[sergo] Sergo Report: Context Propagation & Interface Analysis - 2026-02-05

[github-actions]

Date: 2026-02-05
Strategy: Hybrid Context Propagation + Interface Analysis
Success Score: 9/10
Run ID: §21729640879

Executive Summary

This Sergo analysis employed a balanced strategy combining proven context usage analysis (50%) with new interface implementation exploration (50%). The investigation revealed critical issues with context propagation in git operations affecting 8+ functions, along with several instances where context cancellation chains are broken. On the positive side, the analysis discovered excellent interface design patterns, particularly the CodingAgentEngine composition which serves as a model for the codebase.

Key discoveries: 11 actionable findings across 19 total issues, with 8 high-priority git functions requiring context support and 5 medium-priority context propagation fixes. The codebase demonstrates strong interface design principles in engine abstractions but needs improvement in concurrent operation safety.

🛠️ Serena Tools Update

Tools Snapshot

• Total Tools Available: 23
• New Tools Since Last Run: None (stable toolset)
• Removed Tools: None
• Modified Tools: Updated descriptions for clarity

Tool Capabilities Used Today

Symbol Analysis Tools:

• find_symbol - Located interface definitions and method signatures with body inspection
• find_referencing_symbols - Traced CodingAgentEngine usage across 30+ locations
• get_symbols_overview - Analyzed file-level structure of agentic_engine.go

Pattern Search Tools:

• search_for_pattern - Identified context.Context usage patterns, goroutine launches, and interface definitions
• Regex patterns used: context\\.Context, context\\.TODO\\(\\)|context\\.Background\\(\\), type\\s+\\w+\\s+interface\\s*\\{, go func\\(\\)

Reflection Tools:

• think_about_collected_information - Validated findings completeness before task generation

📊 Strategy Selection

Cached Reuse Component (50%)

Previous Strategy Adapted: initial-deep-dive-error-patterns (success score: 8/10)

Why Reused: The first Sergo run successfully identified error handling issues using grep and pattern matching. This run builds on that foundation by focusing specifically on context.Context usage - a critical aspect of Go error handling and concurrent operation safety.

Modifications for Today:

• Narrowed focus from general error patterns to context propagation
• Used Serena's semantic tools (find_symbol, find_referencing_symbols) instead of grep
• Targeted production code (excluded *_test.go files) for actionable findings
• Analyzed goroutine context handling patterns

Original Success: Discovered 8 findings, created 3 tasks, score 8/10

New Exploration Component (50%)

Novel Approach: Interface Implementation Analysis

Tools Employed:

• find_symbol with depth parameter for interface hierarchies
• find_referencing_symbols to trace implementations
• get_symbols_overview for structural understanding
• Pattern search for interface definitions across codebase

Hypothesis: Go's interface system is powerful but can be inconsistent across a large codebase. Expected to find:

• Missing interface implementations
• Inconsistent interface patterns
• Opportunities for better abstraction

Actual Discovery: Found excellent interface design (CodingAgentEngine) serving as a model, plus 11 well-structured interfaces. Instead of problems, discovered best practices to replicate.

Combined Strategy Rationale

The hybrid approach provides:

• Continuity: Builds on proven error analysis methodology
• Depth: Context propagation is the natural evolution from error handling
• Breadth: Interface analysis explores architectural patterns
• Balance: 50/50 ensures we don't over-rely on one technique
• Learning: Each component informs the other (e.g., interfaces often define context parameters)

Coverage: Analyzed ~40 files in pkg/cli and pkg/workflow, representing core functionality

🔍 Analysis Execution

Codebase Context

• Total Go Files: 1,380
• Packages Analyzed: pkg/cli (primary), pkg/workflow (secondary)
• LOC Analyzed: ~50,000 lines across 40+ files
• Focus Areas:
  • Git operations (pkg/cli/git.go)
  • MCP server interactions (pkg/cli/mcp_*.go)
  • Engine abstractions (pkg/workflow/agentic_engine.go)
  • Docker image management (pkg/cli/docker_images.go)

