role (e.g., "entry point", "utility", "data model")
4. Scores importance based on dependents
5. Renders a human-readable explanation

Flags

Flag	Description
--kind <kind>	Disambiguate by entity kind
--path <path>	Disambiguate by file path
--pick <n>	Select nth result when ambiguous
--format json	JSON output
--raw	Legacy metadata dump

Examples

# Explain a class
ix explain AuthProvider

# Explain a specific function
ix explain validate --kind function

# Disambiguate
ix explain parse --pick 2

# JSON for LLM consumption
ix explain UserService --format json

Output

AuthProvider (class) — auth/provider.ts:15-89

  Role: Core authentication provider
  Importance: High (12 dependents)

  Contains:
    - validateToken (method)
    - refreshSession (method)
    - revokeAccess (method)

  Used by:
    - AuthMiddleware.handle
    - UserRouter.authenticate

  Why it matters:
    Central to the auth system — changes here affect 12 downstream consumers.