--- title: "symbol-search: a recursive text search for names the graph answers exactly: symbols or diagnostic codes" description: "A deny rule: it refuses a recursive text search for names the graph answers exactly: symbols or diagnostic codes, and names what to run instead." tags: [guard, rules, symbol-search, deny] --- # symbol-search A deny rule: it refuses a recursive text search for names the graph answers exactly: symbols or diagnostic codes, and names what to run instead. ## What it catches A recursive text search for names the graph answers exactly: symbols or diagnostic codes. ## Why It fires only when the graph can VOUCH for every name the pattern looks for: each symbol is defined here and no project's index is older than its sources, and each diagnostic code is one the graph carries a node for. On those terms `magus refs --occurrences` knows every definition and reference, including the generated and cross-language ones a pattern misses, and `magus explain diagnostic:` knows the code's page and what documents and emits it. An alternation (`A\|B`, `-e A -e B`, `A|B` under -E) is answered with one command per name, and a definition lookup (`func X`, `func (r *T) X`, `type X`) with refs on X. A single name the index cannot vouch for, a BZZ code, a case-insensitive search, or a search of a tree outside the workspace stays advice or nothing. Searching raw TEXT is untouched and has its own answer: `magus refs --text [...]` is a literal substring search with grep's exit codes, scoped by the same trailing paths. ## Seeing it A verdict names its rule in brackets, which is how you got here: ```text deny [symbol-search]: ... ``` `magus describe rule symbol-search` prints the same entry at a terminal, and `magus describe rules` lists every rule this workspace enforces. ## See also - [All rules](index.md) - what this workspace enforces, deny first - [The guard](../../guides/integrations/agents/guard.md) - how a verdict is reached and wired