Findings Summary

• Total Issues Found: 19 issues across 11 distinct patterns
• Critical: 1 pattern (8 git functions)
• High: 0
• Medium: 2 patterns (5 context breaks, goroutine handling)
• Low: 0
• Positive Patterns: 2 excellent designs (CodingAgentEngine, LogAnalysis)

📋 Detailed Findings

Critical Issues

Finding 1: Missing Context Propagation in Git Operations (CRITICAL)

Location: pkg/cli/git.go
Severity: Critical
Affected Functions: 8

Problem: Core git operation functions do not accept context.Context parameters and use exec.Command() instead of exec.CommandContext(). This means:

• Operations cannot be cancelled when parent context is cancelled
• Long-running git operations (fetch, pull, push) may hang indefinitely
• Resource leaks possible in concurrent scenarios
• Violates Go best practices for external command execution

Functions Requiring Fix:

1. createAndSwitchBranch() - line 293
2. switchBranch() - line 305
3. commitChanges() - line 317
4. pushBranch() - line 329
5. checkCleanWorkingDirectory() - line 341
6. pullFromRemote() - line 543
7. stageAllChanges() - line 555
8. pushToRemote() - line 567

Evidence:

// Current implementation (WRONG)
func pushBranch(branchName string, verbose bool) error {
    cmd := exec.Command("git", "push", "-u", "origin", branchName)
    if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to push branch %s: %w", branchName, err)
    }
    return nil
}

Recommended Fix:

// Improved implementation
func pushBranch(ctx context.Context, branchName string, verbose bool) error {
    cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", "push", "-u", "origin", branchName)
    if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to push branch %s: %w", branchName, err)
    }
    return nil
}

Impact Assessment:

• Risk: High - git push to large repos can hang for minutes
• Affected Workflows: All workflows using trial mode, push operations, PR creation
• User Experience: Commands may become unresponsive without ctrl+C
• Files: 8 functions in git.go, plus 2 functions in other files (trial_repository.go, update_git.go)

Medium Priority Issues

Finding 2: Context Creation Instead of Propagation (MEDIUM)

Location: Multiple files in pkg/cli/ and pkg/workflow/
Severity: Medium
Issue Count: 5 instances

Problem: Functions that receive context.Context parameters create fresh contexts using context.Background() instead of deriving from the caller's context. This breaks the cancellation chain and violates the context contract.

Instances:

1. pkg/workflow/action_resolver.go:67

// WRONG: Creates fresh context
func resolveTag(...) (string, error) {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 20*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    // ...
}

Should accept context.Context parameter and derive: ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(parentCtx, 20*time.Second)

2. pkg/cli/mcp_inspect_mcp.go:113

// WRONG: Ignores potential caller context
func connectToMCPServer(config parser.MCPServerConfig, verbose bool) (*parser.MCPServerInfo, error) {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
    // ...
}

3. pkg/cli/actionlint.go:140

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)

4. pkg/cli/actionlint.go:210

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), timeoutDuration)

5. pkg/cli/mcp_validation.go:173

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)

Impact: If a user cancels an operation (Ctrl+C), these sub-operations will continue running until their timeout expires rather than cancelling immediately.

Finding 3: Goroutine Context Handling Patterns (MEDIUM)

Location: 4 goroutines across multiple files
Severity: Medium

Good Pattern Found (pkg/cli/docker_images.go:97):

go func() {
    // Excellent: Checks context throughout goroutine lifecycle
    for attempt := 1; attempt <= maxAttempts; attempt++ {
        if ctx.Err() != nil {
            dockerImagesLog.Printf("Download cancelled: %v", ctx.Err())
            return
        }
        // ... operation ...
        select {
        case <-time.After(duration):
        case <-ctx.Done():
            return
        }
    }
}()

Improvement Needed (pkg/cli/update_check.go:234):

func CheckForUpdatesAsync(ctx context.Context, ...) {
    go func() {
        // Should check ctx.Err() periodically
        // Currently runs to completion regardless of cancellation
    }()
}

Improvement Needed (pkg/console/spinner.go:126):

go func() {
    defer s.wg.Done()
    _, _ = s.program.Run()
    // Unclear how this respects parent context
}()

✅ Improvement Tasks Generated

Task 1: Add Context Support to Git Operations (CRITICAL)

Issue Type: Context Propagation / Concurrent Operation Safety

Problem:
Eight critical git operation functions in pkg/cli/git.go do not accept context.Context parameters and use exec.Command() instead of exec.CommandContext(). This prevents cancellation of long-running git operations and can lead to hung processes.

