name: serena-workflow description: Best practices for activating and utilizing the Serena MCP toolset. Use this skill when working in a Serena-enabled project to ensure correct project activation (including WSL handling) and to leverage semantic tools for code navigation and editing. metadata: short-description: Activate and use Serena MCP tools

Serena Workflow Guidelines

This skill outlines the standard procedure for working with Serena MCP tools, ensuring consistent project activation and efficient code manipulation.

1. Project Activation

Before performing any code operations, you must activate the Serena project.

WSL Environment Strategy

If you are operating in a WSL environment (paths starting with /home/...):

1. Primary Method: Attempt activation using the UNC path format: \\wsl$\Ubuntu<absolute_path> (e.g., \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\user\repo)
2. Fallback: Use the standard Linux path only if the UNC path activation fails.

Onboarding Check

Immediately after activation:

1. Run check_onboarding_performed.
2. If it returns false, you MUST run the onboarding tool before proceeding with any other tasks.

2. Serena-First Workflow

Prioritize Serena's semantic capabilities over standard file operations for code-related tasks.

• Code Navigation: Use semantic search tools to find symbols and references instead of grep or find.
• Refactoring: Leverage Serena's automated refactoring tools for safe code changes.
• File Operations: Reserve standard shell commands for non-code files or simple, non-semantic text processing.