Symbols Workflow comparison

find_and_show

Find a symbol by name and show its body with optional references. Replaces grep + read in one structured call.

−71%
Token reduction
grep function X + grep X -w
Native baseline
1 vs 2
Calls (CS vs native)
2,757 vs 9,363
Tokens (CS vs native)

What it does

Finds a symbol by name, returns its body, and optionally includes all references. A single structured call that replaces the common two-step grep pattern.

When to use

Use when you’re reasonably confident about the symbol name and want definition + usage in one shot. Best for “show me function X and where it’s called.”

When to use something else

  • Not sure about the name → start with search_symbols (ranked candidates)
  • Need imports and sibling context → get_context_bundle
  • Need multiple symbols → get_symbols

Related tools

search_symbols get_symbol get_context_bundle

Benchmark note

This benchmark compares CodeSift against the closest practical native workflow an agent would use for the same task. For some tools, that baseline is a direct shell equivalent such as rg or find. For AST-aware, graph-aware, and LSP-backed tools, the baseline is a multi-step workflow rather than a strictly identical command. Results should be read as agent-workflow comparisons: token cost, call count, and practical context efficiency.