KIT Tools Reference
Complete reference for all Kerno KIT code intelligence tools.
These tools give your agent structured access to your codebase without reading files broadly.
Getting started with the tools
Run the tools in this order on first use:
scan_workspace— discover modules in your repositoryindex_module— index a module to make it queryableEverything else — navigate, search, and explore
Workspace
scan_workspace
Scan the repository and list modules and their roots. Required before indexing.
kerno_sync_workspace
Sync Kerno's view of the workspace with the current state of your code.
kerno_list_endpoints
List HTTP routes discovered in your code, with flags showing which routes already have coverage.
scan_workspace
Run this first. Kerno scans your repository and lists all detected modules and their root paths. Required before you can index or query any module.
"Use Kerno to scan my workspace and show me the detected modules."
kerno_sync_workspace
Keeps Kerno's view of your codebase in sync with your latest committed changes. Call this after committing code changes before running navigation queries.
"Sync the Kerno workspace."
kerno_list_endpoints
Lists all HTTP routes Kerno discovered in your code, grouped by the file they are implemented in. Useful for understanding the surface area of your API before scoping a query.
"Use Kerno to list all endpoints in my app."
Indexing
index_module
Index a module so navigation tools can query it. First run can take a few minutes; subsequent runs reuse the existing index.
index_module
Builds the SCIP index for a module. Must be run before you can use find_definition, find_references, find_usages, or call_hierarchy on that module. The index is cached and updated incrementally on subsequent runs.
"Use Kerno to index the main module."
Navigation
find_definition
Find the definition of a symbol at a specific file location. Requires the module to be indexed.
find_references
Find all references to a symbol across the codebase.
find_usages
Find all usages of a symbol across the codebase.
call_hierarchy
Walk downstream call chains from a piece of code.
find_definition
Resolves the definition of a symbol with compiler-level accuracy. Use when your agent needs to know exactly where something is defined before reasoning about it.
"Find the definition of the processPayment function."
find_references
Returns all locations in the codebase that reference a symbol. Useful for understanding the full scope of impact before making a change.
"Show me everywhere UserService is referenced."
find_usages
Finds all usages of a symbol across modules. Use the exact symbol names returned by symbol_heatmap for accurate results.
"Find all usages of the AuthMiddleware class."
call_hierarchy
Walks the downstream call chain from a function or method. Gives your agent a complete picture of what a piece of code triggers across the codebase.
"Show me the full call chain from the handleOrder method." "What does calling this function affect across the codebase?"
Heatmaps
package_heatmap
Show where packages and external dependencies are used across the codebase.
symbol_heatmap
Show where specific symbols are concentrated across folders.
package_heatmap
Surfaces which packages and external dependencies are most heavily used and where they appear in the codebase. Useful for understanding coupling and identifying areas affected by a dependency change.
"Show me which packages are most used across the codebase."
symbol_heatmap
Shows where specific symbols concentrate across folders. Use this to discover symbol names before passing them to find_usages or call_hierarchy.
"Show me where the payment-related symbols are concentrated."
Build
list_build_files
List the build configuration files in a module.
list_build_files
Returns the build configuration files (package.json, pyproject.toml, build.gradle, etc.) for a module. Useful for understanding the module's dependencies and build setup.
"List the build files for the main module."
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