Coding Agent
Investigate and answer questions about a GitHub codebase
Availability depends on your school's enabled tools, provider setup, and account permissions. These settings are managed in the web workspace. A class policy may restrict a feature described here.
The Coding Agent is a beta feature. It is disabled by default and currently supports public GitHub repositories. See Configuration below to enable it.
Overview#
The Coding Agent gives Nexus the ability to investigate a GitHub repository and answer questions about its codebase. Given a repository and a question, it clones the repo into an isolated sandbox and explores the code with shell commands before returning a written answer.
This unlocks workflows such as:
Understanding a codebase: Ask how a feature is implemented or where a piece of logic lives.
Onboarding: Get a high-level explanation of a project's structure and key modules.
Code investigation: Trace how data flows through the application or how two components interact.
Answering "where / how / why" questions: Locate relevant files and summarize what the code does.
The LLM determines when to use the Coding Agent based on the user's query. Like other Actions, it can be attached to custom Agents, giving the LLM the option to use it as needed. Be explicit in your prompt about the repository you want analyzed.
How It Works#
When the Coding Agent is invoked, it:
Clones the repository#
The target GitHub repository is cloned into an isolated sandbox environment.
Investigates the code#
An iterative loop powered by an LLM executes shell commands to explore the codebase.
Returns an answer#
A final, written answer is produced based on what it found.
The Coding Agent runs in the same sandboxed environment as the Code Interpreter, so it requires a connected bash/code execution server.
Configuration#
Because the Coding Agent is a beta Action, it is disabled by default. An admin can enable it from the Actions tab of the Admin Panel, and then attach it to the relevant Agents.
To learn more about enabling and managing the Coding Agent, see the admin configuration guide.
Limitations#
Public repositories only: Private repositories are not yet supported and will fail to clone. Support for private repositories is planned.
Beta: Behavior and configuration may change as the feature matures.