Skill v1.0.1

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dianel555/dskills/serena

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PublishedMay 24, 2026 at 08:08 PM

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version: "1.0.1" name: serena description: | Semantic code understanding with IDE-like symbol operations. Use when: (1) Large codebase analysis (>50 files), (2) Symbol-level operations (find, rename, refactor), (3) Cross-file reference tracking, (4) Project memory and session persistence, (5) Multi-language semantic navigation. Triggers: "find symbol", "rename function", "find references", "symbol overview", "project memory". IMPORTANT: Prioritize Serena's symbolic tools over file-based grep/read for code exploration.

Serena - Semantic Code Understanding

IDE-like semantic code operations via CLI. Provides symbol-level code navigation, editing, and project memory.

Prerequisites

bash

pip install serena-agent typer pyyaml

Quick Start

First-time setup: Launch the Web Dashboard to initialize and register the project:

bash

python -m tools dashboard serve --open-browser

This will:

Initialize Serena configuration
Register the current project in ~/.serena/serena_config.yml
Open the Web Dashboard for monitoring and configuration

Configuration: Edit .env file in skills/serena/ directory:

bash

SERENA_CONTEXT=claude-code
SERENA_MODES=interactive,editing,onboarding
SERENA_PROJECT=.

Usage

Basic Command Structure

bash

python -m tools [GLOBAL OPTIONS] <command> [COMMAND OPTIONS]

Global Options (must be specified before the command):

-p, --project PATH - Project directory (default: current directory, env: SERENA_PROJECT)
-c, --context TEXT - Execution context (auto-detected if not specified, env: SERENA_CONTEXT)
-m, --mode TEXT - Operation modes (can be specified multiple times, env: SERENA_MODES)

Working with Different Projects

Important: When working with projects in different locations (especially cross-drive on Windows), use --project:

bash

# Correct: Use --project for different project locations
python -m tools --project "/path/to/project" symbol find MyClass
python -m tools --project "E:\MyProject" file search "pattern"
 
# Incorrect: Don't use --path with absolute paths from different drives
python -m tools file search "pattern" --path "E:\MyProject"  # Will fail!

The --path option in subcommands expects relative paths within the project. Always use --project to set the project root first.

Common Operations

bash

# Dashboard
python -m tools dashboard serve --open-browser
python -m tools dashboard info
 
# Symbol operations
python -m tools symbol find MyClass --body
python -m tools symbol overview src/main.py
python -m tools symbol refs MyClass/method
python -m tools symbol rename OldName NewName --path src/file.py
 
# Memory operations
python -m tools memory list
python -m tools memory read project_overview
python -m tools memory write api_notes --content "..."
 
# File operations
python -m tools file list --recursive
python -m tools file find "**/*.py"
python -m tools file search "TODO:.*" --path src
 
# Extended tools
python -m tools cmd run "git status"
python -m tools config read config.json

Tool Routing Policy

Prefer Serena Over Built-in Tools

Task	Avoid	Use Serena CLI
Find function	`grep "def func"`	`symbol find func --body`
List file structure	`cat file.py`	`symbol overview file.py`
Find usages	`grep "func("`	`symbol refs func`
Edit function	`Edit` tool	`symbol replace func --path file.py`
Rename	Manual find/replace	`symbol rename old new --path file.py`

When to Use Built-in Tools

Simple text search (non-code patterns)
Configuration files (JSON, YAML)
Documentation files (Markdown)

Command Reference

Dashboard Commands

Command	Description
`dashboard serve [--open-browser] [--browser-cmd <path>]`	Start Web Dashboard server
`dashboard info`	Show current configuration
`dashboard tools`	List active and available tools
`dashboard modes`	List active and available modes
`dashboard contexts`	List active and available contexts

Symbol Commands

Command	Description
`symbol find <name> [--body] [--depth N] [--path file]`	Find symbols by name
`symbol overview <path>`	List all symbols in file
`symbol refs <name> [--path file]`	Find symbol references
`symbol replace <name> --path <file> --body <code>`	Replace symbol body
`symbol insert-after <name> --path <file> --content <code>`	Insert after symbol
`symbol insert-before <name> --path <file> --content <code>`	Insert before symbol
`symbol rename <name> <new> --path <file>`	Rename symbol

Memory Commands

Command	Description
`memory list`	List all memories
`memory read <name>`	Read memory content
`memory write <name> --content <text>`	Create/update memory
`memory edit <name> --content <text>`	Edit memory
`memory delete <name>`	Delete memory

File Commands

Command	Description
`file list [--path dir] [--recursive]`	List directory
`file find <pattern>`	Find files by glob pattern
`file search <pattern> [--path dir]`	Search for regex pattern

Extended Commands

Command	Description
`cmd run <command> [--cwd dir] [--timeout N]`	Execute shell command
`cmd script <path> [--args "..."]`	Execute script file
`config read <path> [--format json\	yaml]`	Read config file
`config update <path> <key> <value>`	Update config value

Workflow Commands

Command	Description
`workflow onboarding`	Run project onboarding
`workflow check`	Check onboarding status
`workflow tools [--scope all]`	List available tools

Workflow Examples

Phase 1: Exploration

bash

python -m tools symbol overview src/main.py           # Understand file structure
python -m tools symbol find MyClass --depth 1         # Explore class members
python -m tools symbol find MyClass/method --body     # Get implementation details

Phase 2: Analysis

bash

python -m tools symbol refs MyClass/method            # Impact analysis
python -m tools memory list                           # Check project knowledge
python -m tools memory read architecture              # Retrieve context

Phase 3: Modification

bash

python -m tools symbol find target --body             # Verify target
python -m tools symbol replace target --path f --body "..."  # Edit
python -m tools symbol rename old new --path f        # Refactor

Error Handling

All CLI output is JSON:

json

// Success
{"result": <data>}
// Error
{"error": {"code": "ERROR_CODE", "message": "description"}}

Error Code	Recovery
`INVALID_ARGS`	Check `--help`
`TOOL_NOT_FOUND`	Use `workflow tools`
`INIT_FAILED`	Check serena-agent installation
`RUNTIME_ERROR`	Check error message

Anti-Patterns

Prohibited	Correct
Read entire file to find function	`symbol find func --body`
Grep for function calls	`symbol refs func`
Manual search-replace rename	`symbol rename old new --path f`
Skip impact analysis	`symbol refs` before editing

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