codemap_get_dependencies

Get dependency relationships for a file or symbol — what it imports/calls and what imports/calls it. Supports symbol targeting (relativePath$symbolName) for symbol-level call graph data.

graphdependenciesimportscall-graphsymbols

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`target`	`string`	✅ Required	Relative path to the file, or symbol reference (relativePath$symbolName) for symbol-level call tracking

Usage Examples

MCP Usage (for AI Agents like Claude)

json

{
  "name": "codemap_get_dependencies",
  "arguments": {
    "target": "src/utils/helpers.ts"
  }
}

Example Output

JSON Response

json

{
  "success": true,
  "symbol": "src/services/UserService.ts$getUser",
  "calls": [
    "src/lib/database.ts$query",
    "src/utils/validators.ts$validateId"
  ],
  "calledBy": [
    "src/api/routes/users.ts$getUserHandler",
    "src/middleware/auth.ts$verifyOwnership"
  ],
  "callCount": 2,
  "calledByCount": 2
}

ℹ️When to Use This Tool

codemap_get_dependencies

Impact analysis - Identify what files depend on the one you're changing
Refactoring planning - Understand the blast radius before modifying shared code
Deletion safety - Check if a file can be safely removed (no importers)
Coupling analysis - Find highly coupled files that might need refactoring
Dead code detection - Identify files that aren't imported by anything
Component reusability - Measure how widely components are used
Dependency audits - Review what each file imports to identify unnecessary dependencies

💡Common Patterns

Safe Deletion Check

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/old/deprecated.ts');

if (deps.importedByCount === 0) {
  console.log('✓ Safe to delete - no files depend on this');
  await codemap.delete({ target: 'src/old/deprecated.ts' });
} else {
  console.log(✗ Cannot delete - ${deps.importedByCount} files depend on this);
  console.log('Update these files first:', deps.importedBy);
}

Coupling Analysis

// Find files with high coupling (many imports + importers)
const files = await codemap.search({ query: '*.ts' });

for (const file of files.files) {
  const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies(file.relativePath);
  const coupling = deps.importCount + deps.importedByCount;
  
  if (coupling > 15) {
    console.log(⚠️  High coupling: ${file.relativePath} (${coupling} connections));
  }
}

Refactoring Impact Preview

// Before refactoring a utility file, see what will be affected
const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/utils/helpers.ts');

console.log(Refactoring will affect ${deps.importedByCount} files:);
deps.importedBy.forEach(file => console.log(  - ${file}));

Find Entry Points

// Find files that are imported but import nothing (top-level entries)
const files = await codemap.search({ query: '*.ts' });

for (const file of files.files) {
  const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies(file.relativePath);
  
  if (deps.importCount === 0 && deps.importedByCount > 0) {
    console.log(Entry point: ${file.relativePath});
  }
}

💡Pro Tips

Check before refactoring - Always run this tool before major refactoring to understand the impact scope.

Identify code smells - Files with very high importedByCount might indicate tight coupling or god objects that need decomposition.

Find dead code - Files with importedByCount === 0 are candidates for removal (unless they're entry points like main.ts).

Monitor component reuse - Track importedByCount for components to ensure they're actually reusable, not single-use.

Use for architectural review - Regularly analyze top files by dependency count to ensure architecture is clean.

Combine with impact analysis - Use codemap_get_dependencies for immediate relationships, codemap_impact_analysis for deep traversal.

✅Best Practices

Document high-coupling files - If a file has >20 dependencies, add a comment explaining why and consider refactoring.

Set coupling thresholds - Establish team standards (e.g., files shouldn't have >10 direct dependencies).

Review before deletion - Always check importedByCount before removing any file to avoid breaking the build.

Track dependency growth - Monitor how dependencies change over time to prevent architecture degradation.

Validate circular dependencies - If a file both imports and is imported by the same file, investigate circular dependencies.

Use for code reviews - Check if new files have reasonable dependency counts before merging.

⚠️Common Mistakes

❌ Mistake: Deleting files without checking dependencies

// Dangerous - might break other files
await codemap.delete({ target: 'src/utils/old.ts' });

✅ Instead: Check dependencies first

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/utils/old.ts');
if (deps.importedByCount > 0) {
  console.error(Cannot delete - used by ${deps.importedByCount} files);
  console.log('Update these files first:', deps.importedBy);
} else {
  await codemap.delete({ target: 'src/utils/old.ts' });
}

---

❌ Mistake: Ignoring high coupling warnings

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/utils/kitchen-sink.ts');
// importCount: 47, importedByCount: 83
// This is a code smell but is ignored

✅ Instead: Refactor high-coupling files

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/utils/kitchen-sink.ts');
if (deps.importCount + deps.importedByCount > 50) {
  console.warn('⚠️  God object detected - consider splitting into smaller modules');
  // Plan refactoring into focused modules
}

---

❌ Mistake: Not considering transitive dependencies

// Only checks direct dependencies
const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/core/engine.ts');
console.log(${deps.importedByCount} files depend on this);
// But what about files that depend on those files?

✅ Instead: Use impact analysis for full scope

// For shallow check
const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/core/engine.ts');
console.log(Direct dependents: ${deps.importedByCount});

// For full impact including transitive
const impact = await codemap.graph.impactAnalysis({
  startFile: 'src/core/engine.ts',
  maxDepth: 3
});
console.log(Total impacted files: ${impact.affectedFiles.length});

---

❌ Mistake: Treating zero dependencies as always bad

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/main.ts');
if (deps.importCount === 0) {
  console.error('Error: File has no imports!');
}
// But entry points like main.ts might legitimately have few imports

✅ Instead: Understand file purpose

const deps = await codemap.graph.getDependencies('src/main.ts');
if (deps.importCount === 0 && !file.path.includes('main')) {
  console.warn('Potential isolated file - verify this is intentional');
}

Parameters

Usage Examples

MCP Usage (for AI Agents like Claude)

Example Output

JSON Response

Related Tools

codemap_graph_impact-analysis

codemap_graph_traverse

codemap_io_peek