# Elliotjlt Claude Skill Potions Zero In

> Zero In

- Skill: `tomevault-io/elliotjlt-claude-skill-potions-zero-in` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/elliotjlt-claude-skill-potions-zero-in`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/elliotjlt-claude-skill-potions-zero-in/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/elliotjlt-claude-skill-potions-zero-in

---


# Zero In

<purpose>
The #1 search failure: jumping straight to grep without thinking. You search
"auth", get 200 results, grep again with "login", still garbage. The problem
isn't the search - it's that you didn't zero in first. This skill forces the
targeting that should happen BEFORE you hit enter.
</purpose>

## When To Activate

<triggers>
- "Where is the..."
- "Find the code that..."
- "Search for..."
- "How does X work in this codebase?"
- About to explore an unfamiliar codebase
- Previous search returned too many/wrong results
- User says "I can't find..."
</triggers>

## Instructions

### Before ANY Search

Answer these four questions:

<scope>
## 1. What exactly am I looking for?

State it in one sentence. Be specific.

```
BAD:  "authentication stuff"
GOOD: "the function that validates JWT tokens on API requests"
```

If you can't state it in one sentence, you don't know what you're looking for.
</scope>

<shape>
## 2. What would the answer look like?

Describe what you expect to find:

- File type? (`.ts`, `.py`, `.go`, config file?)
- Function, class, or config?
- Roughly how big? (one-liner vs module?)
- What would it import/use?

```
Example: "Probably a middleware function in TypeScript, imports jsonwebtoken
or jose, has 'verify' or 'validate' in the name, 20-50 lines"
```
</shape>

<where>
## 3. Where would it live?

Based on project conventions:

- Which directory? (`src/`, `lib/`, `middleware/`, `utils/`?)
- What would the file be named?
- Near what other code?

```
Example: "Likely in src/middleware/ or src/auth/, file probably named
auth.ts, jwt.ts, or middleware.ts"
```

Check the project structure first if unsure:
```bash
ls -la src/
find . -type d -name "*auth*" -o -name "*jwt*"
```
</where>

<aliases>
## 4. What else might it be called?

List synonyms, abbreviations, variations:

```
Example for JWT validation:
- verify, validate, check, authenticate
- jwt, token, bearer, authorization
- middleware, handler, guard, interceptor
```

Your first search term is rarely the one the codebase uses.
</aliases>

### Then Search

Now search, using insights from scoping:

```bash
# Start with WHERE + ALIASES
grep -r "verify.*token" src/middleware/
grep -r "jwt" src/auth/

# If needed, broaden
grep -r "token" src/ --include="*.ts"
```

### Verify The Result

Before declaring "found it":

- [ ] Does this match what I described in step 2?
- [ ] Is this THE thing, or just A thing that mentions it?
- [ ] If it's a function, trace who calls it
- [ ] If it's config, trace what uses it

## Output Format

```markdown
## Search Scope

**Looking for:** [one sentence]

**Would look like:** [description]

**Likely location:** [directories/files]

**Search terms:** [list of aliases]

## Search Results

Found: [file:line]

Verified: [Yes/No - why]
```

## NEVER

- Start grepping without answering the four questions
- Search for vague terms ("stuff", "thing", "code")
- Stop at the first result without verifying it's THE answer
- Broaden search before narrowing location
- Ignore project structure/conventions

## ALWAYS

- State what you're looking for in one sentence first
- Check project structure before searching
- List 3+ aliases/synonyms for your search term
- Verify the result matches your expected shape
- Narrow by location before broadening by term

## Example

**User:** "Find where we handle rate limiting"

**Scoping:**

> **Looking for:** The middleware or function that tracks request counts and returns 429 when limit exceeded
>
> **Would look like:** Middleware function, probably uses Redis or in-memory store, has "rate" or "limit" or "throttle" in name, checks request count, returns 429
>
> **Likely location:** `src/middleware/`, maybe `src/api/`, file named `rateLimit.ts` or `throttle.ts`
>
> **Search terms:** rate, limit, throttle, 429, tooMany, requests

**Search:**
```bash
# Check structure first
ls src/middleware/
# Found: auth.ts, cors.ts, rateLimit.ts  <-- bingo

# Verify
grep -n "429\|rate\|limit" src/middleware/rateLimit.ts
```

**Result:** `src/middleware/rateLimit.ts:23` - `rateLimiter` middleware using Redis, returns 429 after 100 req/min.

**Verified:** Yes - matches expected shape (middleware, uses Redis, returns 429).

## The Failure That Spawned This Skill

Grepping "auth" in a 50k line codebase. 200+ results. Refined to "login".
Still 80 results. Spent 20 minutes reading wrong files. Finally found it
in `src/middleware/session.ts` - wasn't called "auth" or "login" anywhere.
Should have asked "where would session validation live?" first.

---
> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/elliotjlt) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.
<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-11 -->