---
slug: "serena"
name: "Serena"
effect: "Gives a coding agent symbol-level code search, editing and refactoring tools backed by language servers"
category: "mcp-server"
tier: "rising"
url: "https://oraios.github.io/serena"
github: "oraios/serena"
pricing: "open-source"
license: "GPL-3.0-or-later (the app, since v2; v1.7.0 and earlier MIT); SolidLSP library MIT"
tags: ["code-navigation", "refactoring", "language-server", "coding"]
platforms: ["any-mcp-client", "claude-code", "codex", "gemini-cli", "vscode", "cursor", "jetbrains", "windsurf", "claude-desktop", "docker"]
install_kind: "cli"
date_added: "2026-10-15"
rank: 11
rising_score: 51
stars: 30271
star_velocity: 53.1
velocity_basis: "since creation"
created_at: "2025-03-23T22:35:24Z"
pushed_at: "2026-10-14T16:08:14Z"
signals_status: "ok"
signals_fetched_at: "2026-10-15T05:02:37.037Z"
page: "https://agenttooldrop.com/tools/serena"
---

# Serena

Gives a coding agent symbol-level code search, editing and refactoring tools backed by language servers

Category: MCP servers. Tier: new and rising, rank 11 by new and rising score (51 of 100). Pricing: Open source. License: GPL-3.0-or-later (the app, since v2; v1.7.0 and earlier MIT); SolidLSP library MIT.

Platforms: any-mcp-client, claude-code, codex, gemini-cli, vscode, cursor, jetbrains, windsurf, claude-desktop, docker.

## Why you would want it

Serena exposes IDE-style tools over MCP, such as find symbol, find referencing symbols, rename and replace symbol body, so the agent works with code structure instead of line numbers and text search. The default backend uses language servers, and the README lists support for over 40 programming languages. An optional paid JetBrains plugin backend adds moves, inlining, type hierarchy and searches in project dependencies.

## Best for

- Navigating and refactoring large codebases
- Cross-file renames and reference lookups
- Multi-language repositories

## Use it when

Your agent spends many steps on grep and line-based edits in a large codebase and you want it to look up symbols and references the way an IDE does.

## Skip it if

Your projects are small and the agent's built-in search and edit tools already cope. It reports anonymous usage data on startup unless SERENA_USAGE_REPORTING is set to false, and its docs assume a trusted machine and repository and recommend a sandbox. The app moved from MIT to GPL-3.0-or-later in v2.

## Editor note

The install step does not connect a client; for Claude Code the docs then run `serena setup claude-code` (oraios.github.io/serena, Clients page).

## Install

Install with uv:

```sh
uv tool install -p 3.13 serena-agent
```

Source: https://github.com/oraios/serena#readme

## Live signals

Fetched 2026-10-15T05:02:37.037Z (status: ok).

- Repository: oraios/serena
- Repository created: 2025-03-23
- Stars: 30,271 (GitHub's count; it cannot be authenticated)
- Stars per day, since repo creation: 53.1 (an average over the repo's life, not a growth rate)
- Forks: 2,077
- Open issues and PRs: 100
- License (GitHub): NOASSERTION
- Last push: 2026-10-14
- Latest release: v2.0.0 (2026-10-13)

## Links

- Website: https://oraios.github.io/serena
- GitHub: https://github.com/oraios/serena
- Install instructions verified at: https://github.com/oraios/serena#readme
- Source for this entry: https://github.com/oraios/serena#readme
- AgentToolDrop page: https://agenttooldrop.com/tools/serena
- Full catalog (JSON): https://agenttooldrop.com/tools.json