Overview Context in Codewolf refers to the additional information you provide about your codebase, team, and workflows that enables more accurate analysis, relevant recommendations, and personalized insights.
Why context matters Providing context helps Codewolf:
Understand your specific use cases and requirements
Prioritize issues based on business impact
Tailor recommendations to your tech stack
Recognize patterns unique to your domain
Filter noise and focus on what matters
Types of context Business context Help Codewolf understand what your code does:
business_context : industry : fintech product_type : payment_processing compliance_requirements : - PCI-DSS - SOC2 - GDPR critical_paths : - payment_processing - user_authentication - fraud_detection
Technical context Define your technical environment:
technical_context : languages : - python - typescript - go frameworks : - django - react - fastapi databases : - postgresql - redis - mongodb infrastructure : - kubernetes - aws - terraform
Team context Provide information about your team structure:
Workflow context Describe your development process:
workflow_context : branching_strategy : trunk-based environments : - development - staging - production deployment_frequency : multiple_per_day code_review_required : true testing_strategy : - unit_tests - integration_tests - e2e_tests
Adding context Configuration file The primary way to add context is through a codewolf.yaml file in your repository root:
Create configuration file
Define your context
version : 1.0 context : business : domain : e-commerce critical_features : - checkout - payment - inventory technical : languages : [ python , typescript ] frameworks : [ django , react ] team : size : 10 timezone : America/New_York
Commit and push
git add codewolf.yaml git commit -m "Add Codewolf context configuration" git push
Codewolf will automatically detect and apply the context.
Dashboard configuration You can also add context through the Codewolf dashboard:
Go to Settings > Context
Fill in the context forms
Save your changes
Configuration file settings take precedence over dashboard settings.
Code annotations Add context directly in your code using comments:
# @codewolf: critical-path # @codewolf: compliance=PCI-DSS def process_payment ( amount , card_number ): """Process customer payment.""" # Payment processing logic pass
// @codewolf: high-traffic // @codewolf: performance-critical async function handleCheckout ( cartId : string ) { // Checkout logic }
Context usage Issue prioritization Context helps Codewolf prioritize issues:
Without context:
All security issues treated equally
No business impact consideration
Generic recommendations
With context:
Critical paths get higher priority
Compliance requirements highlighted
Industry-specific recommendations
Custom rules Define context-aware rules:
rules : - name : payment-validation applies_to : context : critical_paths value : payment_processing checks : - require_unit_tests - require_integration_tests - require_security_review - name : performance-monitoring applies_to : context : high_traffic checks : - require_performance_tests - monitor_latency - set_slo_targets
Smart notifications Context enables intelligent alerting:
notifications : critical_path_changes : enabled : true channels : - slack - email recipients : - team : backend - role : tech-lead compliance_violations : enabled : true severity : critical channels : - pagerduty
Best practices Provide enough context:
Define critical paths and features
Specify compliance requirements
Document team ownership
Describe workflow processes
Keep context updated:
Review context during sprint planning
Update when architecture changes
Sync with team changes
Validate context quarterly
Avoid over-specification:
Don’t document every detail
Focus on what affects analysis
Keep configuration maintainable
Use auto-discovery where possible
Example configurations Startup SaaS version : 1.0 context : business : domain : saas stage : early-stage users : 1000 technical : languages : [ typescript , python ] frameworks : [ nextjs , fastapi ] infrastructure : [ vercel , aws ] team : size : 5 timezone : America/Los_Angeles workflow : deployment_frequency : daily review_required : true
Enterprise fintech version : 1.0 context : business : domain : fintech industry : payment_processing compliance : - PCI-DSS - SOC2 - ISO27001 critical_paths : - payment_processing - fraud_detection - kyc_verification technical : languages : [ java , kotlin , go ] frameworks : [ spring , ktor ] databases : [ postgresql , cassandra ] infrastructure : [ kubernetes , aws ] team : size : 50 timezone : UTC workflow : branching_strategy : gitflow deployment_frequency : weekly security_review : required
Troubleshooting
Context not being applied
Verify codewolf.yaml syntax is valid
Check file is in repository root
Ensure context version is supported
Review Codewolf dashboard for errors
Conflicting context sources
Priority order:
Code annotations
Configuration file
Dashboard settings
Auto-detected context
Context not affecting analysis
Context changes may take 5-10 minutes to apply
Trigger a new analysis to see updates
Check that context keys match documentation
