sqry

sqry is a locally run structural code-search and navigation tool for developers who need relationships between symbols, not just matching text. It suits maintainers, security-conscious teams, and AI-assisted workflows that can accommodate an indexing step. Its broad plugin range and integrations are compelling, but language support varies in depth and quick searches are not its strongest use case.

Overview

sqry parses a codebase into an abstract syntax tree and a graph of symbols and relationships. That model supports questions such as which functions call another function, where implementations exist, which dependencies form cycles, and which symbols appear unused. Regex search and code navigation are also included, so it can cover both structural investigation and conventional searching.

Use begins by building an index. The resulting graph snapshot persists, allowing later queries to load cached data rather than rebuilding every time. This is a sensible workflow for ongoing repository work, but it adds setup and waiting before a first query and makes sqry less attractive for a one-off text lookup.

sqry is open source under the MIT license, self-hosted, and processed locally. Verivus Pty Ltd says source code never leaves the machine and the product has no telemetry. The project also describes cargo-vet and cargo-deny checks for dependency licensing and CVEs on every commit.

Key features

Structural analysis and plugins

Documented graph commands cover callers, callees, implementations, dependency cycles, and unused symbols. The 37 language plugins are not interchangeable: 28 provide full relation tracking, while nine provide symbol extraction and import tracking. That distinction is important for polyglot teams; a listed language may support indexing and basic discovery without supporting every relationship query.

AI and editor connections

An MCP server connects sqry to Claude, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, and Windsurf. The standalone server exposes 39 tools, while daemon mode narrows that to a curated 16. The full server favors assistants that need broad control; daemon mode is a more restrained fit when a smaller surface is preferable.

The LSP server works with VS Code, Neovim, Helix, and any LSP 3.17 client. This puts symbol-aware navigation in established editor workflows instead of requiring a separate interface. A GitHub Action is described for checking dead code, cycles, and duplicates on every pull request, although the project does not currently publish a public composite action; CI setup therefore relies on its install script and CLI commands.

Security and distribution

Public releases include checksums and Sigstore DSSE attestation metadata, and installation scripts verify checksums by default. Installers are provided for macOS, Linux, and Windows, with cargo installation on all three. Windows users must keep the bundled MinGW runtime DLLs alongside the executables; the release ZIP includes them.

Pricing

sqry costs free under its single “sqry” plan. It is open source, MIT licensed, and runs locally, with no paid tier, trial period, seat charge, or renewal term. That makes it straightforward for individual developers and teams to deploy without a service budget. The trade-off is that support and operation remain part of a self-hosted workflow, and there is no hosted plan to remove that responsibility.

Platforms

sqry runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Editor support extends through its LSP implementation to VS Code, Neovim, Helix, and other LSP 3.17 clients. AI use is available through MCP-compatible integrations named by the project.

Who it's for

Choose sqry when you need local, relationship-aware analysis across a sizeable or unfamiliar codebase, especially if privacy rules prohibit uploading source. It is particularly suitable for maintainers tracing call chains, reviewing architectural dependencies, or exposing dead code through CI, and for teams that already use MCP assistants or LSP editors.

It is a weaker fit for instant searches where indexing overhead is unwelcome, or for a language that falls into the nine-plugin extraction-only group. Confirm the plugin's relation coverage before making it central to a polyglot workflow.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Structural callers, callees, implementations, cycles, and unused-symbol queries go beyond plain text search.
• Pros: Local, telemetry-free processing and MIT licensing keep source under your control and avoid recurring fees.
• Pros: MCP and LSP integrations connect the same graph to major AI assistants and common editors.
• Pros: Checksums, Sigstore attestations, and default installer verification strengthen release handling.
• Cons: Every project needs an index before querying, adding a deliberate setup step.
• Cons: Nine of 37 plugins lack full relation tracking, so language coverage must be checked feature by feature.
• Cons: Windows deployment requires the accompanying MinGW runtime DLLs.
• Cons: CI currently uses scripts and CLI commands rather than a published composite action.

Alternatives

Browse Code Search Tools for a wider shortlist. Pick Chromium instead if you need a free, open-source browser spanning desktop, mobile, and extension platforms. ast-grep is the better comparison for free structural matching across API, extension, desktop, web, and Windows environments. Choose Code Search when a freemium community plan with unlimited users, repository-wide find-and-replace, CLI, MCP, and SCIP intelligence is more useful than sqry's local graph workflow. GNU GLOBAL offers free software under the GNU GPL for Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows use. OpenGrok is a free, open-source CDDL project with web and self-hosted options. Shebe provides local code search under Apache-2.0. Chatterbox TTS is an unrelated free MIT-licensed open-source model project. LXR Cross Referencer is a free, self-installed web code cross-referencer.

Verdict

sqry is a strong choice for developers who want private, local structural queries integrated with editors, AI assistants, and pull-request checks. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of graph-based analysis and zero-cost MIT deployment. Look elsewhere if your workflow demands immediate text search, a hosted service, or complete relationship support for a language served only by sqry's extraction-focused plugins.