Serena Tool Guide

Semantic code analysis. Searches and edits at symbol level without reading entire files.

Core Tools

find_symbol

Locate class, function, or variable definitions.

Examples:

• "Where is the UserService class defined?"
• "Find the authenticate function definition"

search_for_pattern

Search for code patterns or strings.

Examples:

• "Find all TODO comments"
• "Locate all API endpoint usages"

edit_symbol

Edit at symbol level without loading entire files.

find_referencing_symbols

Track symbol references and dependencies.

Examples:

• "Show all callers of this function"
• "Find dependency chain"

When to Use

• Large codebases (100+ files)
• Semantic search (understanding code meaning)
• Refactoring (precise edits required)
• Dependency tracking
• Code structure analysis

Common Workflows

Code understanding:

1. find_symbol to locate main classes/functions
2. find_referencing_symbols to trace callers
3. Build overall understanding

Refactoring:

1. find_symbol to identify target
2. edit_symbol to modify
3. find_referencing_symbols to verify impact

Bug fixing:

1. search_for_pattern to find error-related code
2. find_symbol to examine details
3. edit_symbol to fix

Examples

User: Find authentication code

Agent: Uses Serena to search for authentication-related code and explains

User: What calls UserService?

Agent: Shows all references

User: Refactor this code

Agent: Analyzes impact and proposes changes