fix(mcp): keep codegraph_explore loaded in Claude Code and Copilot CLI (#1696)

Claude Code defers every MCP tool behind ToolSearch by default, so a fresh session sees only the tool name until the model searches for it. The explore tool now carries `_meta: { "anthropic/alwaysLoad": true }`, which exempts it on existing installs, and the Claude Code installer target writes `alwaysLoad: true` on the server entry (re-running install adds the key to an older entry). Copilot CLI tool search holds MCP tools back the same way once ~30 tools are connected, so its entry carries `deferTools: "never"`.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -232,6 +232,8 @@ and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 - **The Map covers a multi-root project.** A React Native app's `ios/` beside its `src/` — or any second root holding a fifth of the code — is now on the picture, one level deeper, instead of the map silently drawing only the larger root.
 
+- **`codegraph_explore` is loaded from the first prompt in Claude Code.** Claude Code defers every MCP tool behind a tool-search step, so a fresh session saw only the tool's name until the model searched for it, and the server's "call `codegraph_explore` instead of Read" had nothing loaded to act on. The tool now carries `anthropic/alwaysLoad` in its `_meta`, which exempts it on existing installs, and `codegraph install` writes `alwaysLoad: true` on the Claude Code server entry (re-run it to add the key). Copilot CLI's tool search holds MCP tools back the same way once ~30 tools are connected, so its entry now carries `deferTools: "never"`. (#1696)
+
 - Fixed a long-running `codegraph ui` session serving a symbol that a sync had already deleted. The viewer keeps one connection to your index open, and its in-memory lookup didn't notice when another process — your agent's sync, or `codegraph sync` — rewrote the file underneath it, so a symbol screen could keep showing a body with no callers while search correctly reported it had moved. Because a symbol's identity includes the line it starts on, this happened after almost any edit above it.
 
 ## [1.6.0] - 2026-08-26

README.md

@@ -508,12 +508,15 @@ npm install -g @colbymchenry/codegraph
     "codegraph": {
       "type": "stdio",
       "command": "codegraph",
-      "args": ["serve", "--mcp"]
+      "args": ["serve", "--mcp"],
+      "alwaysLoad": true
     }
   }
 }
 ```
 
+`alwaysLoad` keeps `codegraph_explore` loaded from the first prompt. Claude Code otherwise defers every MCP tool behind a tool-search step, so a fresh session sees only the tool's name until the model searches for it.
+
 **Add to `~/.claude/settings.json` (optional, for auto-allow):**
 ```json
 {

__tests__/installer-targets.test.ts

@@ -976,6 +976,22 @@ describe('Installer targets — partial-state idempotency', () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpCwd, '.claude.json'))).toBe(false);
     const cfg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpCwd, '.mcp.json'), 'utf-8'));
     expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph).toBeDefined();
+    // Exempt from Claude Code's tool-search deferral (#1696).
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.alwaysLoad).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('claude: re-running install on an entry that predates alwaysLoad adds the key (#1696)', () => {
+    const claude = getTarget('claude')!;
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpCwd, '.mcp.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ mcpServers: { codegraph: { type: 'stdio', command: 'codegraph', args: ['serve', '--mcp'] } } }, null, 2),
+    );
+    const result = claude.install('local', { autoAllow: false });
+    const mcp = result.files.find((f) => f.path.replace(/\\/g, '/').endsWith('/.mcp.json'));
+    expect(mcp?.action).toBe('updated');
+    const cfg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpCwd, '.mcp.json'), 'utf-8'));
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.alwaysLoad).toBe(true);
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.args).toEqual(['serve', '--mcp']);
   });
 
   it('claude: install creates the CLAUDE.md codegraph block (#704)', () => {
@@ -1010,6 +1026,7 @@ describe('Installer targets — partial-state idempotency', () => {
     claude.install('global', { autoAllow: false });
     const cfg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.claude.json'), 'utf-8'));
     expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph).toBeDefined();
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.alwaysLoad).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it('claude: local install migrates a legacy ./.claude.json codegraph entry into ./.mcp.json', () => {
@@ -2180,7 +2197,7 @@ describe('Installer targets — Copilot family', () => {
 
