swapnilpaliwal-sd · Oct 7, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Search with grep as usual; the graph answers what grep cannot. Use the MCP tools
 |---|---|---|
 | where is the code for this task? | your own search (grep), then bring the name here | — |
 | who calls X, what does changing it reach, which tests? | `impact(name)` | `axiomcode impact <name>` |
+| what is the value of constant X, and who reads it? | `impact(name)` | `axiomcode impact <name>` |
 | what do my uncommitted edits reach? | `impact()` | `axiomcode impact` |
 | how does A reach B? | `path(start, end)` | `axiomcode path <A> <B>` |
 | which tests do my edits need, and how do I run them? | `tests()` | `axiomcode tests` |
@@ -44,7 +45,8 @@ from an empty answer.
 
 With a name: who calls it, what depends on it further out, and the tests that exercise it. Example:
 `impact(name="PriceService.total")`. With no name: the first line is `your edits:` (each declaration you changed and
-how), then the same answer for all of them.
+how), then the same answer for all of them. A constant answers with its value — `change: const MAX_ITEMS = 5` —
+so a limit, a default or a threshold is read off the first line rather than from the file.
 
 ## path
 

@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ def registrations(q, site_file=None):
     sf = site_file or (lambda x: x)
     lits = {}
     if _has(q, 'literals'):
-        for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL"):
+        for v, f, l in _string_literals(q):
             lits.setdefault((f, l), []).append(v)
     # the declarations a name identifies uniquely: only those can be named as the registered declaration, because
     # a site names a VALUE by identifier and two callables of one name would each claim the other's registration
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def route_site_lines(q, site_file=None):
         return {}
     lits = {}
     if _has(q, 'literals'):
-        for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL"):
+        for v, f, l in _string_literals(q):
             lits.setdefault((f, l), []).append(v)
     return _route_links(q, site_file or (lambda x: x), lits, set())[2]
 
@@ -628,6 +628,20 @@ def _has(q, t):
     return bool(q("SELECT 1 FROM sqlite_master WHERE name=?", t))
 
 
+def _span_string_literals(q, f, a, b):
+    """the STRING literals inside one file span, kind-filtered the same way _string_literals is"""
+    try: return q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE file = ? AND line BETWEEN ? AND ? AND kind = 'string'", f, a, b)
+    except Exception: return q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE file = ? AND line BETWEEN ? AND ?", f, a, b)
+
+
+def _string_literals(q):
+    """the literals rows that are STRINGS, as (value, file, line). A v8 index also carries numbers and
+    booleans, which are never registration keys and would join everything (`"1"` matches every retry
+    count); a pre-v8 or degraded index has no kind column, and there every row is a string."""
+    try: return q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL AND kind = 'string'")
+    except Exception: return q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL")
+
+
 # ── the DECORATION path: the key is written at the `@`, and the owner is recorded ────────────────────────────
 # `registrations()` above skips DECORATOR_CALL sites deliberately, because a decoration is not a call that hands a
 # value over. It is the other half of the same idea and it carries BETTER evidence: the index records which
@@ -814,7 +828,7 @@ def literal_verbs(q, at, site_file=None):
         short = re.sub(r'Async$', '', (n or '').split('.')[-1].split('<')[0]).upper()
         if short in _VERBS: calls[sf(f) if f else ''].append((a, b or a, short))
     out = set()
-    for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL"):
+    for v, f, l in _string_literals(q):
         if not (isinstance(v, str) and v.startswith('/')): continue
         f2 = sf(f) if f else ''
         hold = [(b - a, -a, verb) for a, b, verb in calls.get(f2, ()) if a <= l <= b]
@@ -857,7 +871,7 @@ def value_route_registrations(q, site_file=None):
                 names_at.setdefault((f, l), set()).update(routed[(f, n)])
     import re
     out = []
-    for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL"):
+    for v, f, l in _string_literals(q):
         if not (isinstance(v, str) and 0 < len(v) < 160):
             continue
         # A RESOURCE IS NOT A ROUTE. Measured on the JVM parser: the pair fired on
@@ -1118,7 +1132,7 @@ def written(text, token):
             if not _KEY_POS.match(text, mm.end()): return True
         return False
     if _has(q, 'literals'):
-        for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL"):
+        for v, f, l in _string_literals(q):
             if v not in keys or (f, l) in cpos: continue
             L = read(f)
             text = L[l - 1] if L and l <= len(L) else None
@@ -1187,7 +1201,7 @@ def key_writes(q, table_keys=None):
     the table's own key position or the constant's declaration)."""
     if table_keys is None:
         table_keys = {r[4] for r in table_registrations(q)}
-    rows = [(v, f, l) for v, f, l in q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE line > 0 AND value IS NOT NULL")
+    rows = [(v, f, l) for v, f, l in _string_literals(q)
             if v not in table_keys] if _has(q, 'literals') else []
     return rows + table_key_writes(q, table_keys)
 
