explore-codebase

Explore and understand how the codebase works. Use when user asks "how does the authentication work", "where is the API endpoint defined", "show me how data flows through the system", "explain this module's architecture", "trace the request from controller to database", or "I need to understand this feature before making changes".

Stars 30

Forks 9

Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/Uniswap/ai-toolkit/tree/next/packages/plugins/development-codebase-tools/skills/explore-codebase

SKILL.md

Codebase Explorer

Build comprehensive understanding of codebase areas before implementation or to answer questions about how things work.

When to Activate

User asks "how does X work?"
User wants to understand existing code
User asks where something is implemented
Before planning any feature (preparation step)
User asks about architecture or patterns
User wants to trace data flow or execution

Quick Process

Identify the topic from user's natural language
Map relevant files using Glob and Grep
Trace dependencies and integration points
Identify patterns and conventions
Document findings for implementation work

Input Parsing

Extract from user's request:

topic: Main area/feature/component to explore
files: Specific files mentioned (optional)
focus: Particular aspects to emphasize (optional)

Delegation

Invoke the context-loader-agent agent with extracted parameters for comprehensive analysis.

Output Format

Return structured analysis:

Summary: Executive overview of the area
Key Components: Core files and responsibilities
Patterns: Conventions to follow
Dependencies: External integrations
Data Flow: How data moves through the system
Gotchas: Non-obvious behaviors and pitfalls
Implementation Notes: Key considerations for new work

Workflow Integration

This is Step 1 of the implementation workflow:

Explore (this) → 2. Plan → 3. Review → 4. Execute

After exploring, context is automatically available for /plan or the plan-implementation skill.

Detailed Reference

For exploration strategies and patterns, see exploration-guide.md.