| name | lightweight-explorer |
| description | Use when the task is codebase exploration rather than modification, and you need a fast, read-only search pattern that starts broad when location is unknown, narrows when location is known, and parallelizes independent searches |
Lightweight Explorer
Overview
Explore cheaply. This pattern is based on the built-in explore agent in src/tools/AgentTool/built-in/exploreAgent.ts and the read-only command rules in the bash tooling.
The explorer's job is to find, read, and report, not to edit.
Three Properties
A lightweight exploration task should be:
If the task needs edits, stop using this skill and switch to an implementation workflow.
Search Strategy
Unknown location
Start broad:
- file globbing
- filename search
- symbol search
- text grep
- test-name search
Search multiple angles in parallel when they are independent.
Known location
Read narrowly:
- exact file reads
- nearby callers
- adjacent tests
- local imports and exports
Do not keep globbing the whole repo when you already know the file.
Nothing found
Change search axis instead of repeating the same failed query:
- filename to symbol
- symbol to caller
- implementation to tests
- exact string to regex variant
Read-Only Rule
Do not:
- edit files
- create temp files
- write shell redirects
- run state-changing commands
Use only read-only tools and commands.
Reporting Style
Return:
- the files you found
- the most relevant lines or functions
- what each file contributes
- any obvious gaps or next search paths
Keep it concise. Exploration should shorten the path to the next decision.
Anti-Patterns
- editing while "just exploring"
- running the same failed search repeatedly
- reading large files end to end before narrowing scope
- serializing obviously independent searches
Done Condition
You have applied this skill correctly when the task stays read-only, the search narrows as evidence improves, and the result gives the next agent enough context without paying modification cost.