@@ -1313,6 +1327,6 @@ def _sends_request(q, m):
     ph = ','.join('?' * len(REQUEST_CALLS))
     if q(f"SELECT 1 FROM call_sites WHERE caller_id = ? AND callee_name IN ({ph}) LIMIT 1", m, *sorted(REQUEST_CALLS)): return True
     if _has(q, 'literals'):
-        for (v,) in q("SELECT value FROM literals WHERE file = ? AND line BETWEEN ? AND ?", f, a, b):
+        for v, _f, _l in _span_string_literals(q, f, a, b):
             if isinstance(v, str) and re.fullmatch(r'/[\w\-./{}:%]*', v): return True
     return False
@@ -411,7 +411,10 @@ def route_seeds(g, text):
         for r in g.q("SELECT owner_id, text, file, line FROM decorations WHERE text LIKE '%/%' OR text LIKE '%\"%'"):
             for v in re.findall(r'"([^"]*)"', r['text'] or ''): lits.append((v, r['file'], r['line'], r['owner_id']))
     if asked and g.has('literals'):
-        for r in g.q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE value LIKE '%/%' OR length(value) < 40"):
+        # strings only: a route is never a number, and the v8 index carries numbers and booleans too
+        try: lit_rows = g.q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE (value LIKE '%/%' OR length(value) < 40) AND kind = 'string'")
+        except Exception: lit_rows = g.q("SELECT value, file, line FROM literals WHERE value LIKE '%/%' OR length(value) < 40")
+        for r in lit_rows:
             lits.append(((r['value'] or '').strip('"'), r['file'], r['line'], None))
     by_file = collections.defaultdict(set)
     for v, f, _l, _o in lits: by_file[f].add(tuple(_route_parts(v)))

