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perf(mcp): let a pool without a default project retire its last idle worker - #424

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bompus merged 2 commits into
fork/consolidatedfrom
perf/release-idle-project-memory
Oct 9, 2026
Merged

bompus merged 2 commits into
fork/consolidatedfrom
perf/release-idle-project-memory

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@bompus bompus commented Oct 9, 2026 •

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Idle retirement in the MCP query pool kept one worker alive in every pool. In a session started outside any indexed project, that worker kept the projects it had opened through projectPath after the main thread had released its own copies (CODEGRAPH_PROJECT_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS).

A pool with no default project now retires every idle worker. warm() (#419) starts one again on the next call that names a project, and calls run in-process until it is ready, as they already do. A pool with a default project still keeps one warm.

Measurement

The session was started outside any project and queried two indexed projects by projectPath, with both idle timeouts set to 20 s. Readings come from /proc/<pid>/smaps_rollup.

Reading after 90 s idle Before After Change
PSS (MB) 179 68 62% less
Anonymous (MB) 76 56 26% less
Threads 13 6 7 fewer

With the pool disabled the same run settled at 65 MB PSS, so the remaining memory belongs to the main thread rather than the pool.

Checks

  • vitest run: 673 files, 8599 tests passed.
  • Under Bun: the query-pool and MCP startup test files pass.
  • New test: a rooted pool keeps one worker; a rootless pool retires to none and starts another on warm().

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Bug Fixes
    • Idle workers are now retired according to whether a default project is configured. Pools with a default project retain one worker; pools without one retire all stale idle workers and report as not ready until a worker starts again.
    • Warming a rootless pool after retirement starts a new worker, allowing it to become ready for subsequent queries.

…worker

Idle retirement kept one query worker alive in every pool. In a session
with no default project, that worker held the projects it had opened
through projectPath after the main thread released its own copies. Such a
pool now retires every idle worker; warm() starts one again on the next
call that names a project. A pool with a default project still keeps one.

Measured on a session started outside any project that queried two
projects by path, with both idle timeouts at 20 s: after 90 s idle the
server's PSS fell from 179 MB to 68 MB and its threads from 13 to 6.
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No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

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📒 Files selected for processing (2)
  • __tests__/query-pool.test.ts
  • src/mcp/query-pool.ts

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  • tests/query-pool.test.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

QueryPool.retireIdle retains one idle worker when the pool has a default project root. A rootless pool retires all idle workers and resets readiness when none remain. Warming the rootless pool starts a replacement worker and restores readiness.

Changes

Idle-worker retirement

Layer / File(s) Summary
Configure idle-worker retention
src/mcp/query-pool.ts, __tests__/query-pool.test.ts
retireIdle retains one worker for a pool with a default project root and none for a rootless pool. When retirement empties the pool, readiness resets. Tests verify both outcomes and that warming the rootless pool starts a replacement worker.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Merge Risk

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 72ac4

No actionable merge risk is established: rootless pools can retire their last idle worker, and subsequent project queries use the in-process path until a replacement is ready.

Security Architecture Review

Security architecture risk: 🔵 Low · up to 72ac4

The change does not appear to expand project access or grant additional privileges. Normal retirement and restart preserve readiness checks, but cleanup after an exceptional worker-termination failure remains unverified.

Retained concerns
No architecture-level concerns identified.

Security review details

Security Blast Radius

  • inferred — The effective access scope remains the projects reachable through the existing MCP handler. The PR changes worker lifetime and execution placement, not project selection, credentials, or read-tool authority within the inspected path.

Trust Boundaries and Controls

  • observed — The worker boundary remains a read-execution boundary rather than a newly introduced authorization boundary. Project setup occurs on the main thread, and worker execution uses the existing read-tool dispatcher.

Resilience and Maintainability Implications

  • observed — Retirement removes ownership before requesting termination and catches only synchronous throws. That implementation predates the PR but now reaches the final rootless worker. The test worker always terminates successfully, so exceptional cleanup and possible retained-worker lifetime are not established by the available evidence.



Pre-merge checks | Passed 6
✅ Passed checks (6 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Description Check Passed Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check Passed The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: allowing a query pool without a default project to retire its last idle worker.
Linked Issues check Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Suppressions Explained Passed PASS: The pull request changes only src/mcp/query-pool.ts and __tests__/query-pool.test.ts. The added lines contain no lint, type-check, compiler, or configuration suppression directive. Therefore…
User-Visible Changes Documented Passed The pull request changes only src/mcp/query-pool.ts and __tests__/query-pool.test.ts. The diff does not add, remove, or rename a CLI command or flag, MCP tool or argument, supported language or fr…


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Actionable comments posted: 1


  • 🪄 Fix CodeRabbit comments on this PR
🤖 Prompt to fix review comments
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Inline comments:
Review comments at @src/mcp/query-pool.ts:
- Line 240: Update the worker-retirement logic near the `this.workers.size`
check so that when retiring a worker leaves the pool with no workers, readiness
is reset. This lets the handler use its in-process path until a replacement
worker reports ready, while preserving readiness when workers remain.

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Comment thread src/mcp/query-pool.ts
A pool that retired its last worker still reported ready, so the next call
that named a project waited behind the replacement worker's cold start.
Readiness now resets when the pool empties.
@bompus
bompus merged commit 4cdc18c into fork/consolidated Oct 9, 2026
6 of 7 checks passed
@bompus
bompus deleted the perf/release-idle-project-memory branch October 9, 2026 21:24
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