# Code Research

> Research open-source repositories to understand how something is built or works.

- Skill: `marktantongco/code-research` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add marktantongco/code-research`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/marktantongco/code-research/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: marktantongco (https://skillmd.com/u/marktantongco)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/marktantongco/code-research

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# Code Research

Use `github_codebase_search` to explore external open-source repositories and understand their implementation details.

## When To Use

- The user asks how an open-source library or framework implements something.
- You need to understand an external dependency's internals before integrating with it.
- The user wants to compare how different repos solve a problem.
- You need to find usage examples or patterns in a public GitHub repo.

## Steps

1. Identify the GitHub repository (e.g. `vercel/next.js`, `facebook/react`).
2. Break the user's question into multiple focused search angles (e.g. entry points, data flow, config, tests).
3. Fire multiple `github_codebase_search` calls **in parallel** — one per angle. Do not run them sequentially.
4. Read and cross-reference the returned files/sections from all queries.
5. Summarize findings with concrete file paths and code references.

## Parallel Queries

Always decompose the research into 2-4 concurrent searches. For example, to understand how a repo handles authentication:

- Query 1: "Find the authentication middleware and session handling"
- Query 2: "Find the login/signup API routes and handlers"
- Query 3: "Find the auth configuration and token validation"

Run all queries at the same time to minimize latency.

## Query Template

"Find how <repo> implements <feature>. Include entry points, key functions, and data flow."