atx-mainframe-dependency-manager by arunkumars-mf - MCP Server

AWS Transform for mainframe (ATX) - Mainframe Dependency Manager

A comprehensive tool for managing mainframe component dependencies and relationships as part of AWS Transform for mainframe (ATX) initiatives. Can be used as both an MCP server and a Python library.

Overview

This tool extends the AWS Transform for mainframe (ATX) analysis workflow by providing advanced dependency analysis capabilities for mainframe applications. It works with the codebase and dependency graph JSON produced by the ATX analysis step to enable deeper insights and impact analysis.

ATX Integration Workflow

ATX Analysis → dependencies.json + codebase → ATX Mainframe Dependency Manager → Advanced Analysis

ATX Analysis: Analyzes your mainframe codebase and produces dependencies.json
ATX Mainframe Dependency Manager: Uses the same codebase and generated dependency graph for further analysis
Advanced Analysis: Provides 18+ analysis tools for dependency tracking, impact assessment, and source code access

Features

Dependency Analysis: Analyze direct and recursive dependencies between mainframe components
Impact Assessment: Understand the impact of changes to specific components
Component Discovery: Find components by name, type, or file path
Orphan Detection: Identify unused components with no dependencies or dependents
Statistics and Reporting: Get comprehensive statistics about your mainframe codebase
Source Code Access: Read and analyze mainframe source code files
Dual Usage: Works as both MCP server and Python library

Prerequisites

ATX Analysis: Must be completed first to generate the dependency graph
Same Codebase: Use the identical codebase that was analyzed by ATX
Dependencies JSON: The dependencies.json file produced by ATX analysis

Installation

For MCP Server Usage

No installation needed! The MCP configuration with uvx will automatically download and run the package.

For Python Library Usage

pip install atx-mainframe-dependency-manager

Quick Start

Configuration

Set these environment variables to point to your ATX analysis outputs:

export ATX_MF_DEPENDENCIES_FILE="/path/to/atx-dependencies.json"
export ATX_MF_CODE_BASE="/path/to/mainframe/codebase"

As MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atx-mainframe-dependency-manager": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["atx-mainframe-dependency-manager"],
      "env": {
        "ATX_MF_DEPENDENCIES_FILE": "/path/to/atx-dependencies.json",
        "ATX_MF_CODE_BASE": "/path/to/mainframe/codebase"
      }
    }
  }
}

As Python Library

from atx_mainframe_dependency_manager import DependencyManager
import os

# Initialize and load dependencies
dm = DependencyManager()
dm.load_dependencies("/path/to/atx-dependencies.json")
os.environ['ATX_MF_CODE_BASE'] = "/path/to/mainframe/codebase"

# Analyze dependencies
component_info = dm.get_component_info("PAYROLL")
dependencies = dm.get_dependencies("PAYROLL")
stats = dm.get_statistics()

Sample Prompts for Mainframe Modernization

Once the MCP server is configured, you can use these prompts to guide your mainframe modernization project:

🔍 Discovery & Analysis Phase

1. Get Overall System Overview

"Show me the complete mainframe system statistics and component breakdown to understand the modernization scope"

2. Identify Core Business Programs

"Find all COBOL programs that have the most dependencies and dependents - these are likely our core business logic components"

3. Analyze Transaction Processing Components

"Get detailed information about COTRN00C, COTRN01C, and COTRN02C components including their dependencies and source code to understand the transaction processing flow"

4. Discover Account Management Components

"Show me all components related to account management (COACTUPC, COACTVWC, CBACT*) and their dependency relationships"

📊 Dependency Analysis for Modernization Planning

5. Find High-Impact Components

"Identify components with the highest number of dependents - these should be modernized first as they impact the most other components"

6. Discover Isolated Components

"Show me all orphaned components that have no dependencies or dependents - these can be modernized independently"

7. Analyze Copybook Dependencies

"Get all CPY (copybook) components and show which COBOL programs depend on them - this will help plan data structure modernization"

8. Map JCL Job Dependencies

"Show me all JCL components and their program dependencies to understand batch processing workflows"

🏗️ Microservices Architecture Planning

9. Group Related Components for Service Boundaries

"Analyze the dependency relationships between COBOL programs to identify logical groupings for microservices (e.g., customer management, card management, transaction processing)"