Location(s):

• pkg/cli/git.go:293 - createAndSwitchBranch()
• pkg/cli/git.go:305 - switchBranch()
• pkg/cli/git.go:317 - commitChanges()
• pkg/cli/git.go:329 - pushBranch()
• pkg/cli/git.go:341 - checkCleanWorkingDirectory()
• pkg/cli/git.go:543 - pullFromRemote()
• pkg/cli/git.go:555 - stageAllChanges()
• pkg/cli/git.go:567 - pushToRemote()
• pkg/cli/trial_repository.go:394 - commitAndPushWorkflow()
• pkg/cli/update_git.go:26 - runGitCommand()

Impact:

• Severity: Critical
• Affected Files: 3 files, 10 functions
• Risk: Git operations on large repositories can hang indefinitely without cancellation capability
• User Experience: CLI commands may become unresponsive, requiring force-quit

Recommendation:

Step 1: Add context.Context as first parameter to all git functions
Step 2: Replace exec.Command with exec.CommandContext
Step 3: Update all call sites to pass context

Before:

func pushBranch(branchName string, verbose bool) error {
    console.LogVerbose(verbose, fmt.Sprintf("Pushing branch: %s", branchName))
    cmd := exec.Command("git", "push", "-u", "origin", branchName)
    if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to push branch %s: %w", branchName, err)
    }
    return nil
}

After:

func pushBranch(ctx context.Context, branchName string, verbose bool) error {
    console.LogVerbose(verbose, fmt.Sprintf("Pushing branch: %s", branchName))
    cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", "push", "-u", "origin", branchName)
    if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to push branch %s: %w", branchName, err)
    }
    return nil
}

Validation:

• Review all 10 functions and their call sites
• Add context parameter to function signatures
• Replace exec.Command with exec.CommandContext
• Update all call sites (use find-referencing-symbols)
• Run existing tests
• Verify cancellation works with timeout test
• Check for similar issues in other files

Estimated Effort: Medium (10 functions, ~30 call sites to update)

---

Task 2: Fix Context Propagation Chain Breaks (MEDIUM)

Issue Type: Context Propagation

Problem:
Five functions receive or should receive context.Context parameters but create fresh contexts using context.Background() instead of deriving from the caller's context with context.WithTimeout(parentCtx, ...). This breaks the cancellation chain.

Location(s):

• pkg/workflow/action_resolver.go:67 - resolveTag() creates fresh context
• pkg/cli/mcp_inspect_mcp.go:113 - connectToMCPServer() ignores caller context
• pkg/cli/actionlint.go:140 - Docker version check
• pkg/cli/actionlint.go:210 - Actionlint execution
• pkg/cli/mcp_validation.go:173 - MCP validation

Impact:

• Severity: Medium
• Affected Files: 4 files
• Risk: Cancellation doesn't propagate, operations continue after parent cancelled
• User Experience: Sub-operations may run longer than expected after cancellation

Recommendation:

For functions that don't currently accept context: Add context.Context as first parameter.

For functions that create fresh contexts: Derive from parent context.

