Code Index vs Symbols

In-depth architectural comparison of the Code Index and Symbols MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

C

Choose Code Index when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Code Index Details

Choose Symbols when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Symbols Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	C Code Index Developer Tools	Symbols Developer Tools
Summary	Fast local source code searching using Zoekt trigram-based indexing	Fast polyglot source code intelligence: symbols, imports, dependencies, and impact analysis.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-index-3": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "code-index-3"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "symbols": {
      "url": "https://img.shields.io/badge/Go-1.26-00ADD8?logo=go&logoColor=white)](https://go.dev/"
    }
  }
}

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