---
description: Configuration for AI behavior when interacting with Codacy's MCP Server
applyTo: '**'
---

<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025-2026 Marcus Quinn -->

# Codacy Rules

Configuration for AI behavior when interacting with Codacy's MCP Server

## CRITICAL: After ANY successful `edit_file` or `reapply` operation

- YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY run the `codacy_cli_analyze` tool from Codacy's MCP Server for each file that was edited, with:
- `rootPath`: set to the workspace path
- `file`: set to the path of the edited file
- `tool`: leave empty or unset
- If any issues are found in the new edits, propose and apply fixes for them.
- > NOTE: Failure to follow this rule is considered a critical error.

## When you tried to run the `codacy_cli_analyze` tool and the Codacy CLI is not installed

- Ask the user 'Codacy CLI is not installed. Would you like me to install it now?'
- If the user responds with "yes", run the `codacy_cli_install` tool and then continue with the original task
- If the user responds with "no", instruct the user that they can disable automatic analysis in the extension settings
- Wait for the user to respond before proceeding with any other actions

## After every response

- If you made any file edits in this conversation, verify you ran `codacy_cli_analyze` tool from Codacy's MCP Server

## When there are no Codacy MCP Server tools available, or the MCP Server is not reachable

- Suggest the user the following troubleshooting steps:
- Try to reset the MCP on the extension
- If the user is using VSCode, suggest them to review their Copilot > MCP settings in Github, under their organization or personal account. Refer them to Settings > Copilot > Enable MCP servers in Copilot. Suggested URL (https://github.com/settings/copilot/features) or https://github.com/organizations/{organization-name}/settings/copilot/features (This can only be done by their organization admins / owners)
- If none of the above steps work, suggest the user to contact Codacy support

## Trying to call a tool that needs a rootPath as a parameter

- Always use the standard, non-URL-encoded file system path

## CRITICAL: Dependencies and Security Checks

- IMMEDIATELY after ANY of these actions:
- Running npm/yarn/pnpm install
- Adding dependencies to package.json
- Adding requirements to requirements.txt
- Adding dependencies to pom.xml
- Adding dependencies to build.gradle
- Any other package manager operations
- You MUST run the `codacy_cli_analyze` tool with:
- `rootPath`: set to the workspace path
- `tool`: set to "trivy"
- `file`: leave empty or unset
- If any vulnerabilities are found because of the newly added packages:
- Stop all other operations
- Propose and apply fixes for the security issues
- Only continue with the original task after security issues are resolved
- EXAMPLE:
- After: npm install react-markdown
- Do: Run codacy_cli_analyze with trivy
- Before: Continuing with any other tasks

## General

- Repeat the relevant steps for each modified file.
- "Propose fixes" means to both suggest and, if possible, automatically apply the fixes.
- You MUST NOT wait for the user to ask for analysis or remind you to run the tool.
- Do not run `codacy_cli_analyze` looking for changes in duplicated code or code complexity metrics.
- Complexity metrics are different from complexity issues. When trying to fix complexity in a repository or file, focus on solving the complexity issues and ignore the complexity metric.
- Do not run `codacy_cli_analyze` looking for changes in code coverage.
- Do not try to manually install Codacy CLI using either brew, npm, npx, or any other package manager.
- If the Codacy CLI is not installed, just run the `codacy_cli_analyze` tool from Codacy's MCP Server.
- When calling `codacy_cli_analyze`, only send provider, organization and repository if the project is a git repository.

## Whenever a call to a Codacy tool that uses `repository` or `organization` as a parameter returns a 404 error

- Offer to run the `codacy_setup_repository` tool to add the repository to Codacy
- If the user accepts, run the `codacy_setup_repository` tool
- Do not ever try to run the `codacy_setup_repository` tool on your own
- After setup, immediately retry the action that failed (only retry once)