@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ class Impact:
             if d and d[0] == 'field' and kind in (None, 'field'):
                 row = self.fields.get(d[1]['rowid']) or d[1]
                 self.WHY['field'] = {'step': 'file and line: a field declared there', 'won': f"the line declares {row['display']} and no callable of its own", 'ids': [], 'rows': [(row['display'], f"{row['file']}:{row['line']}")]}
-                return [('field', f"{row['kind']} {row['display']} (at {s})", [row])]
+                return [('field', f"{row['kind']} {row['display']}{self.const_value(row)} (at {s})", [row])]
             if d and d[0] == 'type' and kind in (None, 'type'):
                 self.WHY['type'] = {'step': 'file and line: a type declared there', 'won': f"the line is the header of type {d[1]['display']}", 'ids': [d[1]['id']], 'rows': None}
                 return [('type', f"{d[1]['kind']} {d[1]['display']} (at {s})", [d[1]['id']])]
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ class Impact:
             if hit: return [('method', verb + (f" ({len(hit)} declarations)" if len(hit) > 1 else ''), [x['id'] for x in hit])]
             # …and a private FIELD (`Vault.#secret`, `#secret`) the same way: rewritten, it asked for `Vault..secret`
             rows = self.field_rows(verb) if kind in (None, 'field') and re.search(r'(^|\.)#[A-Za-z_$]', verb) else []
-            if rows: return [('field', f"{rows[0]['kind']} {rows[0]['display']}" + (f" (+{len(rows)-1} declarations of that name)" if len(rows) > 1 else ''), rows)]
+            if rows: return [('field', f"{rows[0]['kind']} {rows[0]['display']}{self.const_value(rows[0])}" + (f" (+{len(rows)-1} declarations of that name)" if len(rows) > 1 else ''), rows)]
         base = re.sub(r'\(.*\)$', '', s).replace('#', '.').strip('.')
         if not (self.field_rows(base) or self.types(base, soft=True) or self.methods(base, soft=True)): base = base.replace('$', '.')   # Outer$Inner — unless $ is part of the name ($Gson$Types)
         m0 = re.match(r'^(.+)\.<new>$', base)
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ class Impact:
         if kind in (None, 'field'):
             rows = self.field_rows(base)
             if rows: self.WHY['field'] = self.why_field(base, rows)
-            if rows: out.append(('field', f"{rows[0]['kind']} {rows[0]['display']}" + (f" (+{len(rows)-1} declarations of that name)" if len(rows) > 1 else ''), rows))
+            if rows: out.append(('field', f"{rows[0]['kind']} {rows[0]['display']}{self.const_value(rows[0])}" + (f" (+{len(rows)-1} declarations of that name)" if len(rows) > 1 else ''), rows))
         if kind in (None, 'type'):
             tids = self.types(base, soft=True)
             if tids: self.WHY['type'] = self._why_t.get(base)
@@ -692,6 +692,16 @@ class Impact:
                         f['file'], r['line'], f['line'], f['line']): continue
             return True
         return False
+    def const_value(self, row):
+        """`` = 5`` — the scalar the v8 index linked to this declaration's line (literals.name), so the
+        answer to `impact MAX_ITEMS` states the value a spec would print, not only who reads it. Empty
+        on a pre-v8 index, a non-scalar initializer, or any line the linker refused as ambiguous."""
+        try:
+            for v, k in self.g.q("SELECT value, kind FROM literals WHERE name = ? AND file = ? AND line = ? LIMIT 1",
+                                 row['display'], row['file'], row['line']):
+                return f" = '{v}'" if k == 'string' else f" = {v}"
+        except Exception: pass
+        return ''
     def field_rows(self, s):
         # `file.js:12` — the field or const DECLARED on that line. Split on `.` it named a field `js:12`, so a const was
         # the one declaration a file:line could not target, and its bare name answered for every const so named
@@ -3077,8 +3087,12 @@ def main(argv):
     if tests_only: sys.stdout = io.StringIO()
     for k, lab, pay in targets:
         if k in ('method', 'field', 'type'):
-            nm = lab.split()[-1].split('(')[0].split('.')[-1]
-            n = len(g.q("SELECT 1 FROM literals WHERE value = ?", nm)) if g.has('literals') else 0
+            # a const's label carries its value (`const MAX_ITEMS = 5`): the name is the word before `=`
+            nm = lab.split(' = ')[0].split()[-1].split('(')[0].split('.')[-1]
+            if g.has('literals'):
+                try: n = len(g.q("SELECT 1 FROM literals WHERE value = ? AND kind = 'string'", nm))
+                except Exception: n = len(g.q("SELECT 1 FROM literals WHERE value = ?", nm))
+            else: n = 0
             d = len(g.q("SELECT 1 FROM decorations WHERE text LIKE ?", f'%"{nm}"%')) if g.has('decorations') else 0
             if n + d > 1: print(f"  the name {nm} is also written as a string in {n + d} place(s) ({STRING_BINDS.get(target_ext(g, pay), STRING_BINDS[''])}): ask for it quoted, `impact '\"{nm}\"'`, to get those")
             break