AVAILABLE NOWv1.0 for VS Code

Code intelligence.
Offline. In your editor.

CIPHER-Local is a VS Code extension that indexes your workspace with Tree-sitter, stores symbols in SQLite, and exposes 7 MCP tools — all running locally. No cloud. No network. Your code never leaves your machine.

Fully offline13 languages7 MCP toolsSQLite-poweredIncremental re-index

ext install cipher.cipher-local

[02] INDEXING

Open a folder. Indexing starts.

CIPHER-Local activates the moment you open a workspace. Tree-sitter parses every source file, extracts symbols, and populates a local SQLite database. On subsequent saves, only changed files are re-indexed.

OUTPUT: CIPHER Local

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Tree-sitter WASM grammars

13 language grammars bundled as WASM — no native binary compilation required. Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Incremental re-index

On file save, only the changed file is re-parsed. Full workspace re-index happens once on activation.

Rich extraction

Extracts symbols (functions, classes, methods, variables), call references, type signatures, docstrings, and package dependencies.

[03] ARCHITECTURE

Six modules. One extension.

CIPHER-Local mirrors the cloud platform's modular architecture, compressed into a single VS Code extension. Each layer has a clear responsibility.

L01 — VS Code Lifecycle

Activation, status bar, file watcher

L02 — Tree-sitter Indexer

13 language grammars, incremental re-index on save

L03 — SQLite Store

Symbols, chunks, references, dependencies, FTS5

L04 — Query Engine

Hybrid retrieval: pattern match + BM25 full-text search

L05 — MCP Server

HTTP+SSE transport, 7 tools, MCP SDK compatible

L06 — Embedding (optional)

ONNX runtime for vector search (Phase 4, coming soon)

DATA FLOW

L01 detects workspace open / file save
L02 parses changed files with Tree-sitter
L02 extracts symbols, refs, chunks, deps
L03 writes everything to SQLite (FTS5 index)
L04 receives queries from L05 MCP server
L04 runs hybrid retrieval (pattern + BM25)
L05 returns JSON results over HTTP+SSE

[04] MCP TOOLS

7 tools. One protocol.

CIPHER-Local exposes its query engine via the Model Context Protocol. Any MCP-compatible AI assistant — GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor — can call these tools directly.

list_namespaces

List all indexed workspace namespaces. Use this to discover what repos and branches have been indexed.

params: None

search_symbols

Find functions, classes, methods, and variables by name pattern. Supports wildcard matching and kind filtering.

params: namespace, pattern, kind?, limit?

resolve_symbol

Get full details of a specific symbol by its fully-qualified name — docstring, type signature, line number, reference count.

params: namespace, fqn, file_hint?

find_references

Find every call site and usage of a symbol across the entire workspace. Returns file, line, and code snippet.

params: namespace, fqn

semantic_search

Natural language search over code chunks. Uses FTS5 BM25 scoring (vector ANN with ONNX coming in Phase 4).

params: namespace, query, limit?

get_dependencies

List package dependencies extracted from manifest files (package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc.).

params: namespace, ecosystem?

get_file_context

Get all code chunks and symbols for a specific file. Useful for understanding file structure before making changes.

params: namespace, file_path

LIVE SIMULATION — CLICK TABS TO EXPLORE

REQUEST

{ "namespace": "my-app:main:HEAD", "pattern": "refreshToken", "kind": "function" }

RESPONSE

{
  "symbols": [
    { "fqn": "auth.service.refreshToken", "kind": "function",
      "file_path": "src/auth/token.service.ts", "line": 38,
      "type_sig": "(userId: string) => Promise<TokenPair>" },
    { "fqn": "auth.controller.handleRefresh", "kind": "function",
      "file_path": "src/controllers/auth.controller.ts", "line": 92,
      "type_sig": "(req: Request, res: Response) => void" }
  ],
  "count": 2
}

[05] LANGUAGES

13 languages. WASM grammars.

Tree-sitter grammars are bundled as WASM binaries — no native compilation, no platform-specific builds. Works identically on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

TypeScriptTIER 1

JavaScriptTIER 1

PythonTIER 1

RustTIER 1

GoTIER 1

JavaTIER 1

C#TIER 2

KotlinTIER 2

SwiftTIER 2

PHPTIER 2

RubyTIER 2

CTIER 2

C++TIER 2

[06] INSTALLATION

Four steps. Under a minute.

01

Install the extension

Search "CIPHER-Local" in the VS Code Extensions panel, or run the CLI command below.

code --install-extension cipher.cipher-local

02

Open a workspace

Open any folder or repo in VS Code. CIPHER-Local activates automatically and starts indexing.

03

Wait for indexing

Watch the status bar — it shows "ECIP: Indexing..." then switches to "ECIP: Ready" when done. A 50k-line repo takes under 30 seconds.

04

Use with any MCP client

The MCP server starts automatically. Works with GitHub Copilot Chat, Claude, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible tool.

[07] UPGRADE PATH

Local today. Cloud when ready.

CIPHER-Local uses the same namespace architecture as CIPHER Cloud. When your team is ready for cross-repo queries, org-wide RBAC, and SSE streaming — upgrade without migration. Your local index stays as a fast fallback.

LOCAL-ONLYYOU ARE HERE

Single workspace

SQLite store

7 MCP tools

BM25 search

No account needed

CLOUD

Cross-repo queries

pgvector embeddings

SSE streaming

Org RBAC

GitHub App sync

Try it now.
No sign-up required.

Install the extension, open a folder, and start querying your code in under a minute.

Install from Marketplace Back to CIPHER

Free & open source · Works offline · No telemetry

Code intelligence.Offline. In your editor.