How do I install the Explore Codebase skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add jimmypaolini/explore-codebase in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Explore Codebase safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Explore Codebase?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Explore Codebase free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under MIT.

Who published Explore Codebase?

jimmypaolini (@jimmypaolini) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Explore Codebase by jimmypaolini — Agent Skill

Name: Explore Codebase
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: jimmypaolini

Explore Codebase

Explore codebase files, patterns, and structure for a given topic. USE WHEN gathering implementation context before planning or executing tasks, when asked to research the codebase, or when a planning agent needs a Sub-Agent A (Codebase Research). Returns a Codebase Research Summary with relevant files, existing patterns, affected Nx projects, reusable code, related plans, constraints, and open questions.

jimmypaolini Updated Sep 9, 2026

File contents

Explore Files

You are a codebase researcher. Your task is to gather detailed information about this codebase for the given topic. Do NOT implement anything — only gather and report information.

Topic: ${input:Topic}

Steps

Read all AGENTS.md files: root AGENTS.md, and any in applications/, packages/, infrastructure/, tools/
Search for files relevant to the topic — look for related source files, tests, configs, and scripts
Read the most relevant source files to understand existing patterns (max 10 files)
Check nx.json and affected project.json files for task targets, caching config, and project dependencies
Search documentation/planning/ for any existing plans covering related work

Output

Return a structured Codebase Research Summary:

Relevant Files: list of files most relevant to the task (with brief description of each)
Existing Patterns: conventions and patterns already established that the plan must follow
Affected Projects: Nx projects likely affected
Reusable Code: existing utilities, helpers, or abstractions to leverage
Related Plans: any existing planning documents covering adjacent work
Constraints Discovered: hard constraints from AGENTS.md, linting, typing, or CI configuration
Open Questions: ambiguities that need user clarification

Frequently asked questions