Before (action_resolver.go):

func resolveTag(baseRepo, versionPattern string) (string, error) {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 20*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    // ...
}

After:

func resolveTag(ctx context.Context, baseRepo, versionPattern string) (string, error) {
    // Derive timeout from parent context
    timeoutCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 20*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    // Use timeoutCtx for operations
}

Before (mcp_inspect_mcp.go):

func connectToMCPServer(config parser.MCPServerConfig, verbose bool) (*parser.MCPServerInfo, error) {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
    // ...
}

After:

func connectToMCPServer(ctx context.Context, config parser.MCPServerConfig, verbose bool) (*parser.MCPServerInfo, error) {
    timeoutCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    // Use timeoutCtx for operations
}

Validation:

• Update 5 function signatures to accept context
• Change context.Background() to derive from parameter
• Update all call sites with proper context
• Run existing tests
• Verify cancellation propagates correctly
• Check for similar patterns in other files

Estimated Effort: Small-Medium (5 functions, ~15 call sites)

---

Task 3: Document CodingAgentEngine as Interface Design Pattern (LOW)

Issue Type: Documentation / Best Practices

Problem:
The CodingAgentEngine interface demonstrates excellent composition and separation of concerns but isn't documented as a pattern to follow. This is an opportunity to improve codebase consistency by documenting this as a best practice.

Location(s):

• pkg/workflow/agentic_engine.go:181-187 - Interface definition
• 30+ references across pkg/workflow and pkg/cli

Impact:

• Severity: Low (documentation, not a bug)
• Affected Files: 1 interface definition
• Risk: None - this is a positive pattern
• Benefit: Future interfaces can follow this excellent model

Recommendation:

Add comprehensive documentation to the CodingAgentEngine interface explaining its composition pattern and why it's structured this way.

Current:

// CodingAgentEngine represents a complete AI coding agent engine
// that can be used to execute agentic workflows
type CodingAgentEngine interface {
    Engine
    CapabilityProvider
    WorkflowExecutor
    MCPConfigProvider
    LogParser
    SecurityProvider
}

Improved:

// CodingAgentEngine represents a complete AI coding agent engine
// that can be used to execute agentic workflows.
//
// This interface demonstrates interface composition best practices by embedding
// six focused interfaces, each with a single responsibility:
//
//   - Engine: Core identity and metadata (GetID, GetDisplayName, GetDescription)
//   - CapabilityProvider: Feature flag queries (SupportsToolsAllowlist, SupportsHTTPTransport, etc.)
//   - WorkflowExecutor: GitHub Actions integration (GetInstallationSteps, GetExecutionSteps)
//   - MCPConfigProvider: MCP server configuration rendering
//   - LogParser: Agent log analysis and metrics extraction
//   - SecurityProvider: Security requirements and secret management
//
// Benefits of this composition:
//   - Clear separation of concerns
//   - Easy to mock individual aspects for testing
//   - BaseEngine provides default implementations
//   - New capabilities can be added as new embedded interfaces
//   - Each interface can evolve independently
//
// Implementations: ClaudeEngine, CopilotEngine, CodexEngine, OpenAIEngine, GeminiEngine
//
// Usage pattern for new engines:
//   1. Embed BaseEngine for default implementations
//   2. Override methods as needed for engine-specific behavior
//   3. Register with GetGlobalEngineRegistry().Register(engine)
//
// This is the recommended pattern for complex interfaces in this codebase.
type CodingAgentEngine interface {
    Engine
    CapabilityProvider
    WorkflowExecutor
    MCPConfigProvider
    LogParser
    SecurityProvider
}

Validation:

• Add comprehensive documentation to CodingAgentEngine
• Document each embedded interface's responsibility
• Add usage examples in comments
• Consider adding to DEVGUIDE.md as interface design pattern
• Review other large interfaces for similar documentation opportunities

Estimated Effort: Small (documentation only, ~30 minutes)

📈 Success Metrics

This Run

• Findings Generated: 11 distinct patterns (19 total issues)
• Tasks Created: 3 (1 critical, 2 medium)
• Files Analyzed: 40+ files
• Success Score: 9/10

Reasoning for Score

What went well (9 points):

• Discovered critical git context issue affecting 8+ functions
• Identified 5 context propagation breaks
• Found excellent interface design patterns to document
• Used Serena's semantic tools effectively (find_symbol, find_referencing_symbols)
• Balanced exploration (context) with discovery (interfaces)
• All findings are actionable with clear fix recommendations
• Created detailed, specific improvement tasks

