# Code Review Graph CLI Commands: Complete Guide to All Available Tools

> Explore over 20 CLI commands for Code Review Graph to manage graph construction, updates, analysis, visualization, and AI integration. Master the tools today.

- Repository: [Tirth Kanani/code-review-graph](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-08-08

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**Code Review Graph exposes over 20 subcommands through a single `code-review-graph` executable, covering graph construction, incremental updates, impact analysis, visualization, and AI assistant integration.**

The open-source repository `tirth8205/code-review-graph` implements its entire command-line interface in [[`code_review_graph/cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/cli.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/cli.py). These CLI commands for Code Review Graph transform raw source code into queryable knowledge graphs while providing tools for continuous maintenance and change-impact detection.

## Core Setup Commands

The installation group handles MCP (Multi-Chat-Platform) configuration for AI coding assistants and cleanup operations.

- **`install`** / **`init`** – Registers MCP configs for detected AI coding platforms. Implemented in [`cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/cli.py) (lines 13-22).
- **`uninstall`** – Removes all generated data, git hooks, and skill files from the system. Found in [`cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/cli.py) (lines 92-106).

```bash

# Register MCP configs for all detected platforms

code-review-graph install --yes

# Clean all generated artifacts

code-review-graph uninstall

```

## Graph Lifecycle Management

These commands control the creation, updating, and maintenance of the codebase knowledge graph.

- **`build`** – Performs a full parse of every source file to construct the initial graph. Located at lines 36-55 in [`cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/cli.py).
- **`update`** – Executes incremental rebuilds based on git diff detection. See lines 57-78.
- **`watch`** – Runs a continuous file system monitor that auto-updates the graph as changes occur. Lines 40-48.
- **`status`** – Displays statistics about the current graph state, with optional JSON output via `--json`. Lines 50-60.
- **`postprocess`** – Runs community detection algorithms, execution flow analysis, and rebuilds full-text search indexes. Lines 80-89.
- **`forget`** – Selectively drops specific files from the graph without triggering a full rebuild. Lines 66-89.

```bash

# Full initial build

code-review-graph build

# Incremental update after commits

code-review-graph update --brief

# Continuous monitoring

code-review-graph watch

# Check graph statistics

code-review-graph status --json

```

## Change Impact and Query Tools

This extensive category provides read-only analysis, blast-radius calculation, and code quality inspection.

- **`detect-changes`** – Analyzes git diffs for impact risk scoring and token-saving recommendations. Lines 82-100.
- **`query`** – Executes generic graph traversals including `callers_of` and `callees_of` lookups. Lines 150-164.
- **`impact`** – Calculates blast-radius for specified changed files. Lines 166-176.
- **`search`** – Performs semantic or keyword searches across the graph nodes. Lines 178-188.
- **`flows`** / **`flow`** – Lists stored execution flows or inspects specific flow details by criticality. Lines 190-211.
- **`communities`** / **`community`** – Lists detected graph communities or inspects specific community structure. Lines 213-232.
- **`architecture`** – Generates high-level architecture overviews. Lines 234-241.
- **`large-functions`** – Identifies oversized nodes exceeding configured thresholds. Lines 242-251.
- **`refactor`** – Previews rename suggestions and dead-code elimination candidates. Lines 252-262.
- **`dead-code`** – Lists functions or classes with no callers or test coverage. Lines 264-274.

```bash

# Analyze last commit impact

code-review-graph detect-changes --brief

# Find all callers of a specific function

code-review-graph query callers_of my_module.my_func

# Calculate blast radius for changed files

code-review-graph impact --files src/core.py,src/utils.py

# Semantic search

code-review-graph search "database connection handling"

```

## Visualization and Documentation

Generate human-readable artifacts from the graph structure.

- **`visualize`** – Creates interactive HTML graphs or exports to alternative formats like GraphML. Implemented in [`cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/cli.py) (lines 91-103) using [[`code_review_graph/visualization.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/visualization.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/visualization.py).
- **`wiki`** – Generates markdown wiki pages from detected community structures. Lines 115-124, backed by [[`code_review_graph/wiki.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/wiki.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/wiki.py).

```bash

# Launch interactive browser visualization

code-review-graph visualize --serve

# Generate community wiki

code-review-graph wiki --force

```

## Repository and Daemon Management

Manage multiple repositories and background processes.

