# cxpak
> Spends CPU cycles so you don't spend tokens. The LLM gets a briefing packet instead of a flashlight in a dark room.
A Rust CLI that indexes codebases using tree-sitter and produces token-budgeted context bundles for LLMs.
## Installation
```bash
# Via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew tap Barnett-Studios/tap
brew install cxpak
# Via cargo
cargo install cxpak
```
## Claude Code Plugin
cxpak ships as a Claude Code plugin — skills auto-trigger when you ask about codebase structure or changes, and slash commands give you direct control.
**Install the plugin:**
```
/plugin marketplace add Barnett-Studios/cxpak
/plugin install cxpak
```
**Skills (auto-invoked):**
| `codebase-context` | Ask about project structure, architecture, how components relate |
| `diff-context` | Ask to review changes, prepare a PR description, understand what changed |
**Commands (user-invoked):**
| `/cxpak:overview` | Generate a structured repo summary |
| `/cxpak:trace <symbol>` | Trace a symbol through the dependency graph |
| `/cxpak:diff` | Show changes with dependency context |
| `/cxpak:clean` | Remove `.cxpak/` cache and output files |
The plugin auto-downloads the cxpak binary if it's not already installed.
## Usage
```bash
# Structured repo summary within a token budget
cxpak overview --tokens 50k .
# Write output to a file
cxpak overview --tokens 50k --out context.md .
# Trace from a function/error, pack relevant code paths
cxpak trace --tokens 50k "handle_request" .
# Trace with full dependency graph traversal
cxpak trace --tokens 50k --all "MyError" /path/to/repo
# Different output formats
cxpak overview --tokens 50k --format json .
cxpak overview --tokens 50k --format xml .
# Show changes with dependency context (vs working tree)
cxpak diff --tokens 50k .
# Diff against a specific ref
cxpak diff --tokens 50k --git-ref main .
# Full dependency graph context
cxpak diff --tokens 50k --all .
# Clean cache and output files
cxpak clean .
```
## What You Get
The `overview` command produces a structured briefing with these sections:
- **Project Metadata** — file counts, languages, estimated tokens
- **Directory Tree** — full file listing
- **Module / Component Map** — files with their public symbols
- **Dependency Graph** — import relationships between files
- **Key Files** — full content of README, config files, manifests
- **Function / Type Signatures** — every public symbol's signature
- **Git Context** — recent commits, file churn, contributors
Each section has a budget allocation. When content exceeds its budget, it's truncated with the most important items preserved first.
## Pack Mode
When a repo exceeds the token budget, cxpak automatically switches to **pack mode**:
- The overview stays within budget (one file, fits in one LLM prompt)
- A `.cxpak/` directory is created with **full untruncated** detail files
- Truncated sections in the overview get pointers to their detail files
```
repo/
.cxpak/
tree.md # complete directory tree
modules.md # every file, every symbol
dependencies.md # full import graph
signatures.md # every public signature
key-files.md # full key file contents
git.md # full git history
```
Detail file extensions match `--format`: `.md` for markdown, `.json` for json, `.xml` for xml.
The overview tells the LLM what exists. The detail files let it drill in on demand. `.cxpak/` is automatically added to `.gitignore`.
If the repo fits within budget, you get a single file with everything — no `.cxpak/` directory needed.
## Caching
cxpak caches parse results in `.cxpak/cache/` to speed up re-runs. The cache is keyed on file modification time and size — when a file changes, it's automatically re-parsed.
To clear the cache and all output files:
```bash
cxpak clean .
```
## Supported Languages
Rust, TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, Go, C, C++, Ruby, C#, Swift, Kotlin
Tree-sitter grammars are compiled in. All 12 languages are enabled by default. Language features can be toggled:
```bash
# Only Rust and Python support
cargo install cxpak --no-default-features --features lang-rust,lang-python
```
## License
MIT
---
## About
Built and maintained by Barnett Studios — building products, teams, and systems that last. Part-time technical leadership for startups and scale-ups.