MCP reference — dexsql

Use this reference when operating DexSQL through an MCP client. The dexsql mcp command serves tools and English documentation over local stdio. User setup is documented in the CLI guide.

Start a task

Call resources/list to discover the available manuals. Use list_tables and describe_table with {"name":"methods"} to check tables and columns without opening an input.
Call open_dataset with local paths, for example {"inputs":["/absolute/path/app.apk"]}. Relative paths use the server's working directory. Several paths form one dataset. Inspect returned diagnostics, has_dex and archive_inputs; archives without DEX can still provide resources.
Use the returned dataset_id in later calls. Start with a selective SQL query, then inspect matched methods or resources. Do not invent dataset or file IDs.
Follow the continuation fields described by each tool. Query pagination re-executes SQL, so use a deterministic ORDER BY with a unique tie-breaker.
Reuse the dataset for related work. Call close_dataset when it is no longer needed. A server restart invalidates all dataset IDs.

Example query arguments (replace the ID with the one returned by open_dataset):

{
  "dataset_id": "dataset-1",
  "sql": ["SELECT descriptor FROM classes ORDER BY file_id, class_idx LIMIT 20"]
}

Tool reference

Tools	Reference
`open_dataset`, `list_datasets`, `close_dataset`	Lifecycle, cancellation and limits
`list_tables`, `describe_table`	Table meanings; tool output gives current names and types
`query`	SQL requests, result encoding and pagination
`decode`	Method summaries, smali and navigation context
`get_manifest`, `get_manifest_components`	APK tools
`list_resource_files`, `read_resource`, `query_resources`	APK tools

Use tools/list for exact argument schemas and defaults. SQL examples and call references provide reusable query patterns.

Documentation resources

resources/list returns the complete English document catalog, including pages that have no links from other documents. Listing requires no prior resource reads or open dataset. Use resources/read with a listed URI to retrieve one page. All listed documents are included in the executable and match its version; no separate document files or network connection are needed. Links in resource responses use MCP URIs. A resource URI is dexsql:// followed by the Markdown file's path relative to the documentation root, including .md. Directory index pages retain their filenames. There are no aliases or resources outside this documentation tree.

Session behavior

Opening an input prepares a dataset for successive queries. Reopening the same path creates an independent dataset. If a source changes, close and reopen its dataset before continuing. Closing rejects new work while already accepted work may finish within its deadline.

Running timeout or cancellation closes the affected dataset; reopen it to continue. Queued cancellation preserves existing datasets. Check list_datasets after cancellation. See lifecycle and limits for quotas and retry rules.

stdout contains MCP messages only; diagnostics use stderr. Persistent disk caches are managed by the CLI cache commands.