xray

See the shape of a codebase before you read the code.

xray turns source files into compact, syntax-aware maps of symbols, dependencies, call paths, hooks, render trees, types, and line ranges.

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Reading a large file just to find its exports, hooks, or callers wastes context. xray keeps the useful structure and leaves function bodies behind. Its output is often around 10% of the original source, with line numbers so you can jump straight to the code that matters.

It is built for coding agents, but the output is plain text and works just as well in a terminal.

What xray gives you

• A file map: imports, exports, internal symbols, types, hooks, calls, tests, and line ranges.
• Local dependency trees: follow imports without opening every file.
• Cross-file call traces: start from one handler or method and follow the path through the project.
• Reverse dependencies: find files that import the target before changing it.
• Frontend structure: React hooks and JSX trees, plus Vue and Svelte component structure.
• Machine-readable output: emit a single-file digest as JSON for scripts and agent tooling.

xray parses syntax rather than matching text. It understands TypeScript/JavaScript, Go, Vue, Svelte, Python, PHP, Rust, SQL, and Markdown.

See it in action

Trace one method from a 47-line NestJS controller into its services, evidence loaders, and prompt builders:

xray --trace --lsp -s getProfessorRecommendations \
apps/api/src/uniai/uniai.controller.ts

trace: getProfessorRecommendations [L17-24]
│
├── this.currentProfile (local) [L36-46]
│ ├── extractAuthIdentity ← apps/api/src/shared/auth-context.ts [L46-82]
│ ├── unauthenticated ← apps/api/src/shared/errors.ts [L213-215]
│ └── this.profilesService.syncAuthProfile
│ ← apps/api/src/profiles/profiles.service.ts [L86-117]
└── this.uniaiService.recommendForProfessor
← apps/api/src/uniai/uniai.service.ts [L20-30]
├── this.evidenceTools.loadProfessorEvidence
│ ← apps/api/src/uniai/uniai-evidence-tools.ts [L78-103]
└── composeProfessorRecommendation
← apps/api/src/uniai/uniai-prompts.ts [L302-328]

The trace is static and bounded. Local calls resolve directly; --lsp adds language-server definitions for member calls such as this.service.run().

Install

xray currently installs from source:

git clone https://github.com/enzodevs/xray.git
cd xray
cargo install --path .

Make sure Cargo's bin directory is on your PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

To build without installing:

cargo build --release
./target/release/xray --help

A recent stable Rust toolchain is required.

Quick start

# Map one file without following imports
xray --no-follow src/app.ts
# Map the file and its direct local dependencies
xray src/app.ts
# Follow two levels deep
xray --depth 2 src/app.ts
# Trace all exported entry points
xray --trace src/app.ts
# Trace one symbol and resolve member calls through the language server
xray --trace --lsp -s createUser src/routes/users.ts
# Find project files that import this file
xray --who src/lib/auth.ts
# Show resolution counts and unresolved imports
xray --explain src/app.ts
# Produce a JSON digest for another tool
xray --no-follow --format json src/app.ts

Run xray from the project or workspace root when you want import resolution, reverse lookup, or LSP tracing. This gives it the right tsconfig.json, go.mod, and workspace context.

Modes

Goal	Command	What it does
Understand one file	xray --no-follow FILE	Prints one structural digest with no dependency traversal
Explore nearby code	xray FILE	Follows local imports to depth 1 and filters low-signal files
Explore deeper	xray --depth N FILE	Sets the dependency or trace depth
Keep every dependency	xray --all FILE	Disables the default noise filter
Check impact	xray --who FILE	Finds project files that import the target
Follow behavior	xray --trace FILE	Traces calls from exported symbols, to depth 3 by default
Follow one entry point	xray --trace -s NAME FILE	Traces only the named symbol
Resolve member calls	xray --trace --lsp FILE	Asks a supported language server for definitions
Audit resolution	xray --explain FILE	Reports resolved, external, and unresolved dependencies
Feed another tool	xray --no-follow --format json FILE	Emits a single-file JSON digest

