gather-context

name	gather-context
description	Research codebase — surface patterns, find prior art, prepare for brainstorm. Spawns subagents if available.

Gathering Context

Research the codebase thoroughly to prepare for brainstorming. Find patterns, prior art, and relevant context.

Boundaries

This skill MAY: read codebase, run read-only commands (find, grep, ls), spawn subagents, write findings. This skill MAY NOT: edit code, implement features, run tests that modify state.

Command Format

/unipi:gather-context <string(greedy)>

• string(greedy) — what to research (e.g., "authentication patterns", "how we handle errors", "database layer")
• Read-only sandbox
• Spawns subagents if @unipi/subagents extension is installed

---

Process

Phase 1: Parse Research Request

1. Read the research topic
2. Break into sub-topics if needed
3. Determine research strategy:
   • File search (find files related to topic)
   • Pattern search (grep for patterns, conventions)
   • Structure analysis (directory layout, module organization)
   • History analysis (git log for related changes)

Exit: Research plan ready.

Phase 2: Gather Context

If subagents available:

1. Spawn parallel subagents for different sub-topics
2. Each subagent researches independently
3. Collect findings from all subagents

If no subagents:

1. Research sequentially
2. Use find, grep, read commands
3. Build context incrementally

Research areas:

Code structure:

• Directory layout
• Module organization
• Key files and their purposes
• Entry points

Patterns & conventions:

• Naming conventions
• Import patterns
• Error handling patterns
• Testing patterns

Prior art:

• Similar features that exist
• Past approaches (from git history)
• Reusable components
• Known issues or tech debt

Dependencies:

• External libraries used
• Internal module dependencies
• Configuration files

Exit: Context gathered from all areas.

Phase 3: Synthesize

Organize findings into clear categories:

## Key Findings

### Structure
- {Finding about project structure}

### Patterns
- {Finding about patterns used}

### Prior Art
- {Finding about existing similar work}

### Gaps
- {Finding about what's missing}

### Recommendations
- {Suggestion for brainstorm based on findings}

Phase 4: Present & Handoff

Present findings to user.

Save Gate

If the user already specified whether to save (e.g., "save findings to memory" or "just show me"), skip this gate and follow their preference. Otherwise, ask:

ask_user({
  question: "Save this context?",
  context: "Context gathered from {N} files across {areas}. Summary includes structure, patterns, prior art, and recommendations.",
  options: [
    { label: "Save to memory", description: "Store findings in .unipi/memory/ for future sessions", value: "save" },
    { label: "Save to file", description: "Write findings to .unipi/docs/research/<topic>.md", value: "file" },
    { label: "Don't save", description: "Discard — context was just for this session", value: "discard" }
  ],
  allowFreeform: false
})

• Save to memory: Write findings to .unipi/memory/ following the consolidate skill's memory file format.
• Save to file: Write findings to .unipi/docs/research/<topic>.md using the synthesis output format from Phase 3.
• Don't save: Skip — findings stay in conversation only.

After the save decision, hand off:

"Context gathered. Ready to brainstorm solutions?"

/unipi:brainstorm <topic>

The brainstorm will start with this context already available — no need to re-research.

---

Notes

• This is a research skill — read-only, no changes
• Subagent support enables parallel research when available
• Findings feed directly into brainstorm — natural workflow
• Can be run standalone for exploration, or as pre-brainstorm step
• Output is ephemeral (in conversation) unless user requests saving — save gate at end of Phase 4 offers explicit save-to-memory or save-to-file