Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
code comprehension
program understanding
software visualization
code clones
vulnerability detection
Comprendia: AI-Augmented Code Comprehension
🤖 AI Summary
This work addresses key challenges in Java program comprehension—namely, complex dependencies, difficulty in identifying repetitive code, and the laborious task of locating security vulnerabilities—by introducing an Eclipse plugin that integrates structured dependency graphs with large language models (LLMs). The system leverages a multi-edged type dependency graph and an interactive visualization interface to enable developers to explore and refactor code in real time. It innovatively employs a Graph-Aware Call Pruning (GACP) strategy to generate traceable and reproducible LLM prompts, while also incorporating code clone detection and vulnerability data from OSV.dev to form a multidimensional comprehension-enhancement framework. Experimental results demonstrate that the approach significantly improves comprehension efficiency on Java projects containing known clones and CVE-listed vulnerabilities, all while preserving full developer control over the analysis process.
📝 Abstract
Comprendia is an Eclipse plugin that integrates structural dependency visualization with LLM-powered code explanation on a shared interactive graph for Java program comprehension. The tool rests on four pillars: (1) a multi-edge-type dependency graph with live search and multiple layouts; (2) LLM explanations grounded in Graph-Aware Callee Pruning (GACP), an auditable strategy that selects relevant callees using the same graph the developer navigates; (3) a clone-detection overlay that highlights duplication and suggests extract-to-parent refactoring opportunities; and (4) a CVE risk overlay powered by OSV.dev. GACP uses graph distance, inheritance collapse, and edge-type weighting to produce prompts that are reproducible across LLM families and traceable to visible graph nodes. We demonstrate Comprendia on a Java project containing known clones and vulnerabilities, showing how the unified graph substrate supports comprehension while keeping the developer in control. Screencast: https://youtu.be/1wlh_RYehzA
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Graph-Aware Callee Pruning
LLM-powered code explanation
dependency graph visualization
clone detection
CVE risk overlay
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