get_symbol

Every other tool returns context about code. get_symbol returns the code itself — the raw source bytes of a single indexed symbol with its exact start/end lines. It's the precise, bounded alternative to a full-file Read followed by offset arithmetic. It also resolves omission refs (repowise#<12-hex>) from truncated responses.

When to call

• You need one function or class body, not the whole file.
• After get_context — pipe the symbol_id from its symbol list straight in.
• To confirm a signature or implementation before editing, without pulling 800 unrelated lines into the context window.
• To restore truncated content — when a response's _meta.omitted lists refs and you have no shell for repowise expand (e.g. Claude Desktop).

Parameters

Returns

On a miss, returns { error: "Symbol not found …" } with the closest candidate ids so the agent can retry without another get_context call.

For an omission ref, returns the stored content plus provenance (source, created_at, original_tokens) instead.

Example

get_symbol("src/auth/service.py::AuthService")

get_symbol(
    symbol_id="src/auth/service.py::login",
    context_lines=10,
)

# Restore content a truncated response stashed behind a marker
get_symbol("repowise#a1b2c3d4e5f6")
get_symbol("repowise#a1b2c3d4e5f6", query="FAILED")

Things worth knowing

• Deterministic on overloads. When a name resolves to more than one definition, resolution is stable — the same id always returns the same symbol.
• Separator-agnostic. file.py::Name, file.py.Name, and file.py/Name all resolve; use whatever get_context handed you.
• Bounded by design. The ~400-line cap keeps a single call from blowing the context window on a giant generated file; truncated tells you when that happened.