| name | scip-probe-reachability |
| description | Prove whether a parser/AST branch is actually reachable by running the real parser on minimal inputs. Use for unreachable or dead node-type/shape branches, wrong node-type strings, tree-sitter grammar mismatches, or any conditional written for an AST or parser output that has never been checked against the real parser. |
| commands | [{"template":"scip-query outline <file> --signatures","when":"Enumerate branches: symbol tree with signatures for the target file."},{"template":"scip-query code <symbol>","when":"Enumerate branches: read each branch condition's exact node-type check."},{"template":"scip-query trace <symbol>","when":"Enumerate branches: confirm the function's only caller/entry point."}] |
scip-probe-reachability
Use this skill for code that branches on a parser or AST node's type or shape (node.type === '...', a grammar-specific tag, a regex over token shape) where nobody has verified the real parser ever produces that type or shape. A branch written from documentation, memory, or a similar grammar in another language can be permanently dead: it looks correct, compiles, and is never exercised by a single test, because the input that should reach it never reaches it under the actual parser.
Load shared mechanics from ../_shared/SKILL.md.
Commands for this skill
| Command | Purpose | When |
|---|
scip-query outline <file> --signatures | Tree view of symbols in a file, with line ranges | Enumerate branches: symbol tree with signatures for the target file. |
scip-query code <symbol> | Read the source code for a symbol (bounded to its definition range) | Enumerate branches: read each branch condition's exact node-type check. |
scip-query trace <symbol> | Trace a symbol: definition + all references | Enumerate branches: confirm the function's only caller/entry point. |
Use this shortlist first. Open ../_shared/SKILL.md only when it is insufficient.
Rules
- Never trust a branch condition by reading it; run the real parser on an input constructed to hit it.
- Write scratch probe scripts only under the session scratchpad, never inside the repository — they are throwaway evidence, not product code.
- Never create a git worktree and never symlink
node_modules for this skill's probes; import the parser module directly (from src/ via a TypeScript runner, or from the built package) in a standalone script that needs no repo-root install step.
- A branch is a finding whether it is truly unreachable (dead code) or reachable but under a different node-type string than the code checks (a silent misclassification, which is worse than dead code because it fails without raising anything).
- Completion requires every node-type/shape branch in the target function to have either a reached probe or a filed finding — partial coverage is not done.
Workflow
1. Enumerate branch conditions
scip-query outline <target-file> --signatures
scip-query code <target-function>
List every conditional that tests a node's type, tag name, or shape (an if/else if chain over node.type === '...', a switch on a grammar tag, or a regex matched against node text standing in for a type check). Record the exact string or pattern each branch expects.
This step is complete only when every node-type/shape branch in the target function is listed with its file:line and the exact condition text.
2. Construct a minimal input per branch
For each branch, write the smallest source snippet in the target language that should, by the language's grammar, produce a node of that type or shape at that point in the tree. Prefer one snippet per branch; note when a single snippet is expected to exercise more than one branch (siblings in a walk).
This step is complete only when every branch has a candidate input snippet.
3. Run the real parser
Write one scratch script under the session scratchpad (never in the repo) that imports the actual parser module used by the target code — not a reimplementation, not a mental model of the grammar — and, for each candidate snippet:
- Parses it.
- Walks the resulting tree and collects every node type actually produced.
- Reports whether the branch's expected type/shape appears anywhere in that set.
Run the script (for example npx vite-node <scratch-script> from the repo root, or a plain node script importing the built package) and record reached/unreached per branch.
This step is complete only when every branch from step 1 has a recorded reached/unreached result from an actual parser run, not an inference.
4. File findings for unreached branches
For each unreached branch, determine and record which of these it is:
- Dead branch: the grammar never produces this node type/shape anywhere reachable from valid source in this language; the branch is unreachable code. Fix: delete it, or replace it with the branch that actually covers the intended case (found by inspecting the node types the parser did produce for the candidate input).
- Wrong node-type string: the intended case is real and common, but the branch checks the wrong string (a rename in the grammar, a typo, or a mismatch borrowed from a different language/version). Fix: correct the string to what step 3 actually observed.
This step is complete only when every unreached branch has one of these two labels and a fix direction.
5. Report
Target: <file:function>
Branches:
| Branch condition | Candidate input | Reached? | Finding |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
Findings:
- <branch> — dead branch / wrong node-type string — fix: <direction>
Completion requires every branch from step 1 to appear in the table with a reached/unreached result.
