find_external_dependency_usages

[external]

Finds source usages of symbols that come from a referenced external assembly, keyed by assembly name or full metadata reference identity.

Try it locally in the Glider playground

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
assemblyName	string	No	Optional simple assembly name to analyze. Provide this or referenceIdentity.
referenceIdentity	string	No	Optional full metadata reference identity. Provide this or assemblyName.
projectName	string	No	Optional project name filter.
pathStyle	string	No	Path style: 'absolute' (default) or 'relative' (to solution root). Default: `"absolute"`
symbolsSkip	number	No	Symbol-summary pagination offset. Default is 0. Default: `0`
symbolsTake	number	No	Symbol-summary pagination size. Default is 200. Default: `200`
filesSkip	number	No	File-summary pagination offset. Default is 0. Default: `0`
filesTake	number	No	File-summary pagination size. Default is 200. Default: `200`
maxExampleLocations	number	No	Maximum sample locations or symbols to include per summary item. Default is 5. Use 0 to omit examples. Default: `5`
responseDetail	string	No	compact returns results and actionable state. full adds diagnostic metadata under responseDiagnostics. Default: `"compact"`

Examples

Replace sample paths and symbol keys with values from your workspace.

Analyze usages by assembly name

Arguments 
{
  "assemblyName": "System.Text.Json"
}

Full MCP request

Full MCP request 
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "find_external_dependency_usages",
    "arguments": {
      "assemblyName": "System.Text.Json"
    }
  }
}

Illustrative response 
{
  "success": true,
  "assemblyName": "System.Text.Json",
  "projectSummaryCount": 1,
  "fileSummaryCount": 2,
  "symbolSummaryCount": 3,
  "projects": [
    {
      "projectName": "MyApp",
      "usageCount": 6
    }
  ],
  "files": [
    {
      "filePath": "/path/to/JsonService.cs",
      "usageCount": 4
    }
  ],
  "symbols": [
    {
      "symbolName": "JsonSerializer.Serialize",
      "usageCount": 3,
      "exampleLocations": [
        {
          "filePath": "/path/to/JsonService.cs",
          "lineNumber": 27
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Analyze usages by full metadata identity

Arguments 
{
  "referenceIdentity": "System.Text.Json, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51"
}

Full MCP request

Full MCP request 
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "find_external_dependency_usages",
    "arguments": {
      "referenceIdentity": "System.Text.Json, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51"
    }
  }
}

Response Notes

Returns project, file, and symbol summaries for a referenced external assembly. When no reference matches, it returns foundReference:false. availableReferenceCount reports how many distinct external reference identities were searched. candidateReferences lists near-match suggestions, or the exact identities to choose from when a name is ambiguous. It is empty on a genuine miss. Results use top-level fields with success. Compact is the default; full adds responseDiagnostics. Both modes retain errors, coverage, partial state, and recovery advice.