Scout

Scout gives coding agents local repository search through MCP. Agents can find text, files, declarations, and code patterns across languages. Optional semantic search helps agents find relevant code from a natural-language question.

This repository hosts Scout's public release archives. The source code lives in a separate repository. The archives contain the same native binaries as the @glidermcp/scout npm packages.

What you can do

• Find exact text with literal, regular-expression, and whole-word search.
• Locate files and identifiers from partial names with fuzzy search.
• Find declarations and match code patterns in supported languages.
• Explore concepts with optional local semantic and hybrid search.
• Identify declarations affected by a diff to help an agent review changes.

Scout keeps its index current as files change. It reports incomplete coverage and search fallbacks so agents can assess the results. Text and file searches work across languages. Declaration and structural searches support Rust, TypeScript, JavaScript, C#, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, and Markdown.

Install and connect

Add Scout to a client that supports MCP over stdio:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@glidermcp/scout@latest"]
    }
  }
}

The npm wrapper requires Node.js 18 or newer. Native installation needs no Node.js runtime:

# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://glidermcp.com/install.sh | sh

# Homebrew on macOS/Linux
brew install glidermcp/tap/scout

Scout supports Linux x64 and arm64, macOS Intel and Apple Silicon, and Windows x64. Use the installation guide for your client's configuration format and native binary setup. Set --root /path/to/repo when the client starts outside your repository. Add --semantic to enable semantic search. The first setup downloads a model and creates a local index.

Scout skill and plugin

The Scout search skill gives agents guidance for search modes, workspace scope, result coverage, and recovery. Its reference files provide detailed search and semantic setup guidance.

For plugin setup, see the Scout plugin in glidermcp/glidermcp. The plugin runs the scout command. Install the server and ensure your client can find it on PATH.

Tools and documentation

Scout provides seven tools:

Tool	Purpose
find	Search files, text, declarations, code patterns, and concepts.
changed_symbols	Identify declarations affected by a diff.
server_status	Inspect workspace scope, index health, and available search modes.
load	Load a workspace.
unload	Release a workspace.
sync	Apply pending file changes or rescan.
send_feedback	Submit a public issue to the developers.

The tool reference contains technical material for agents and client integrators. Agents can also read scout://guide through MCP for query syntax, limits, and recovery instructions. See the Scout documentation for setup and examples.

Releases

Download binaries from Releases. Each release uses a scout-vX.Y.Z tag and includes:

• scout-<platform>-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz for linux-x64, linux-arm64, darwin-x64, and darwin-arm64. Linux binaries use static musl.
• scout-win32-x64-vX.Y.Z.zip for Windows x64.
• SHA256SUMS with checksums for all archives.

The install script and Homebrew formula verify downloads against SHA256SUMS.

Privacy and support

Scout leaves source files unchanged. It stores local index and application state. Search queries stay local. Semantic setup can download a model, and the feedback tool submits a public issue when called. Anonymous telemetry is enabled by default. Use --no-telemetry or DO_NOT_TRACK=1 to disable telemetry and feedback. See telemetry and privacy for details.

Report problems and request features in glidermcp/glidermcp.