SigMap context file not found

Run sigmap or node gen-context.js to generate .github/copilot-instructions.md. The file must be generated before the VS Code extension or MCP server can read it.

GitHub Copilot not using SigMap context

The file must be at .github/copilot-instructions.md in your workspace root. Check with: ls .github/copilot-instructions.md

Token reduction is only 60%

You are likely indexing test files or generated code. Run sigmap --init to create a .contextignore and exclude test files, dist/, build/, and generated code.

SigMap MCP server not appearing in tool list

Check that the absolute path in your settings file points to the correct gen-context.js. Use: node /path/to/gen-context.js --version to verify it resolves.

Troubleshooting

Q: Secret scan is redacting a false positive

Add a .contextignore rule to exclude that file, or check which pattern triggered. The 10 patterns are: AWS keys, GitHub tokens, JWTs, DB URLs, SSH keys, GCP keys, Stripe keys, Twilio keys, generic passwords/api_keys.

🔴

Issue 1 of 10

"no context file found"

VS Code shows "no context", the MCP server returns an error, or Copilot doesn't know anything about your codebase.

Fix

The context file must be generated before anything can read it. Run sigmap or node gen-context.js to create it.
Check your Node.js version — v18 or later is required. Run node --version to confirm.

terminal

$ node --version

v22.11.0 ← v18+ required

$ sigmap && ls .github/copilot-instructions.md

[sigmap] ✓ wrote .github/copilot-instructions.md

.github/copilot-instructions.md ← file now exists

🟡

Issue 2 of 10

Copilot or Claude still asks "can you share some files?"

The AI doesn't appear to know your codebase structure even though the context file was generated.

Fix

The file must be at exactly .github/copilot-instructions.md in the workspace root — not a subdirectory. Verify: ls .github/copilot-instructions.md
For Claude Code: also commit CLAUDE.md by adding "claude" to the outputs array in your config, then rerun.
Restart the IDE after generating for the first time — some editors only read the file at startup.

terminal

$ ls .github/copilot-instructions.md

.github/copilot-instructions.md ← must exist here

🟡

Issue 3 of 10

Token reduction is lower than expected (< 80%)

sigmap --report shows only 60–70% reduction instead of the typical 90–97%.

Cause

You are likely indexing test files, dist/, build/ output, or generated code — these contain many signatures that add bulk without adding information.

Fix

Run sigmap --init to generate a starter .contextignore, then add exclusions for any test or generated directories in your project.

.contextignore

# test files

**/*.test.*

**/*.spec.*

# build output

dist/

build/

src/generated/

coverage/

🟡

Issue 4 of 10

Context file is stale — VS Code shows grade D or "3d ago"

The status bar shows a low grade or a large "last updated" timestamp, meaning the context no longer matches current code.

Fix

Click the status bar item to trigger a manual regeneration from within VS Code.
For automatic freshness on every commit, run sigmap --setup once. It installs a .git/hooks/post-commit hook that regenerates context automatically.

terminal

$ sigmap --setup

[sigmap] ✓ installed .git/hooks/post-commit

[sigmap] context will regenerate on every git commit

🟡

Issue 5 of 10

Over-budget warning: some files were dropped

sigmap --report shows files dropped: N — meaning important files are being cut to stay within the token budget.

Options

Raise maxTokens in gen-context.config.json (e.g. 8000 or 10000) to give the budget more headroom.
Add more exclusions to .contextignore to remove low-value files from the index.
Switch to "strategy": "per-module" or "strategy": "hot-cold" to load only the relevant portion of the codebase.
Run sigmap --report --json to see which specific files are consuming the most tokens, then target those first.

gen-context.config.json

{

"maxTokens": 10000, ← raise from default 6000

"strategy": "hot-cold" ← or switch strategy

}

🔴

Issue 6 of 10

MCP server not appearing in tool list

Claude Code or Cursor doesn't show any sigmap tools, or tools/list returns an empty array.

Fix

Verify the absolute path resolves: run node /path/to/gen-context.js --version in a terminal. If it errors, the path is wrong.
Check JSON syntax in the settings file — a missing comma or mismatched quote will silently prevent parsing.
Reload or fully restart the IDE after making config changes. MCP servers are registered at startup.
Test the server manually with the command below to confirm it responds before blaming the editor config.

terminal — manual test

$ node /path/to/gen-context.js --version

sigmap v2.8.0 ← must print a version

$ echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/list","id":1}' | node gen-context.js --mcp

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":{"tools":[...]}} ← 8 tools

🟡

Issue 7 of 10

"gen-context.js not found" in VS Code

The VS Code extension shows an error and can't regenerate the context file.

Fix

Install globally so the extension can find it anywhere: npm install -g sigmap
Or set the explicit path in VS Code settings using the sigmap.scriptPath option shown below.

.vscode/settings.json

{

"sigmap.scriptPath": "${workspaceFolder}/gen-context.js"

}

🟡

Issue 8 of 10

Secret scan is redacting a false positive

A variable name that happens to match a secret pattern appears as [REDACTED] in the output.

Fix

Add a .contextignore rule to exclude that specific file from the index entirely.
Alternatively, set "secretScan": false in your config — but only do this if you are certain there are no real secrets in your source directories.

🔍

The 10 secret patterns checked

AWS Access Key, AWS Secret Key, GCP API Key, GitHub Token (ghp_ / gho_), JWT (eyJ...), database connection string, SSH private key header, Stripe key (sk_live_), Twilio key, generic password / api_key assignments in code.

🟡

Issue 9 of 10

Monorepo: context only covers one package

Only one package's signatures appear in the output even though your repo has multiple packages under packages/ or apps/.

Fix

Enable monorepo mode in gen-context.config.json: set "monorepo": true. SigMap will then generate a separate context section per package.
Or run sigmap --monorepo as a one-off flag without touching the config file.
Make sure your package directories use one of the standard names: packages/, apps/, or services/.

gen-context.config.json

{

"monorepo": true

}

🟡

Issue 10 of 10

Watch mode stops working after sleep or wake

sigmap --watch was running fine, but after the machine slept and woke, file changes are no longer picked up.

Fix

Restart the watcher process. This is an OS-level file descriptor limit issue that affects some macOS and Linux systems after sleep cycles.
On macOS, increase the file watch limit for the current session: ulimit -n 10000
For a more reliable alternative, use the git hook approach via sigmap --setup — it regenerates on every commit and is not affected by sleep/wake cycles.

terminal — macOS fix

$ ulimit -n 10000 ← raise file watch limit

$ sigmap --watch ← restart the watcher

[sigmap] watching for changes...

Troubleshooting

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