- name
- gitnexus-exploring
- description
- Use when the user asks how code works, wants to understand architecture, trace execution flows, or explore unfamiliar parts of the codebase. Examples: "How does X work?", "What calls this function?", "Show me the auth flow"
# Exploring Codebases with GitNexus
## When to Use
- "How does authentication work?"
- "What's the project structure?"
- "Show me the main components"
- "Where is the database logic?"
- Understanding code you haven't seen before
## Workflow
```
1. READ gitnexus://repos โ Discover indexed repos
2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context โ Codebase overview, check staleness
3. query({query: "<what you want to understand>"}) โ Find related execution flows
4. context({name: "<symbol>"}) โ Deep dive on specific symbol
5. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name} โ Trace full execution flow
```
> If step 2 says "Index is stale" โ run `node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze` in terminal.
## Checklist
```
- [ ] READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context
- [ ] query for the concept you want to understand
- [ ] Review returned processes (execution flows)
- [ ] context on key symbols for callers/callees
- [ ] READ process resource for full execution traces
- [ ] Read source files for implementation details
```
## Resources
| Resource | What you get |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| `gitnexus://repo/{name}/context` | Stats, staleness warning (~150 tokens) |
| `gitnexus://repo/{name}/clusters` | All functional areas with cohesion scores (~300 tokens) |
| `gitnexus://repo/{name}/cluster/{name}` | Area members with file paths (~500 tokens) |
| `gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name}` | Step-by-step execution trace (~200 tokens) |
## Tools
**query** โ find execution flows related to a concept:
```
query({query: "payment processing"})
โ Processes: CheckoutFlow, RefundFlow, WebhookHandler
โ Symbols grouped by flow with file locations
```
**context** โ 360-degree view of a symbol:
```
context({name: "validateUser"})
โ Incoming calls: loginHandler, apiMiddleware
โ Outgoing calls: checkToken, getUserById
โ Processes: LoginFlow (step 2/5), TokenRefresh (step 1/3)
```
## Example: "How does payment processing work?"
```
1. READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/context โ 918 symbols, 45 processes
2. query({query: "payment processing"})
โ CheckoutFlow: processPayment โ validateCard โ chargeStripe
โ RefundFlow: initiateRefund โ calculateRefund โ processRefund
3. context({name: "processPayment"})
โ Incoming: checkoutHandler, webhookHandler
โ Outgoing: validateCard, chargeStripe, saveTransaction
4. Read src/payments/processor.ts for implementation details
```
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