- **`register`** – Adds a repository to the multi-repo registry with optional alias. Lines 306-313.
- **`unregister`** – Removes a repository from the registry. Lines 315-321.
- **`repos`** – Lists all registered repositories. Lines 322-324.
- **`daemon`** – Controls a background watch daemon with sub-operations: `start`, `stop`, `restart`, `status`, `logs`, `add`, and `remove`. Lines 328-376, utilizing [[`code_review_graph/daemon_cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/daemon_cli.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/daemon_cli.py).

```bash

# Register additional repository

code-review-graph register /path/to/repo --alias backend

# Start background daemon

code-review-graph daemon start

# View daemon logs

code-review-graph daemon logs

```

## AI Assistant Integration

Commands for MCP server operation and context enrichment.

- **`serve`** / **`mcp`** – Launches the MCP server (stdio by default, optional HTTP mode) exposing `query` and `search` tools. Lines 378-416 and 418-426.
- **`embed`** – Computes vector embeddings for semantic search, supporting multiple provider/model combinations. Lines 408-430.
- **`enrich`** – Runs the Claude-Code "pre-tool-use" hook, reading JSON from stdin and augmenting with graph context. Lines 480-486, implemented in [[`code_review_graph/enrich.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/enrich.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/enrich.py).

```bash

# Start MCP server over HTTP

code-review-graph serve --http --tools query,search

# Compute local embeddings

code-review-graph embed --provider local

# Hook integration

code-review-graph enrich < request.json

```

## Evaluation and Benchmarking

- **`eval`** – Executes benchmark suites measuring token-efficiency, impact-accuracy, and retrieval precision. Lines 442-563.

```bash

# Run full evaluation suite

code-review-graph eval --all --report

```

## Summary

- **Unified Entry Point**: All functionality routes through the `code-review-graph` executable defined in [`cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/cli.py).
- **Lifecycle Coverage**: Commands span from initial `install` through `build`, `update`, and `watch` to maintenance tasks like `forget` and `postprocess`.
- **Analysis Depth**: Tools range from simple `status` checks to sophisticated impact analysis via `detect-changes`, `impact`, and `query`.
- **Multi-Repo Support**: The `register`, `repos`, and `daemon` commands enable centralized management of multiple codebases.
- **AI Integration**: Native MCP server support via `serve` and context `enrich`ment hooks bridge the graph with AI coding assistants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the main entry point for Code Review Graph commands?

The primary executable is **`code-review-graph`**, which acts as a dispatcher to over 20 subcommands. The argument parser and command routing logic reside in [[`code_review_graph/cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/cli.py)](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/code_review_graph/cli.py), with specific implementations delegated to modules like [`tools.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/tools.py), [`daemon_cli.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/daemon_cli.py), and [`main.py`](https://github.com/tirth8205/code-review-graph/blob/main/main.py).

### How do I update the graph after making code changes?

Use the **`update`** command for incremental rebuilds based on git diffs, or **`watch`** for continuous automatic updates. The `update` command (lines 57-78) processes only changed files, while `watch` (lines 40-48) monitors the filesystem in real-time. For selective removal without rebuilding, use **`forget`**.

### Can Code Review Graph analyze multiple repositories simultaneously?

Yes. The **`register`** command adds repositories to a central registry (lines 306-313), while the **`daemon`** command (lines 328-376) can supervise multiple registered repositories simultaneously. Use **`repos`** to list registered locations and **`daemon start`** to enable background monitoring across all registered projects.

### How does the MCP server integration work?

The **`serve`** (or **`mcp`**) command launches a Multi-Chat-Platform server (lines 378-426) that exposes graph tools like `query` and `search` to AI assistants. It supports stdio transport for direct editor integration or HTTP mode via `--http`. The **`enrich`** command (lines 480-486) provides a hook mechanism for Claude-Code that injects graph context into tool calls.