Local Indexing

Learn how Cody's local indexing engine works to provide fast keyword search in your workspace.

Cody uses symf (symbol finder), a local keyword search engine, to create and maintain code indexes for your workspace folders. This enables fast context retrieval directly from your local codebase.

How Local Indexing Works

Symf automatically creates and maintains indexes of your code:

  • Starts automatically when you open a workspace and authenticate
  • Runs in the background with minimal performance impact
  • Detects file changes and reindexes as needed
  • Persists across restarts for instant availability

Configuration Settings

VS Code Settings

Configure symf behavior through VS Code settings (settings.json):

cody.experimental.symf.enabled (default: true)

  • Enables or disables symf functionality
  • Set to false to completely disable local indexing

cody.internal.symf.path

  • Specify a custom path to the symf binary
  • When set, automatic download is skipped
  • Useful for custom builds or air-gapped environments

Manual Index Control:

Use the Command Palette to manually trigger indexing:

  • Cody: Update search index for current workspace folder - Reindex the active workspace folder
  • Cody: Update search index for all workspace folders - Reindex all open workspace folders

JetBrains Settings

Configure symf behavior in your project's custom settings file:

Location: .idea/.sourcegraph/cody_settings.json

cody.experimental.symf.enabled (default: true)

JSON
{
  "cody.experimental.symf.enabled": "true"
}

Note: JetBrains does not currently expose manual index control commands. Indexing happens automatically in the background through the Cody Agent.

Enterprise Configuration

Administrators can use the symf-retrieval-disabled feature flag to completely disable symf for their organization. This:

  • Prevents automatic binary downloads
  • Disables all symf operations
  • Useful for organizations with strict firewall policies
  • Works for both VS Code and JetBrains clients

Index Storage Location

Indexes are stored in your VS Code extension's global storage directory under symf/indexroot/. The exact location varies by operating system:

Windows

SHELL
%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\sourcegraph.cody-ai\symf\indexroot\

macOS

SHELL
~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/sourcegraph.cody-ai/symf/indexroot/

Linux

SHELL
~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/sourcegraph.cody-ai/symf/indexroot/

Each workspace folder gets its own subdirectory based on its absolute path. The symf binary itself is stored in the parent symf/ directory.

Additional Storage Directories

  • .tmp/ - Temporary indexes during rebuilding
  • .trash/ - Deleted indexes
  • .failed/ - Tracks failed index attempts to prevent retry loops

Limitations

  • Desktop only - Only works on VS Code Desktop with local file systems (file:// URIs)
  • Not supported on VS Code Web, remote workspaces, or virtual file systems
  • Authentication required - Indexing only starts after you authenticate with Cody
  • Retry logic - If indexing fails, it won't automatically retry unless you manually trigger a reindex

Network Requirements

The symf binary is automatically downloaded from GitHub (https://github.com/sourcegraph/symf/releases/). Organizations with firewall restrictions should either:

  1. Allow downloads from GitHub releases
  2. Use the cody.internal.symf.path setting to point to a manually installed binary
  3. Enable the symf-retrieval-disabled feature flag to disable symf entirely

Troubleshooting

If you experience issues with local indexing:

  1. Check the Cody output channel for debug logs (View → Output → Cody)
  2. Manually trigger reindexing using the Command Palette commands
  3. Clear indexes by deleting the storage directory and restarting VS Code
  4. Use a custom binary if automatic downloads fail due to network restrictions
  5. Verify authentication - Ensure you're signed in to Cody

For persistent issues, consider disabling symf with cody.experimental.symf.enabled: false and relying on other context retrieval methods.