Working with Context

Overview

Context management enables project-aware analysis that references existing code structure, tech stack, and patterns.

Workflow

1. Onboard project (one-time):

shannon onboard /path/to/project --project-id myapp

Scans and stores:

• File inventory and structure
• Tech stack detection
• Module identification
• Pattern recognition

2. Use context in analysis:

shannon analyze new_feature.md --project myapp

Difference:

• Without context: Generic "add authentication" advice
• With context: "Integrate with existing UserModel in models/user.py, use JWT pattern from auth.py"

Commands

shannon onboard PATH:

• Scans codebase
• Stores in ~/.shannon/projects/
• Saves to Serena MCP

shannon context status:

• Shows onboarded projects
• Last update time

shannon context update:

• Incremental update after code changes
• Faster than full re-onboarding

shannon context clean:

• Remove stale entries
• Use --all for all projects

Storage

Context stored in:

• Local: ~/.shannon/projects//
• Serena MCP: Entities and relations
• Persistent across sessions

When to Update

Update context after:

• Major code changes (new modules)
• Architecture changes
• Dependency updates
• Tech stack changes

Performance

• Onboarding: <30s for most projects
• Context loading: <1s (automatic in analyze)
• Update: <10s (incremental)