get_dependency_path · repowise docs

Shortest dependency path between two files or modules, plus visual context (common ancestors, shared neighbors, bridge suggestions) when no direct path exists. Opt-in, off by default.

Answers "how are these two parts of the codebase connected?" by walking the import graph. When a direct path exists, returns it with the edge relationship at each hop. When it doesn't, returns diagnostic context instead of a bare miss: nearest common ancestors, shared neighbors, community membership, and bridge-node suggestions, so the agent can debug an architectural silo instead of giving up. The graph it walks is the dependency graph; the default tools are on MCP tools.

Off by default

Registered but not part of the default tool surface in any mode. Turn it on per repo:

# .repowise/config.yaml
mcp:
  tools: ["+get_dependency_path"]

or per launch with repowise mcp --tools "+get_dependency_path". See Configuring the tool surface for the full +/- delta syntax.

When to call

Understanding coupling between two files or modules that don't obviously call each other.
Debugging why an expected dependency doesn't show up in get_context or get_risk.
Architectural silos: when two areas of the codebase should be connected but aren't, the visual context on a miss suggests where a bridge belongs.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`source`required	string	Source file or module path.
`target`required	string	Target file or module path.
`repo`	string	Repository alias. "all" is not supported.

Returns

When a path exists:

Field	Meaning
`path`	Ordered list of `{node, relationship}` hops from source to target
`distance`	Hop count
`explanation`	One-line summary

When no direct path exists, path is empty and distance is -1. visual_context carries the diagnostic instead:

Field	Meaning
`reverse_path`	An object, not a boolean. `{"exists": false}` when no reverse path exists; when one does, `{"exists": true, "path": [...], "distance": N, "note": "..."}`
`nearest_common_ancestors`	Up to 5 nodes both source and target reach, ranked by combined distance
`shared_neighbors`	Direct neighbors in common
`community`	`{source_community, target_community, same_community}`: whether source and target sit in the same architectural community
`bridge_suggestions`	High-PageRank nodes that touch both communities, when source and target are in different ones
`disconnected`	`true` if source and target are in completely separate weakly-connected components
`source_component_size`, `target_component_size`	(only when `disconnected: true`) size of each node's weakly-connected component
`suggestion`	A one-line, best-effort read of the above (shared dependency, shared neighbor, reverse-only, or genuinely disconnected)
`co_change_signal`	(when present) source and target aren't import-connected but co-change frequently, suggesting logical coupling instead

Example

get_dependency_path(source="src/api/routes.py", target="src/db/models.py")

Things worth knowing

Excluded paths error out. Passing a source or target matched by exclude_patterns returns an error rather than a path through code the index doesn't track.
The graph used is the filtered graph. Excluded nodes and edges never appear in a returned path, a common ancestor, or a bridge suggestion.
Co-change is a fallback signal, not a substitute. co_change_signal only appears on a genuine no-path miss, and only when target is literally one of source's recorded co-change partners.

For "what breaks if I change this" instead of "how are these two connected", reach for get_risk or, across repos in workspace mode, get_blast_radius.