Sourcegraph Cody
Type: full-code · Vendor: Sourcegraph · Language: TypeScript (IDE extensions) · Status: active · Status in practice: mature
Sourcegraph's enterprise AI coding assistant: chat, completions, and edits backed by Sourcegraph's search-API context fetching across local and remote codebases, with agentic context fetching and local-MCP tool integration.
Description. Cody is an AI coding assistant available across VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, the Sourcegraph web app, and a CLI. Its differentiator is context: Cody pulls from local and remote codebases via Sourcegraph's Search API. Agentic Context Fetching iteratively gathers context using Code Search, Codebase File, Terminal, Web Browser, and MCP tools, refining what it knows before responding. Cody supports local MCP servers (Tools capability only). As of 2025-07-23 Sourcegraph deprecated Cody Free/Pro and Enterprise Starter; only Cody Enterprise remains, with Amp as a separate consumer product.
Agent loop shape. Retrieval-augmented agent loop: user asks; Cody runs agentic context fetching that combines Sourcegraph Search, codebase files, terminal output, web browsing, and MCP tools, iteratively refining context until comprehensive; the LLM then produces a chat answer or an edit. Tool calls (especially terminal) require explicit user consent and a trusted workspace.
Primary use cases
- enterprise codebase chat with remote+local context
- code completions and customizable prompts inside the IDE
- agentic context fetching for accurate retrieval
- MCP-extended internal tooling (local servers)
- multi-repo question answering via Sourcegraph search
Key concepts
- Search-API context → agentic-rag (docs) — Pulls context from local and remote codebases via Sourcegraph's Search API.
- Agentic context fetching → agentic-rag (docs) — Proactively gathers and refines context with multiple tools before responding.
- Tools (Code Search, Codebase File, Terminal, Web Browser, MCP) → tool-use (docs) — Tool surface used during agentic context fetching.
- MCP (local servers only) → mcp (docs) — Cody supports only local MCP servers and only the Tools capability.
Patterns this full-code implements —
- ★★Agentic RAG
Agentic context fetching iteratively gathers and refines context across multiple sources.
- ★★Tool Use
Documented tools: Code Search, Codebase File, Terminal, Web Browser, MCP — each with a per-tool description.
- ★Agent-Computer Interface
Cody ships as VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, web app, and CLI surfaces.
- ★★Human-in-the-Loop
Terminal tool requires explicit consent each time and only works in trusted workspaces.
- ★★Model Context Protocol
Local MCP servers only; only Tools capability supported. Honest downgrade from first-class.
- ★Code-as-Action Agent
Cody focuses more on chat + completions + customizable prompts than autonomous edits; SmartApply/Execute and code-edits exist in VS Code.
Neighbourhood
Click any neighbour to follow the lineage. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan.
Instantiates
Alternatives & relatives
References
Provenance
- Last analyzed:
- Last updated:
- Verification status: verified