| name | talos-research-first |
| description | Use when starting any task that requires codebase research, symbol discovery, or dependency mapping. This skill ensures you understand the "why" and "where" before suggesting "how" or "what". |
Talos Research First
Use this skill to avoid shallow assumptions and ensure you have full context
before modifying code.
Load these first:
../planning/program-anchor-index.md../../../AGENTS.md../../../CONTRIBUTING.md
Workflow:
- Explore: Use
codebase_investigator or grep_search to map the
symbols, modules, and dependencies related to the task.
- Trace: Identify every consumer of the symbols you plan to change. Use
rg or grep_search to follow the data flow across Talos repos.
- Validate: Read the source code of the identified areas. Do not trust
summaries or outdated docs. Look for invariants, edge cases, and side effects.
- Propose: Only after completing steps 1-3, propose a strategy or
implementation plan. Explain the rationale behind the chosen path.
Non-negotiables:
- Do not skip the investigation phase. No "just-in-case" changes.
- Do not ignore cross-component boundaries. Use
talos-contract-first if
the change crosses a service or SDK boundary.
- Do not rely on single-file context. Talos is a multi-repo system; trace
the impact across services, SDKs, and dashboards.
Done checklist:
- All related symbols and their consumers identified and listed.
- Dependencies (internal and external) mapped and verified.
- Potential side effects and regressions documented.
- Proposed strategy explicitly references the research findings.