You can pass more than one file to the regular text modes:

xray src/api.ts src/worker.ts

What it extracts

Language	File structure	Calls	Follow / who	Trace	LSP trace
TypeScript / JavaScript / JSX / TSX	✓	✓	✓	✓	typescript-language-server
Go	✓	✓	✓	✓	gopls
Vue	✓	✓	✓	✓	not required
Svelte	✓	✓	✓	✓	svelte-language-server
Python	✓	✓	✓	—	—
PHP	✓	✓	✓	—	—
Rust	✓	✓	✓	—	—
SQL	✓	references	includes	—	—
Markdown	✓	—	local links	—	—

Supported extensions:

.ts .tsx .js .jsx .mjs .mts .cjs .go .vue .svelte
.py .php .rs .sql .md

TypeScript and frontend files

xray extracts imports and re-exports, functions, classes, types, React hooks, nested handlers, significant calls, tests, and JSX component trees. Vue and Svelte files include script symbols, framework hooks or runes, props, types, and template composition.

A digest of a large TSX component looks like this:

apps/web/features/unialgo/components/Sidebar.tsx (tsx, 968 lines)
imports: @/i18n/routing, ../api/professor, ../types
exports:
[component] const Sidebar = (...) => [L408-968]
hooks:
useRouter: router [L431-431]
useTranslations: t [L432-432]
useState: locale, setLocale [L433-435]
useEffect deps: [isAccountMenuOpen] [L465-490]
handlers: handleLocaleSelect, handleCollapsedModeToggle
renders: PanelLeftOpen, PanelLeftClose, SageChatHistoryView, SidebarItem, Button
internal:
[component] const SidebarItem = (...) => [L82-141]
[component] function SageChatHistoryView(...) [L223-406]
const handlePointerDown = (...) => [L268-272]
const handlePointerDown = (...) => [L470-475]
types:
interface SidebarItemProps {href, icon, label, isActive, onClick, ...+1} [L51-58]
type SidebarMode "menu" | "chat" [L143-143]

Nested symbols keep their lexical scope during tracing, even when separate components reuse the same handler name.

Go, Python, PHP, and Rust

For backend files, xray reports imports, functions and methods, classes or structs, interfaces and aliases, significant calls, tests where applicable, and exact source ranges. Go module paths resolve through go.mod; Go LSP tracing uses gopls.

SQL and Markdown

SQL digests retain statement structure and relationships such as target:, source:, join:, cte:, and fn:. Markdown digests retain frontmatter, the heading tree, local and external links, and fenced-code languages. Follow mode traverses SQL includes and local Markdown links.

Optional language servers

Basic extraction, dependency following, and ordinary traces do not require a language server. Install one only when you need --trace --lsp:

# TypeScript and JavaScript
npm install -g typescript typescript-language-server
# Go
go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest
# Svelte
npm install -g svelte-language-server

Vue traces use xray's own static resolution and do not require a Vue language server.

How it works

xray parses each file into a syntax tree, extracts a compact intermediate model, and resolves local project references only when the selected mode needs them. It uses tree-sitter grammars for code and a dedicated Markdown parser. Noise filtering keeps generated files, declarations, fixtures, and other low-signal dependencies out of the default tree; --all turns that filter off.

The tool does not execute code, infer runtime values, or replace a type checker. Dynamic imports, dependency injection, framework magic, and heavily computed call targets can remain unresolved. Use --explain to see resolution gaps, and treat a trace as a focused navigation map rather than a runtime profile.

Why use it with coding agents?

Agents usually need a map before they need full implementations. Giving an agent xray output first helps it choose the few source ranges worth reading instead of loading entire files and their imports into context.

A practical sequence is:

xray --no-follow src/feature.ts # understand the target
xray --who src/feature.ts # check its impact radius
xray --trace --lsp -s run src/feature.ts # follow the behavior

Then open the exact ranges reported by xray.

License

MIT