bostonaholic Researching Codebases
Answer every neutral question in 2-questions.md with objective, compressed, file-referenced findings. Scope by its Codebase context and by repo slug/path in 4-repos.md when present.
Investigation contract
- Every claim comes from code read in this run and cites
file:line; trace runtime behavior beyond suggestive names (principle-evidence-over-assertion). - Record visible versions per repo, for example
frontend: React 18; api: Go 1.22. - In multi-repo mode, record shared types/API schemas under
## Constraintsand differing conventions under## Patterns Observed. - Choose the investigation path needed to answer all questions; never infer the user's goal.
Output format
Keep docs/plans/<id>/5-research.md under 100 lines, or under 150 for multi-repo output. Prefix multi-repo references with the 4-repos.md slug, e.g. frontend:src/App.tsx:42.
## Tech Stack
- Language, framework, key libraries, visible versions; per repo when needed
## Directory Conventions
- Organization and file placement; one bullet per repo when needed
## Answers to Questions
### Q1: <restate question>
<answer with file:line references>
### Q2: <restate question>
<answer with file:line references>
...
## Patterns Observed
- Similar implementations, error handling, naming
## Test Patterns
- Framework, assertions, test locations, fixtures/helpers
## Reusable Components
- Existing utilities, helpers, abstractions, shared types/interfaces
## Constraints
- Hard contracts/schemas/API compatibility; soft conventions
## Open Questions
- Ambiguity the design-author must resolve
Reporting rules
- Report what IS, never what SHOULD BE or recommended approaches (
principle-blind-the-investigator). - Compress without generalizing: retain function names, type signatures, and paths; delete prose without information.
- If over budget, remove the least information-dense material.
- Return underspecified questions in
## Open Questions; never guess.