10. Identify Service Interface Points

"Find components that are called by multiple other components - these are candidates for service interfaces in the modernized architecture"

11. Analyze Data Access Patterns

"Show me all components that access the same datasets/files to understand data sharing patterns for database design"

🔄 Migration Strategy Development

12. Plan Incremental Migration

"Identify components with the fewest dependencies that can be modernized first in an incremental migration approach"

13. Find Critical Path Components

"Show me the dependency chain from user interface components (COUSR*, COADM*) to data access components to understand the critical modernization path"

14. Analyze Cross-Component Communication

"Get detailed information about how CICS programs call each other to design API interfaces for the modernized system"

💾 Data Modernization Planning

15. Map Data Structures

"Read the source code of key copybooks (CVACT01Y, CVCUS01Y, CVTRA05Y) to understand data structures that need to be modernized"

16. Identify File Access Patterns

"Show me all components that read/write to the same files to plan database table design and data access services"

17. Analyze Data Validation Logic

"Get the source code of validation-heavy components like COACTUPC to extract business rules for modern validation services"

🧪 Testing Strategy Development

18. Identify Test Boundaries

"Find components that can be tested independently (low coupling) vs. those requiring integration testing (high coupling)"

19. Plan Component Testing Order

"Show me the dependency hierarchy to plan the order of component testing during modernization"

Usage Examples

Basic Analysis

# Get component information
info = dm.get_component_info("PAYROLL")
print(f"Type: {info['type']}, Path: {info['path']}")

# Find dependencies and dependents
deps = dm.get_dependencies("PAYROLL")
dependents = dm.get_dependents("PAYROLL")

# Get recursive impact analysis
recursive_deps = dm.get_recursive_dependencies("PAYROLL")
recursive_dependents = dm.get_recursive_dependents("PAYROLL")

Component Discovery

# Find components by type
cobol_programs = dm.get_components_by_type("COB")
copybooks = dm.get_components_by_type("CPY")

# Find orphaned components
orphans = dm.get_orphaned_components()

# Search by file path
component = dm.find_component_by_path("/cobol/PAYROLL.cob")

# Get comprehensive statistics
stats = dm.get_statistics()
print(f"Total components: {stats['total_components']}")

Source Code Access

# Read source code content
source_code = dm.read_component_source("PAYROLL")

# Get source file information
source_info = dm.get_component_source_info("PAYROLL")

# Validate source code access
validation_results = dm.validate_source_access()

Analysis Tools Reference

Component Analysis

get_component_info - Get detailed component information
get_component_dependencies - Get direct dependencies
get_recursive_dependencies - Get complete dependency tree
get_component_dependents - Get components that depend on this one
get_recursive_dependents - Get complete impact tree

Discovery Tools

get_components_by_type - List components by type (COB, JCL, CPY, etc.)
find_component_by_path - Find components by file path
get_orphaned_components - Find unused components

Source Code Tools

read_component_source - Read actual source code content
get_component_source_info - Get source file accessibility details
list_component_directory - List files in component directories
validate_source_access - Check source file accessibility

System Analysis

get_dependency_statistics - Get comprehensive codebase statistics
get_configuration_info - Get current configuration status

Management Tools

load_dependencies - Load dependency data from ATX JSON file
add_component - Add new components (experimental)
add_dependency - Add new dependency relationships (experimental)
save_dependencies - Save current state to JSON file (experimental)

Note: Management tools marked as experimental are available but not fully tested. Use with caution in production environments.

ATX Dependencies JSON Format

The dependency graph JSON is produced by the ATX analysis step and follows this structure:

[
  {
    "name": "PAYROLL",
    "type": "COB", 
    "path": "/mainframe/cobol/PAYROLL.cob",
    "dependencies": [
      {
        "name": "EMPLOYEE",
        "dependencyType": "COPY"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Note: This JSON file is automatically generated by ATX analysis - you don't need to create it manually.

AWS Transform Integration

This tool is designed to work seamlessly with AWS Transform for mainframe (ATX) workflows:

Run ATX Analysis on your mainframe codebase
Use the same codebase and generated dependencies.json
Launch this tool (as MCP server or library) for advanced dependency analysis
Perform impact analysis before making changes
Track dependencies throughout your transformation journey

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.