Glean’s January product release brings Code Search and Code Writer to assist developers in quickly moving from “what’s going on here?” to drafting a pull request in minutes—all grounded in your company’s repositories, tickets, documents, and chats.

Why this matters

Engineering context is often spread across code, configurations, ADRs, tickets, and PRs. Glean’s new features bring that context together: Code Search highlights the most relevant files, diffs, and references; Code Writer utilizes that context to suggest small fixes and PR drafts—without compromising enterprise standards.

Key benefits

• Enhanced search: Query across all linked repositories and instantly locate the correct file, diff, or reference.

• Quicker writing: Produce draft PRs for minor changes or bug fixes using project-specific context.

• Integrated into the Assistant: Code Search can be automatically triggered when your prompt involves code; no extra setup needed for basic usage.

What’s new or how it works

• Code Search is integrated into Glean Assistant and Agents, querying your linked code hosts (e.g., GitHub/GitLab) to provide files, diffs, and references that address code questions.

• Code Writer uses the retrieved context to suggest minimal, reviewable changes (e.g., small bug fixes), speeding up the authoring phase before human review.

• Both features are included in Glean’s January “Drop,” which also features extensive Assistant upgrades.

Practical steps or examples

1. Connect your repositories
   In Glean, link GitHub or GitLab so that Code Search can index code and metadata (commits, PRs, tickets). Enabled by default after connection.

2. Ask a code question in Assistant
   Example: “Where do we validate OAuth scopes for the payments API?” The Assistant automatically triggers Code Search and returns relevant files/diffs with citations.

3. Open the result and examine context
   Directly access the file or diff from the result list to check the logic and dependencies.

4. Use Code Writer for a minor fix
   Prompt: “Draft a PR to fix the null check in the scope validator and add a unit test.” Review the suggested change, perform tests locally, then commit through your standard workflow.

5. (Optional) Integrate it into your IDE or agent workflow
   Glean highlights that Code Search/Writer are first-class features in Assistant/Agents and can be integrated into tools you already use.

FAQs

Q1: What exactly launched in January?
Code Search (in-depth repository search inside Assistant/Agents) and Code Writer (context-aware PR drafting for minor changes), along with wider Assistant updates.

Q2: How do these features enhance productivity?
They streamline the “find → fix” loop: search gathers code and references in one step; Writer drafts changes based on that context, reducing time spent on routine tasks.

Q3: Is it easy to adopt?
Yes. Once a supported code host is linked, Code Search is available by default in Assistant; teams can then choose to use Writer workflows while maintaining standard code review processes.

Next Steps

Interested in configuring these features with your GitHub/GitLab, Jira, and Slack? Schedule a Glean assessment with Generation Digital—integrate your stack, define guidelines, and train teams to transition from search to implemented changes faster.