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ADR-006: Tree-Sitter Integration Strategy

Status​

Accepted

Context​

The MCP ADR Analysis Server requires deep code analysis capabilities beyond simple pattern matching. Based on the project analysis and tree-sitter integration memories, the system implements comprehensive AST-level analysis using tree-sitter parsers for multiple languages including TypeScript, Python, YAML, and others. This enables accurate architectural pattern detection, security analysis, and code quality assessment.

Decision​

We will implement comprehensive tree-sitter integration across all analysis tools, providing AST-level code analysis with multi-language support and graceful fallbacks to regex-based analysis when parsers are unavailable.

Key components:

  • Multi-Language AST Analysis: Support for TypeScript, Python, YAML and Bash (see Corrections — two of the originally listed grammars were later removed)
  • Enterprise DevOps Analysis: Specialized analysis for Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker Compose
  • Security-Focused Parsing: AST-level secret detection and security vulnerability analysis
  • Architectural Pattern Detection: Code structure analysis for architectural compliance
  • Performance Optimization: Efficient parsing with file size limits and recursion controls
  • Graceful Fallbacks: Regex-based analysis when tree-sitter parsers unavailable

Consequences​

Positive:

  • Accurate code analysis through AST parsing reduces false positives
  • Multi-language support enables comprehensive codebase analysis
  • Enterprise DevOps analysis provides specialized infrastructure code insights
  • Security analysis at AST level improves secret detection accuracy
  • Architectural pattern detection enables sophisticated compliance validation
  • Graceful fallbacks ensure analysis continuity even with parser issues

Negative:

  • Increased complexity in managing multiple language parsers and their dependencies
  • Performance impact on large codebases due to comprehensive AST parsing
  • Memory requirements for parsing and storing AST representations
  • Maintenance overhead for keeping parsers updated with language evolution
  • Potential parsing failures requiring robust error handling and fallback mechanisms
  • Learning curve for developers working with AST-based analysis logic

Corrections​

2026-08-27 (#1507) — HCL and Dockerfile AST support was removed by ADR-017.

This ADR originally listed HCL and Dockerfile among the supported grammars. ADR-017 downgraded the tree-sitter ecosystem to 0.21.x, and neither tree-sitter-hcl nor tree-sitter-dockerfile is a dependency in package.json today. The capability list above is corrected; this note records what it used to say and why it changed.

The decision this ADR makes — integrate tree-sitter for AST analysis — still stands, which is why the status remains Accepted rather than Deprecated. Only the grammar inventory drifted.

  • ADR-004: Security and Content Masking Strategy (AST-level secret detection)
  • ADR-014: CE-MCP Architecture (code analysis for sandbox execution)