   // ---- copilot-cli ----
 
-  it('copilot-cli: global install writes ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json with the documented entry shape (tools: ["*"])', () => {
+  it('copilot-cli: global install writes ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json with the documented entry shape (tools: ["*"], deferTools: "never")', () => {
     const t = getTarget('copilot-cli')!;
     const result = t.install('global', { autoAllow: true });
 
@@ -2193,9 +2210,26 @@ describe('Installer targets — Copilot family', () => {
       command: 'codegraph',
       args: ['serve', '--mcp'],
       tools: ['*'],
+      // Exempt from Copilot CLI's tool search, the same way `alwaysLoad` exempts it in Claude Code (#1696).
+      deferTools: 'never',
     });
   });
 
+  it('copilot-cli: re-running install on an entry that predates deferTools adds the key (#1696)', () => {
+    const t = getTarget('copilot-cli')!;
+    const file = path.join(tmpHome, '.copilot', 'mcp-config.json');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(file), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      file,
+      JSON.stringify({ mcpServers: { codegraph: { type: 'stdio', command: 'codegraph', args: ['serve', '--mcp'], tools: ['*'] } } }, null, 2),
+    );
+    const result = t.install('global', { autoAllow: true });
+    expect(result.files[0].action).toBe('updated');
+    const cfg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.deferTools).toBe('never');
+    expect(cfg.mcpServers.codegraph.tools).toEqual(['*']);
+  });
+
   it('copilot-cli: is global-only — local install skips with a clear note, uninstall is a no-op', () => {
     const t = getTarget('copilot-cli')!;
     expect(t.supportsLocation('local')).toBe(false);

__tests__/mcp-tool-annotations.test.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
  * rewrites codegraph_explore's description via spread), and the no-default-
  * project surface (`withRequiredProjectPath`, which clones the schema). A drop in
  * any of those would silently re-block the tools in Ask mode.
+ *
+ * `codegraph_explore`'s `_meta` (`anthropic/alwaysLoad`, #1696) rides the same
+ * spreads, so each surface is checked for it here too.
  */
 import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
@@ -34,6 +37,13 @@ function expectReadOnly(tool: ToolDefinition): void {
   expect(tool.annotations!.openWorldHint).toBe(false);
 }
 
+/** Assert the explore tool in a `tools/list` surface is marked always-load for Claude Code (#1696). */
+function expectExploreAlwaysLoad(surface: ToolDefinition[]): void {
+  const explore = surface.find((t) => t.name === 'codegraph_explore');
+  expect(explore, 'codegraph_explore is missing from the surface').toBeDefined();
+  expect(explore!._meta).toEqual({ 'anthropic/alwaysLoad': true });
+}
+
 describe('Read-only annotations on the codegraph MCP tools (#1018)', () => {
   const original = process.env[ENV];
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -44,6 +54,7 @@ describe('Read-only annotations on the codegraph MCP tools (#1018)', () => {
   it('every tool in the master array is annotated read-only', () => {
     expect(tools.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
     for (const tool of tools) expectReadOnly(tool);
+    expectExploreAlwaysLoad(tools);
   });
 
   it('the static proxy surface carries annotations on every exposed tool', () => {
@@ -52,6 +63,7 @@ describe('Read-only annotations on the codegraph MCP tools (#1018)', () => {
     const got = getStaticTools();
     expect(got.map((t) => t.name).sort()).toEqual(tools.map((t) => t.name).sort());
     for (const tool of got) expectReadOnly(tool);
+    expectExploreAlwaysLoad(got);
   });
 
   it('the no-default-project surface keeps annotations through the schema clone', () => {
@@ -65,6 +77,7 @@ describe('Read-only annotations on the codegraph MCP tools (#1018)', () => {
       // Sanity: this IS the clone path (projectPath got marked required).
       expect(tool.inputSchema.required ?? []).toContain('projectPath');
     }
+    expectExploreAlwaysLoad(got);
   });
 });
 
