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Investigates codebase before planning. Use before any non-trivial implementation task to gather context in isolation.
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Based on SOC occupation classification
Audit and tighten codebase quality gates — lint, types, tests, code review. Use when onboarding a project, before a release, or when validation is too permissive.
Compacts verbose context into structured summary. Use after pollution sources (searches, logs, JSON) or at phase milestones.
Audits and aligns project documentation against its own declared hierarchy. Discovers authority chains from CONTRIBUTING.md (or equivalent), then detects broken links, duplicates, and misplaced content. Use when reviewing doc health, fixing stale references, or enforcing single-source-of-truth.
Implements concise, streamlined Python code matching exact architect specifications. Use when writing Python code, creating modules, or when the user asks to implement features in Python.
Provides concise, focused code reviews matching exact task complexity requirements. Use when reviewing code quality, security, or when the user asks for code review.
Writes tests following TDD (using pytest and Hypothesis) and BDD best practices. Use when writing unit tests, integration tests, or BDD scenarios.
| name | researching-codebase |
| description | Investigates codebase before planning. Use before any non-trivial implementation task to gather context in isolation. |
| compatibility | Designed for Claude Code |
| metadata | {"allowed-tools":"Read, Grep, Glob","argument-hint":["topic-or-question"],"context":"fork","agent":"Explore","stability":"stable","content-hash":"sha256:6aad2323da43ca6fddaf55f24d7a6fc781a15595ff623339477b75d7376c11e6","last-verified-cc-version":"1.0.34"} |
Query: $ARGUMENTS
Gathers codebase context in isolation before planning. Prevents search artifacts from polluting main context.
Follow ACE-FCA quality equation: Correct + Complete + Minimal noise
---
research_query: "<original question>"
timestamp: "<ISO 8601>"
files_examined: <count>
---
## Key Files
| File | Purpose | Key Lines |
|------|---------|-----------|
| `path/to/file.ext` | Brief purpose | L42-58 |
## Patterns
- **Pattern name**: Description with file reference (`path:line`)
## Constraints
- Constraint with evidence (`path:line`)
Every claim must include:
src/auth/login.ts)L42-58 or L127)Bad: "Authentication uses JWT tokens"
Good: "Authentication uses JWT tokens (src/auth/jwt.ts:L23-45, verifyToken function)"
See references/context-management.md and references/core-principles.md.