| name | git-understand |
| description | Use at the start of a conversation to establish repository context, or when the user asks to review code changes, compare branches, or trace file and line history. Covers three directions: git-scan (repo overview), git-review (understand a concrete change), and git-trace (follow historical evolution). |
Git Understand
Use this skill when the goal is to understand a repository, a change, or the history behind a piece of code.
This skill is not for committing changes. It is for building context before implementation, review, or debugging.
When To Use
Use this skill when:
- a new conversation starts and you need repository context
- the user asks you to review a PR, MR, branch, or local change
- the user asks who changed a file, line, or behavior
- you need to compare branches or understand recent project direction
Core Rule
Do not mechanically run every command in this skill.
First identify what question you need to answer, then use the smallest set of Git commands that gives a reliable answer.
Common Context Scan
Before choosing a direction, run a lightweight context scan when it helps:
git status --short
git log --oneline -5
git diff --stat
Use this scan to answer three quick questions:
- Is the working tree clean or dirty?
- What happened recently?
- How large and how spread out are the current changes?
If there are no local changes, git diff --stat may be empty. That is fine.
Direction A: git-scan
Use this when you need a high-level understanding of the repository.
Questions To Answer
- What branch am I on, and is the working tree clean?
- What kinds of changes happened recently?
- What does the repository broadly contain?
- Are there project-specific docs that define current phase, decisions, or conventions?
Suggested Workflow
- Check current state.
git status
git branch -v
- Look at recent history.
git log --oneline -20
- Optionally inspect tracked structure.
git ls-tree -r --name-only HEAD | head -30
- Optionally inspect project docs that explain the repository.
memory-docs/STATUS.md for current phase and progressmemory-docs/detail_mem/DECISIONS.md for major technical decisionsmemory-docs/CONVENTIONS.md for workflow and coding rules
Expected Output
Summarize:
- current branch and working tree state
- recent development themes
- broad repository structure
- any key living docs the user should know about
Direction B: git-review
Use this when you need to understand a specific change or review someone else's work.
Questions To Answer
- What is the review target?
- What is the correct comparison baseline?
- Which files and behaviors changed?
- Is this best described as a feature, bug fix, refactor, cleanup, or docs change?
- What nearby history helps explain the change?
Choose The Right Review Target
Pick the review mode first:
- Working tree review:
git diffgit diff --staged
- Latest commit review:
- Branch vs base review:
git log --oneline main..HEADgit diff --stat main...HEADgit diff main...HEAD
- Specific commit review:
Use the repository's actual base branch if it is not main.
Suggested Workflow
- Identify the correct baseline.
- Inspect change shape first.
git diff --stat
git diff --name-only
- Inspect the detailed patch.
git diff
git show HEAD
- Add local historical context when needed.
git log --oneline -5 -- <path>
git blame <path>
Expected Output
Summarize:
- what changed
- which files matter most
- the likely intent of the change
- whether the change looks self-contained or part of a longer line of work
Direction C: git-trace
Use this when you need to trace the origin or evolution of a file, function, or specific lines.
Questions To Answer
- Who last changed this code?
- Which commit introduced or reshaped it?
- How did this file or behavior evolve over time?
- Does the visible line history reflect the real design history, or only the last touch?
Suggested Workflow
- Start with file history.
git log --oneline -- <path>
- Inspect important commits directly.
git show <commit>
- Use line-level attribution when needed.
git blame -L <start>,<end> <path>
- Follow longer evolution when needed.
git log -p --follow <path>
Trace Rule
git blame identifies the most recent commit that touched a line. It does not always explain the original design intent.
If you need to understand why the code looks the way it does, continue from blame into git show and broader file history.
Expected Output
Summarize:
- who last changed the code
- which commit matters most
- what that commit says or shows
- whether further history changes the interpretation
Branch Comparison
When the user asks about differences between branches, treat that as a review task with an explicit baseline.
Useful commands:
git log --oneline base..feature
git diff --stat base...feature
git diff base...feature
Use ... when you want the diff from the merge base to the feature branch. Use .. when you want commit range semantics.
Living Docs Hint
If the repository uses living docs, mention them when they add context:
memory-docs/STATUS.mdmemory-docs/detail_mem/DECISIONS.mdmemory-docs/CONVENTIONS.md
Use them to interpret project state and rules, not as a replacement for Git history.
Notes
- Start broad, then narrow.
- Prefer summaries over raw command dumps.
- Answer the user's actual question before expanding scope.
- Use Git to establish evidence, then explain the conclusion in plain language.
