Repo Exploration

Repo Exploration

Use this skill when the task is primarily about understanding:

• where behavior lives
• which package / crate / module owns a concern
• what files or contracts are relevant
• how to resume work without rereading the whole repo

First reads

When relevant, read in this order:

1. AGENTS.md (or CLAUDE.md / CONTRIBUTING.md if AGENTS.md is absent)
2. Any repo-specific session / handoff notes (e.g. an in-flight planning doc the user points at)
3. The repo's top-level README.md only if the above don't exist

For package-level orientation, look for a repo-internal map if one exists (docs/architecture.md, docs/repo-reading.md, etc.). If none exists, reconstruct one on the fly from the top-level directory names + Cargo.toml / package.json / go.mod workspaces.

Search rules

• Prefer fast local search (Grep, Glob) and targeted file reads.
• Search for meaning, not just symbol names.
• Avoid broad repo scans unless the task is truly repo-wide.

Output contract

Before proposing edits, produce a compact exploration result:

1. Relevant files and symbols
2. Confirmed ownership and control-flow boundaries
3. Stable references or session notes worth loading next
4. Open questions that still block planning

Anti-patterns

Do not:

• jump straight into edits
• treat old session notes as source of truth without checking current code
• summarize unrelated packages
• mistake "hot files" (many recent commits) for "authoritative files" (the real owner)