ChemX

Chemical X gives software developers and engineering teams CLI and MCP tools to audit code, retrieve focused symbol context, and verify agent changes with compact output. It aims to reduce coding-agent context spent on repository inspection and successful test logs.

ChemX screenshot

Who it's for

  • Developers using Cursor, Claude Code, or Cline who want local AST audits and compact verification in their coding-agent loop.
  • Engineering teams adding architecture checks to pre-commit hooks or GitHub Actions for agent-assisted code changes.
  • Teams running multiple coding agents on one repository that need the described SQLite file-lease coordination.

How it fits your workflow

Run the CLI from a project root to audit code and inspect architecture metrics. Use symbol queries to retrieve signatures, exports, and caller or hook dependencies from the SQLite index instead of dumping whole files.

Connect a coding agent through the Chemical X MCP gateway to query code, make bounded patches, and verify changes. The verification workflow combines AST checks, TypeScript checks, and tests, and is designed to return concise results.

For team adoption, configure rules in .chemxrc and use the offered starter-kit materials or onboarding to set up directives and CI or pre-commit gates.

Pricing

Free: The page offers a free local AST audit, free AGENTS.md directives and prompt exporter, and a free PDF containing chapters 1 and 2. The full seven-chapter license is paid.

Single Developer License

$27 one-time

  • · Access to the seven-chapter eBook in PDF and EPUB formats
  • · Universal AGENTS.md and .cursorrules directive templates
  • · Permanent CLI license key for up to 3 machines
  • · GitHub Sponsor profile badge

Team Power Puff: Unlimited Lifetime

$97 one-time

  • · Unlimited developer seats across a team or GitHub organization
  • · Access to the private starter-kit repository
  • · GitHub Actions CI workflow blueprint and production hook suite
  • · Framework prompt blueprints for Vue 3, React/Next.js, Python, and Go

1-on-1 Architectural Onboarding

$150 one-time

  • · 60-minute private screen-share and pairing session
  • · Complimentary Single Developer License
  • · Live AST audit interpretation and custom agent directives

Team Architectural Onboarding

$500 one-time

  • · 90-minute workshop for up to 4 engineers
  • · Complimentary Team Power Puff license
  • · Live refactoring demonstration and CI/CD pre-commit gate setup

Prices checked on Oct 28, 2026 from the vendor's site. They can change; confirm before you buy.

Key features

Local AST audit
Runs locally to inspect code for configured file and component budgets, AI-generated code smells, and other architecture hazards. The page says the audit does not upload code and can report an MHI scorecard.
SQLite symbol index
Builds a SQLite WAL index to look up symbol signatures, exports, hook dependencies, and transitive caller graphs, rather than relying on broad file reads.
Compact verification
The chemx verify pipeline combines AST validation, TypeScript checks, and tests, returning concise output and surfacing failure details when checks fail.
AI code-smell checks
AST rules flag examples such as conversational residue, echo comments, empty catch blocks, and lazy truncation placeholders.
MCP agent gateway
Provides a consolidated MCP tool interface for actions such as AST queries, bounded file patching, and verification, with the page describing a single approval for the toolchain.
Configurable architecture rules
The .chemxrc configuration can adjust line limits, excluded paths, AI-slop thresholds, and token budgets to fit a codebase's conventions.

Works with

  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • Cline
  • GitHub Actions
  • TypeScript and Vitest
  • Gemini

Limitations to know

  • The free PDF is limited to chapters 1 and 2; access to the full seven-chapter edition is offered through a paid license.
  • The single developer license's CLI key is specified for use on up to 3 machines.

Alternatives to consider

  • dmx

    Choose it if you want an MCP-based engineering harness organized around structured, versioned development loops, human gates, and persistent job state rather than Chemical X's emphasis on AST auditing, code architecture rules, and compact verification output.

Compare ChemX side by side

Getting started

npx chemx audit
  1. Open a project directory in a terminal.
  2. Run npx chemx audit to inspect the repository locally.
  3. Run npx chemx verify to check the project with the combined verification workflow.
  4. Run npx chemx q to query symbols, or connect the MCP server to a supported coding agent.