Note: If you have mcporter installed locally, you should use mcporter to invoke the MCP tool instead of directly calling the MCP tool. The mcporter CLI provides a more convenient interface and better error handling.

Repo Explorer via Gitee MCP

Quickly explore the structure and core content of a Gitee repository and generate an overview report to help get up to speed on an unfamiliar project.

Prerequisites

• Gitee MCP Server configured (tools: getfilecontent, searchfilesbycontent, listuser_repos)
• User must provide: repository owner, repository name
• Optional: specific area of interest (e.g., "I want to understand the authentication mechanism")

Steps

Step 1: Fetch Key Documentation

Start by reading these files using getfilecontent:

1. README.md or README_CN.md: project introduction
2. CONTRIBUTING.md: contribution guide (development conventions)
3. CHANGELOG.md: change history (evolution of the project)
4. package.json / go.mod / pom.xml / requirements.txt: tech stack and dependencies

Step 2: Explore Project Structure

First, use getfilecontent with path="/" to get the root directory tree:

get_file_content(owner="[owner]", repo="[repo]", path="/")

This returns the top-level directory structure in a single call, providing a quick overview of the project's layout.

Then, browse key subdirectories to identify:

Common project structure patterns

• src/ or lib/: core source code
• cmd/ or bin/: CLI entry points (Go / C++ projects)
• api/ or routes/: API definitions
• tests/ or test/: test code
• docs/: detailed documentation
• scripts/ or .gitee/ or .github/: build / CI scripts
• config/ or configs/: configuration files

Step 3: Analyze Core Code

Based on the project type, read key files in depth:

Web application

• Entry file (main.go / index.js / app.py)
• Route definition files
• Database schema or model definitions

Library / SDK

• Main entry file (public API entry point)
• Core algorithm files

CLI tool

• Command definition files
• Configuration handling logic

Use searchfilesby_content to locate core logic:

• Search for main, init, Router, etc.
• Search for specific keywords matching the user's area of interest

Step 4: Generate Repository Overview Report

# Repository Overview: [owner/repo]

## About
[One-paragraph description summarizing the project based on the README]

## Tech Stack
- **Language**: [primary language]
- **Framework**: [main framework]
- **Storage**: [database / cache]
- **Deployment**: [Docker / K8s / other]

## Directory Structure
[Key directory annotations]
├── src/          # Core source code
├── api/          # API definitions
├── tests/        # Tests
└── docs/         # Documentation

## Core Modules
| Module | Path | Responsibility |
|--------|------|---------------|
| [name] | [path] | [one-sentence description] |

## Data Models (if applicable)
[Main entities and their relationships]

## Getting Started
[Setup steps extracted from README / CONTRIBUTING]

\`\`\`bash
# Install dependencies
[command]

# Start the project
[command]
\`\`\`

## Contribution Highlights
[Key conventions from CONTRIBUTING.md]

## Recent Activity
[Latest version highlights from CHANGELOG or README]

Step 5: Deep Dive (optional)

If the user has a specific area of interest, use searchfilesby_content for targeted searches:

• Authentication: search auth, token, permission
• Database operations: search SELECT, INSERT, Model
• Configuration: search config, env, ENV

Notes

• Prefer smaller files when reading; avoid loading very large files all at once
• Keep the report focused and concise — do not try to cover everything
• If the project has no README, infer its purpose from the code structure and comments