Wikifier

A zero-dependency codebase wiki for AI agents — token-efficient maps so LLMs look things up instead of re-reading full sources.

Wikifier is an agent-to-agent tool: it builds a living map of a project (health matrix, dependency graph, short file summaries) and agents keep that map current as they work. Humans can peek via a small dashboard; the product is the agent loop, not a general docs site or IDE.

Works from small scripts to large monorepos (Python + JavaScript/TypeScript imports, barrels, cycles, incremental updates).

Why

Context windows are finite. Re-reading a large file to answer “what is this and who depends on it?” wastes tokens.

Wikifier keeps a small set of artifacts agents can query:

Lookup beats re-ingest. That’s the whole idea.

Quick start

pip install wikifier            # pure Python stdlib core — no runtime deps
pip install wikifier[mcp]       # optional Model Context Protocol (MCP) server

cd /path/to/your/project
wikifier init
wikifier update-maps            # dependency graph + library.md
wikifier check-changes
wikifier health --summary

Always set an explicit root for external trees:

WIKIFIER_PROJECT_ROOT=/abs/path/to/project wikifier check-changes

Agent loop

Full protocol: skills/run.md.

wikifier check-changes
# prioritize 🔴 then 🟡 in file_health.md / pending_updates.md
# ... edit source ...
wikifier record-change "path/file.py" "why this changed"   # required
# ... refresh that file’s wiki summary ...
wikifier mark-green "path/file.py"
wikifier update-maps            # if imports/structure changed

record-change logs intent a git diff can’t reconstruct for the next agent (or human).

What you get

• Import analysis — Python + JS/TS (ESM, CommonJS, dynamic imports, path aliases, package exports); per-edge confidence; name-routed barrel expansion (precise leaves, not edge explosion)
• Incremental pipeline — pure-Python update-maps: dirty parse → import cache → reverse deps → cycles → library.md
• Scale — reverse index + barrel invalidation so one edit doesn’t re-scan the monorepo
• MCP tools — optional server for Claude, Cursor, Cline, and other MCP clients (get_project_status, get_dependencies, get_file_wiki, record_change, …)
• Zero core dependencies — stdlib only; forks can add their own stack on top

Performance (measured)

Tests: python -m unittest discover tests (stdlib only).

Commands

Library: from wikifier import check_changes, record_change, mark_green, health, update_maps.

MCP

WIKIFIER_PROJECT_ROOT=/abs/path/to/project wikifier-mcp
# or: python3 -m wikifier.mcp.server

Setup and tool list: wikifier/mcp/README.md.

Human dashboard (secondary)

wikifier init drops a single index.html. Prefer wikifier serve (e.g. http://localhost:8787/index.html) — file:// can’t load project files. The markdown artifacts and CLI/MCP tools stay the source of truth; the UI is a read-only window.

Scope

In: agent-maintained codebase wiki, dependency intelligence, token-saving lookup for LLMs and coding agents.
Out: general human documentation systems, IDE plugins, “docs for everyone” product growth.

Links

• PyPI · GitHub
• Agent protocol: skills/run.md
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
• Dogfood notes: Findings/