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Code Intelligence

Code Intelligence bridges the gap between your source code and your systems engineering artefacts. It reads your codebase and produces requirements, failure mode analyses, and traceability links — reducing the manual effort of keeping documentation in sync with the actual implementation.

Subscription Required

Code Intelligence requires a Basic tier subscription or higher, and a configured AI provider in your Settings.

What Code Intelligence Does​

CapabilityDescription
Requirements generationExtracts functional and non-functional requirements from your code
FMEA generationIdentifies potential failure modes and effects directly from the implementation
TraceabilityLinks generated items back to the specific code areas they were derived from
Gap detectionHighlights where code exists but no requirements or FMEA coverage is present

The result is a living connection between what you built and the engineering documentation that describes it — useful for audits, design reviews, and onboarding.

Accessing Code Intelligence​

Click the code icon (</>) in the left navigation sidebar. The panel opens in the context of your currently selected project.

How to Use​

Step 1 — Connect Your Code​

On the Code Intelligence panel, add the code you want to analyse:

  • Upload files — drag and drop source files directly into the panel
  • Paste code — paste a block of code into the code editor area
  • Link a repository — connect a GitHub repository (if GitHub integration is configured)

You can analyse a single file, a module, or an entire subsystem depending on your focus.

Step 2 — Run Analysis​

Click Analyse to start. The time taken depends on the size of the code and the AI provider configured.

While the analysis runs you will see a progress indicator. You can navigate away and return — results are saved.

Step 3 — Review Results​

Results appear in three tabs:

Requirements tab

  • Lists requirements extracted from the code
  • Each requirement shows the code area it was derived from
  • Review each one before accepting

FMEA tab

  • Lists failure modes identified from the implementation
  • Each failure mode shows the affected component and function
  • Includes suggested Severity, Occurrence, and Detection ratings (always review before accepting)

Traceability tab

  • Shows the links between code, requirements, and failure modes
  • Use this to confirm coverage and spot gaps

Step 4 — Accept into Your Project​

For each generated item:

  1. Review the content and adjust as needed
  2. Click Accept to add it to your project's requirements or FMEA
  3. Click Dismiss to discard it

Accepted items are immediately visible in the Requirements and FMEA modules. Traceability links are created automatically.

What to Expect from Generated Content​

Generated requirements and failure modes are starting points, not final artefacts:

  • Requirements — will often need rephrasing to match your organisation's style and adding acceptance criteria
  • FMEA ratings — S/O/D values are estimates; calibrate them to your specific design, operating environment, and existing controls
  • Traceability links — verify that each link correctly represents the engineering intent, not just a text match

Tips for Better Results​

  • Be specific — analysing a focused module produces more precise results than uploading an entire monorepo
  • Include comments and docstrings — well-documented code produces significantly higher quality output
  • Run in iterations — start with the most safety-critical or complex modules first
  • Combine with AI Gap Analysis — after accepting items, run FMEA Gap Analysis (Analytics > AI Guardrails) to check coverage across all requirements

Frequently Asked Questions​

Does Code Intelligence store my source code? Code is processed to generate your artefacts and is not stored permanently on NirmIQ servers. See our Security & Compliance page for details.

What languages are supported? Code Intelligence works with all mainstream programming languages. Results are best with well-structured, commented code regardless of language.

Can I re-run analysis on updated code? Yes. Upload the updated version and run a new analysis. You can accept additional items or replace existing ones.

Will it modify my existing requirements or FMEA? No. Code Intelligence only adds new items when you explicitly click Accept. It never modifies or overwrites artefacts you have already created.