@@ -101,5 +114,6 @@ describe('Live tool surface keeps annotations with a project open (#1018)', () =
     expect(explore).toBeDefined();
     expect(explore!.description).toMatch(/Budget: make at most/);
     expectReadOnly(explore!);
+    expectExploreAlwaysLoad(got);
   });
 });

src/installer/targets/claude.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,18 @@ import {
   CODEGRAPH_SECTION_START,
 } from '../instructions-template';
 
+/**
+ * The shared stdio entry plus `alwaysLoad: true`, Claude Code's exemption from
+ * tool-search deferral (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp#exempt-a-server-from-deferral).
+ * `codegraph_explore` carries the same flag in its `_meta`, which covers an
+ * entry written before this key; the entry-level key additionally makes
+ * Claude Code wait for this server's tools at startup, so they are in the
+ * first prompt rather than listed after the server connects in the background.
+ */
+function getClaudeMcpServerConfig() {
+  return { ...getMcpServerConfig(), alwaysLoad: true };
+}
+
 function configDir(loc: Location): string {
   return loc === 'global'
     ? path.join(os.homedir(), '.claude')
@@ -211,7 +223,7 @@ class ClaudeCodeTarget implements AgentTarget {
 
   printConfig(loc: Location): string {
     const target = mcpJsonPath(loc);
-    const snippet = JSON.stringify({ mcpServers: { codegraph: getMcpServerConfig() } }, null, 2);
+    const snippet = JSON.stringify({ mcpServers: { codegraph: getClaudeMcpServerConfig() } }, null, 2);
     return `# Add to ${target}\n\n${snippet}\n`;
   }
 
@@ -231,7 +243,7 @@ export function writeMcpEntry(loc: Location): WriteResult['files'][number] {
   const file = mcpJsonPath(loc);
   const existing = readJsonFile(file);
   const before = existing.mcpServers?.codegraph;
-  const after = getMcpServerConfig();
+  const after = getClaudeMcpServerConfig();
 
   if (jsonDeepEqual(before, after)) {
     // Already exactly what we'd write — preserve byte-identical file.

src/installer/targets/copilot-cli.ts

@@ -95,9 +95,15 @@ function copilotOnPath(): boolean {
   return false;
 }
 
-function buildCopilotMcpConfig(): { type: string; command: string; args: string[]; tools: string[] } {
+/**
+ * The shared stdio entry, every tool allowed, and `deferTools: 'never'`: Copilot CLI's tool
+ * search (on by default from ~30 connected tools on Claude and GPT-5.4+ models) otherwise holds
+ * MCP tools back until the model searches for them, so `codegraph_explore` would be a name the
+ * model has to go looking for before it can follow the "call it instead of Read" instruction.
+ */
+function buildCopilotMcpConfig(): { type: string; command: string; args: string[]; tools: string[]; deferTools: 'never' } {
   const base = getMcpServerConfig();
-  return { ...base, tools: ['*'] };
+  return { ...base, tools: ['*'], deferTools: 'never' };
 }
 
 class CopilotCliTarget implements AgentTarget {

src/mcp/tools.ts

@@ -942,6 +942,12 @@ export interface ToolDefinition {
   };
   /** Behavioral hints for clients (see {@link ToolAnnotations}). */
   annotations?: ToolAnnotations;
+  /**
+   * MCP `_meta` on the tool definition. `anthropic/alwaysLoad: true` makes
+   * Claude Code load the tool at session start instead of deferring it behind
+   * its tool search (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp#exempt-a-server-from-deferral).
+   */
+  _meta?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1196,6 +1202,9 @@ export const tools: ToolDefinition[] = [
       required: ['query'],
     },
     annotations: READ_ONLY_ANNOTATIONS,
+    // Loaded from the first prompt in Claude Code, which otherwise defers every
+    // MCP tool behind a ToolSearch step (#1696).
+    _meta: { 'anthropic/alwaysLoad': true },
   },
   {
     name: 'codegraph_status',