Does openhands index the code base - or what's its...
# proj-clif
future-architect-14294
02/27/2026, 7:58 AMDoes openhands index the code base - or what's its memory and structure to map the repo
w
wide-doctor-37830
02/27/2026, 4:31 PMOH does not currently index the code base or map the repo. In the past we haven't found the added complexity of maintaining an index to be worth the (minor) performance gains over OH's CLI tools.
Standard practice is to provide some structure in the repo's AGENTS.md file if you want, although some recent research suggests that's not actually all that helpful. Do you have some use-case where OH struggles to localize changes?
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future-architect-14294
02/28/2026, 2:35 AMbless you sir thank you !!!
future-architect-14294
02/28/2026, 2:35 AMmuch appreciated - hard to know what works and what does not in this space
future-architect-14294
02/28/2026, 2:36 AMis the AGENTS.md file the main technique or is there others - tbh with you I just assumed it would help
w
wide-doctor-37830
03/01/2026, 4:54 PMThe AGENTS.md file is the standard technique. This paper gives some evidence that repository overviews in the AGENTS.md file don't help the agent locate relevant code any faster (which is surprising!) but when written well they can still help agents out.
wide-doctor-37830
03/01/2026, 4:55 PMIf you want more powerful code indexing behavior, you could look at MCP implementations like this one. Not an endorsement, I've never used it, but if OpenHands is having trouble locating where to make changes it's worth experimenting with.