context-retrieval-loop

name	context-retrieval-loop
description	Use when starting work in an unfamiliar area of a codebase, spawning a subagent that needs targeted file context, a first search pass missed the relevant file, or the file scope of a task is unclear.

Context Retrieval Loop

Gather the right codebase context before making changes or spawning subagents.

When to Use

• Starting work in an unfamiliar area
• Spawning a subagent that needs targeted file context
• First search pass returned nothing useful

The 3-Cycle Loop

Cycle 1 — Broad Search

rg "<primary-keyword>" --type ts --type js -l
find . -name "*<keyword>*" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

Stop here if 3+ directly relevant files found.

Cycle 2 — Exact Source and Tests

Read the most relevant files from Cycle 1. Then find:

rg "<filename-stem>" --glob "*.test.*" --glob "*.spec.*" -l
rg "import.*<module-name>" -l

Stop here if you can describe the change and its blast radius.

Cycle 3 — Docs and Setup

ls docs/ README.md AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md .claude/ 2>/dev/null
rg "<keyword>" .env.example *.config.* 2>/dev/null

Stopping Conditions

Stop when: 3+ high-relevance files understood, OR Cycle 3 complete, OR new cycles return only files already seen.

Output

Context gathered:
  <file-path> — <one-line reason>

Missing context (if any):
  <what is still unclear>

State gaps explicitly. Do not proceed with guesses when a known gap exists.

Integration with Subagents

Pass file paths to subagents, not file contents:

Relevant files: src/auth/tokens.ts, src/auth/session.ts, src/auth/tokens.test.ts

Verification

• The loop stopped at a stopping condition — never past 3 cycles
• Every gathered file is listed with a one-line relevance reason
• Missing context is stated explicitly — no proceeding on guesses when a gap is known
• Subagents received file paths, not inlined file contents