Retrieval-Augmented Code Generation: A Survey with Focus on Repository-Level Approaches

Abstract

Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have significantly improved automated code generation. While existing approaches have achieved strong performance at the function and file levels, real-world software engineering requires reasoning over entire repositories, including cross-file dependencies, evolving execution environments, and global semantic consistency. This challenge has led to the emergence of Repository-Level Code Generation (RLCG), where models must retrieve, organize, and utilize repository-scale context to generate coherent and executable code changes. To address these challenges, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has become an increasingly important paradigm for repository-level code intelligence. In this survey, we present a comprehensive review of Retrieval-Augmented Code Generation (RACG), with a particular focus on repository-level approaches. Rather than viewing RACG as a static ``retrieve-then-generate'' pipeline, we characterize it as a coupled and evolving process involving context construction, retrieval optimization, generation, and environment interaction. We organize existing methods through a unified analytical framework spanning retrieval substrate, control regime, and evaluation setting. Based on this framework, we systematically examine retrieval strategies, graph-based and non-graph-based retrieval paradigms, training-driven optimizations, and autonomous agent architectures. We further summarize widely used datasets, benchmarks, and system configurations, and discuss key challenges including scalability, reliability, efficiency, and the necessity boundary between RACG and long-context LLMs. Through this survey, we aim to provide a structured understanding of the rapidly evolving RACG landscape and highlight promising directions for future AI-powered software engineering research.