rope-mcp-server 0.1.2
MCP server for Python refactoring via Rope library
License: MIT
Requires Python: >=3.12
Keywords: claude, mcp, python, refactoring, rope

# rope-mcp-server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides Python refactoring capabilities powered by the [Rope](https://github.com/python-rope/rope) library. Enables AI agents like Claude to perform safe, project-wide refactoring operations.

## Features

- **Move Symbol** - Move classes and functions between files with automatic import updates
- **Move Module** - Move entire modules or packages to different folders
- **Move and Rename Module** - Move module to folder and rename (e.g., `foo_extra.py` → `foo/extra.py`)
- **Convert Module to Init** - Transform `foo.py` into `foo/__init__.py` (no import changes!)
- **Convert Module to Package** - Transform `foo.py` into `foo/foo.py` with import updates
- **Rename Symbol** - Rename variables, functions, classes across entire projects
- **Extract Method** - Extract code blocks into new methods
- **Inline Variable** - Inline variables at all usage sites
- **List Symbols** - Discover top-level symbols in Python files

All operations are project-aware and automatically update imports and references throughout your codebase.

## Installation

### Quick Start with Claude Code (recommended)

```bash
# Global installation (all projects)
claude mcp add rope-refactor uvx rope-mcp-server -s user

# Or for current project only
claude mcp add rope-refactor uvx rope-mcp-server -s local
```

### From PyPI

```bash
pip install rope-mcp-server
```

## Usage with Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add rope-refactor uvx rope-mcp-server -s user
claude mcp list  # verify
```

That's it.

## Available Tools

### `list_symbols`

List all top-level symbols (classes, functions, variables) in a Python file.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
file_path: src/models.py
```

### `move_symbol`

Move a class or function to another file. Automatically updates all imports.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
source_file: src/models.py
symbol_name: UserModel
dest_file: src/users/models.py
```

### `move_module`

Move a module or package to another folder. Automatically updates all imports.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
module_path: src/utils.py
dest_folder: src/lib
```

### `convert_module_to_init` (recommended)

Convert a module file into a package by moving it to `__init__.py`. No import changes needed!

This is the **recommended** way to convert a module to a package. After conversion, you can use `move_module` to move related files (like `foo_mixins.py`) into the new package.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
module_path: app/views/customer_order.py
```

**Before:**
```
app/views/customer_order.py
app/views/customer_order_mixins.py
```

**After running `convert_module_to_init`:**
```
app/views/customer_order/__init__.py  (was customer_order.py)
app/views/customer_order_mixins.py    (move this next with move_module)
```

Import `from app.views.customer_order import X` stays **unchanged**!

### `move_and_rename_module`

Move a module to a folder and optionally rename it. Perfect for moving related files (like `_mixins.py`, `_extra.py`) into a package created with `convert_module_to_init`.

**Auto-detection:** If the module name starts with the destination folder name + underscore, it strips that prefix automatically.

**Rope bug workaround:** This tool includes a workaround for a Rope bug that crashes when a file has imports from BOTH the destination package AND the module being moved. Such files are temporarily hidden during the move, then their imports are fixed manually.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
module_path: app/views/customer_order_mixins.py
dest_folder: app/views/customer_order
new_name: mixins  # Optional - auto-detected from prefix
```

**Before:**
```
app/views/customer_order/__init__.py
app/views/customer_order_mixins.py
```
Import: `from app.views.customer_order_mixins import MyMixin`

**After:**
```
app/views/customer_order/__init__.py
app/views/customer_order/mixins.py
```
Import: `from app.views.customer_order.mixins import MyMixin`

### `convert_module_to_package`

Convert a module file into a package with the same name. Transforms `foo.py` into `foo/foo.py` while updating all imports project-wide.

Use this when you want the original module content in a submodule, not in `__init__.py`.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
module_path: app/views/service_contractor.py
```

**Before:**
```
app/views/service_contractor.py
```
Import: `from app.views.service_contractor import MyClass`

**After:**
```
app/views/service_contractor/
├── __init__.py
└── service_contractor.py
```
Import: `from app.views.service_contractor.service_contractor import MyClass`

### `rename_symbol`

Rename a symbol across the entire project.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
file_path: src/utils.py
symbol_name: old_function_name
new_name: new_function_name
```

### `extract_method`

Extract a code region into a new method.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
file_path: src/service.py
start_line: 15
start_col: 4
end_line: 20
end_col: 30
new_name: extracted_helper
```

### `inline_variable`

Inline a variable at all usage sites.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
file_path: src/handler.py
variable_name: temp_result
line: 42
```

### `close_rope_project`

Close a Rope project to free memory. Call when done with refactoring.

```
project_path: /path/to/your/project
```

## Development

```bash
# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Run tests
uv run pytest tests/ -v

# Run server locally
uv run python -m rope_mcp_server.server
```

## How it works

This server wraps the [Rope](https://github.com/python-rope/rope) refactoring library and exposes its capabilities via the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). When Claude (or any MCP-compatible agent) needs to refactor Python code, it can use these tools to perform safe, AST-aware transformations that preserve code correctness.

Key implementation details:

- **Project caching** - Rope projects are cached to avoid re-parsing on every operation
- **AST-based offset calculation** - Symbol locations are computed via Python's AST module for accuracy
- **Automatic import handling** - Rope handles all import updates when moving/renaming symbols

## Limitations

- Only supports Python code (Rope limitation)
- Moving methods between classes requires the target class to exist
- Large projects may have slower initial indexing
- **Rope bug workaround**: Files with imports from both the destination package and the module being moved are handled specially (hidden during move, then imports fixed manually) - see `move_and_rename_module`

## License

MIT

## Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.