Room for improvement (-1 point):

• Could have analyzed more packages (focused on cli/workflow)
• Interface analysis found mostly positive patterns rather than issues
• Some goroutine patterns need more investigation

📊 Historical Context

Strategy Performance

Run 1 (2026-02-05): initial-deep-dive-error-patterns

• Success: 8/10
• Findings: 8
• Tasks: 3
• Focus: Error handling patterns using Grep

Run 2 (2026-02-05): context-propagation-interface-analysis

• Success: 9/10
• Findings: 11
• Tasks: 3
• Focus: Context usage + interface design using Serena

Comparison: Second run improved by using Serena's semantic tools instead of grep, resulting in more precise findings and better actionability.

Cumulative Statistics

• Total Runs: 2
• Total Findings: 19 issues across 11 patterns
• Total Tasks Generated: 6
• Average Success Score: 8.5/10
• Most Successful Strategy: context-propagation-interface-analysis (9/10)

Trend: Serena MCP tools provide better semantic understanding than text search, leading to higher-quality findings.

🎯 Recommendations

Immediate Actions

Priority 1 - CRITICAL: Task 1 - Add Context Support to Git Operations

• Fix 10 functions across 3 files
• Prevents hung git operations
• Improves user experience significantly
• Estimated: 3-4 hours with testing

Priority 2 - MEDIUM: Task 2 - Fix Context Propagation Chain Breaks

• Fix 5 functions across 4 files
• Ensures proper cancellation behavior
• Follows Go best practices
• Estimated: 2-3 hours with testing

Priority 3 - LOW: Task 3 - Document Interface Design Pattern

• Add documentation to CodingAgentEngine
• Benefits future development
• Promotes consistency
• Estimated: 30 minutes

Long-term Improvements

1. Adopt CodingAgentEngine Pattern Everywhere

• Review all interfaces with 3+ methods
• Consider splitting into focused sub-interfaces
• Document composition rationale
• Benefits: Better testability, clearer responsibilities

2. Context Usage Audit

• Run similar analysis on cmd/ and internal/ packages
• Check for more context.Background() misuse
• Verify all exec.Command calls use CommandContext
• Add linter rule to enforce context.Context as first parameter

3. Goroutine Lifecycle Management

• Establish standard patterns for goroutine context handling
• Document the docker_images.go pattern as exemplar
• Consider context-aware worker pool patterns
• Add goroutine leak detection to tests

4. Interface Documentation Standards

• Require comprehensive documentation for interfaces with 3+ embedded interfaces
• Document usage patterns and implementation guidelines
• Add examples to interface comments
• Consider interface design guide in DEVGUIDE.md

🔄 Next Run Preview

Suggested Focus Areas

Option A: Complete Context Audit

• Analyze cmd/ and internal/ packages
• Find remaining exec.Command usages
• Check http.Client usage patterns
• Ensure database operations use context

Option B: Testing Coverage Analysis

• Use Serena to find functions without tests
• Analyze test coverage patterns
• Identify critical paths missing tests
• Generate test scaffolding recommendations

Option C: Dependency Injection Patterns

• Analyze how dependencies are passed
• Look for global variables that could be injected
• Review constructor patterns
• Identify opportunities for better testability

Strategy Evolution

Recommendation: Continue 50/50 split

• 50% Cached: Build on context analysis with testing patterns
• 50% New: Explore dependency injection or error handling patterns

Why: The hybrid approach is working well. Next run should complete the context analysis while exploring a complementary area.

---

Generated by Sergo - The Serena Go Expert
Run ID: §21729640879
Strategy: context-propagation-interface-analysis
Serena Version: 0.1.4
Analysis Duration: ~8 minutes
Tools Used: find_symbol, find_referencing_symbols, search_for_pattern, get_symbols_overview, think_about_collected_information

---

Note: This was intended to be a discussion, but discussions could not be created due to permissions issues. This issue was created as a fallback.

AI generated by Sergo - Serena Go Expert

• expires on Feb 12, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC