sonar_get_uncovered_files

Get list of files with coverage below target threshold. Returns prioritized list of files needing test coverage.

Description

Identifies files that need more test coverage by analyzing SonarQube coverage data. Files are prioritized based on coverage percentage (critical/high/medium/low) to help focus testing efforts on the most impactful areas.

Handles projects without coverage data by providing setup instructions.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
targetCoverage	number	No	100	Target coverage percentage (0-100). Files below this threshold are returned
maxFiles	number	No	50	Maximum number of files to return (1-500)
sortBy	string	No	coverage	Sort order: coverage (lowest first), uncovered_lines (most first), name (alphabetical)
includeNoCoverageData	boolean	No	false	Include files without coverage data

Priority Levels

Files are categorized by coverage percentage:

Priority	Coverage	Description
Critical	0-25%	Severe lack of testing
High	26-50%	Significant coverage gaps
Medium	51-75%	Moderate coverage
Low	76-99%	Near target coverage

Usage

Basic Usage

Show me files that need more test coverage

Tool call:

{
}

Custom Target

Show me files with less than 80% coverage

Tool call:

{
  "targetCoverage": 80
}

Focus on Worst Files

Show me the 10 files with least coverage

Tool call:

{
  "maxFiles": 10,
  "sortBy": "coverage"
}

Sort by Impact

Which files have the most uncovered lines?

Tool call:

{
  "sortBy": "uncovered_lines",
  "maxFiles": 20
}

Response Format

UNCOVERED FILES ANALYSIS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Target Coverage: 80%
Files Below Target: 23

📊 PRIORITY BREAKDOWN:
  🔴 Critical (0-25%):   3 files
  🟠 High (26-50%):      7 files
  🟡 Medium (51-75%):    8 files
  🟢 Low (76-79%):       5 files

FILES NEEDING COVERAGE:

🔴 CRITICAL PRIORITY

1. src/services/PaymentService.ts
   Coverage: 12.5%
   Uncovered Lines: 145
   Component Key: my-project:src/services/PaymentService.ts

2. src/utils/crypto.ts
   Coverage: 18.2%
   Uncovered Lines: 89
   Component Key: my-project:src/utils/crypto.ts

3. src/api/handlers/webhooks.ts
   Coverage: 23.1%
   Uncovered Lines: 67
   Component Key: my-project:src/api/handlers/webhooks.ts

🟠 HIGH PRIORITY

4. src/services/UserService.ts
   Coverage: 34.7%
   Uncovered Lines: 112
   Component Key: my-project:src/services/UserService.ts

5. src/middleware/auth.ts
   Coverage: 41.2%
   Uncovered Lines: 58
   Component Key: my-project:src/middleware/auth.ts

...

SUMMARY:
  Total uncovered lines: 1,247
  Estimated tests needed: 50-75
  Potential coverage increase: +35%

💡 RECOMMENDATIONS:
  • Start with Critical files for maximum impact
  • Use sonar_get_coverage_gaps for detailed analysis
  • Focus on business-critical paths first

Examples

Example 1: Coverage Sprint Planning

Prompt:

I need to improve test coverage. Show me where to start.

Tool Call:

{
  "targetCoverage": 80,
  "maxFiles": 15,
  "sortBy": "uncovered_lines"
}

Example 2: Find Zero Coverage Files

Prompt:

Are there any files with no tests at all?

Tool Call:

{
  "targetCoverage": 1,
  "sortBy": "coverage"
}

Example 3: Incremental Improvement

Prompt:

Show me files that are close to 80% coverage

Tool Call:

{
  "targetCoverage": 80,
  "sortBy": "coverage",
  "maxFiles": 10
}

Files closest to threshold will appear last (sorted by lowest coverage first).

Example 4: Include Unscanned Files

Prompt:

Show me all files that might need coverage, including ones never scanned

Tool Call:

{
  "includeNoCoverageData": true,
  "maxFiles": 100
}

No Coverage Data

If your project has never been scanned with coverage reports:

NO COVERAGE DATA AVAILABLE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

This project has no coverage data in SonarQube.

To enable coverage analysis:

1. Configure your test framework to generate coverage reports
2. Set the coverage report path in sonar-project.properties:

   # For JavaScript/TypeScript (lcov)
   sonar.javascript.lcov.reportPaths=coverage/lcov.info

   # For Java (JaCoCo)
   sonar.coverage.jacoco.xmlReportPaths=target/site/jacoco/jacoco.xml

   # For Python (coverage.py)
   sonar.python.coverage.reportPaths=coverage.xml

3. Re-run the scan with autoSetup: false

Workflow: Improving Coverage

1. sonar_get_uncovered_files (identify targets)
   ↓
2. sonar_get_coverage_gaps for top files (understand gaps)
   ↓
3. Write tests for uncovered code
   ↓
4. sonar_scan_project (verify improvement)
   ↓
5. Repeat until target coverage reached

Best Practices

1. Prioritize by business impact - Critical services first
2. Sort by uncovered_lines - Maximum coverage gain per test
3. Set realistic targets - 80% is often a good balance
4. Track progress - Re-run after adding tests

Common Issues

"No coverage data"

Cause: Coverage reports not configured or not generated.

Solution: Configure your test framework to generate coverage reports (lcov, JaCoCo, coverage.py).

"Zero files returned"

Cause: All files meet the target coverage.

Solution: Lower the targetCoverage threshold or your coverage is excellent!

"Files missing from results"

Cause: Files excluded from analysis or not compiled.

Solution: Check sonar.exclusions and ensure files are part of the build.

Related Tools

• sonar_get_coverage_gaps - Detailed gaps per file
• sonar_get_project_metrics - Overall coverage
• sonar_scan_project - Run analysis with coverage