Ground First

Produce a code-grounded analysis of a subject before any edits are proposed.

Trigger: when the user asks for a fix, change, or investigation on non-trivial code and has not yet confirmed you understand current behavior. Also triggered directly via /ground-first.

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS — a description of what to analyze (e.g. "auth token refresh race condition", "why ingest job retries forever", "issue #140").

Steps

1. Parse the subject from $ARGUMENTS. If empty or vague, infer from recent conversation. If still unclear, ask the user what they want analyzed.

2. Locate the relevant code. Use these tools, in this order:

   • Glob to find candidate files by name pattern
   • Grep to find candidate files by symbol/string
   • Read every candidate file that survives the first two steps. Read the actual file — do not infer from its name.

3. Produce the analysis in this format:

   ## Subject
   
   <one-line restatement of the subject>
   
   ## Current behavior
   
   - <claim>. `path/to/file.go:42`
   - <claim>. `path/to/other.ts:120–140`
   
   ## Relevant entry points
   
   - `path/to/handler.go:15` — `HandleIngest()`
   - `path/to/config.yaml:8` — `retries: 3`
   
   ## What I do not yet know
   
   - <specific unknown, e.g. "whether the retry limit is overridden at runtime">
   - <specific unknown>
   
   ## Proposed next steps (not yet actioned)
   
   1. <step>
   2. <step>
   

4. STOP. Do not call Edit, Write, or any other mutation tool. Wait for the user to confirm the analysis matches reality or to correct it.

Rules

• Every claim must cite a file:line or file:line–line reference from a file you actually read in this session.
• If you cannot find a file that supports a claim, list the claim under "What I do not yet know" instead of asserting it.
• Do not propose edits. Do not run tests. Do not make changes. This command is read-only by design.
• Keep the analysis under ~30 lines. Cite more, narrate less.
• If the subject turns out to be trivial (e.g., a typo fix), say so and hand control back — don't pad.