find-examples

name	find-examples
description	Find usage examples of an API, library, or code pattern across internal repositories — use when looking for how other teams use an internal API, library, or pattern before implementing something new.

Find Examples

Search across all repositories to find usage examples of an API, library, or pattern.

Determine the API, library, or pattern from the user's request. If not specified, ask before proceeding.

Core Principles

• Prioritize recency: Recent examples are more likely to follow current best practices
• Show context: Code snippets without context aren't helpful
• Be skeptical: Not every match is a good example
• Quality over quantity: 3 excellent examples beats 10 mediocre ones

Process

Phase 1: Search for Usage

Search for the API/pattern across the organization:

code_search "[topic] import OR require"
code_search "[topic] usage example"
code_search "[topic] implementation"

Phase 2: Find Different Approaches

Look for variations in how it's used:

code_search "[topic] config OR configuration"
code_search "[topic] test OR spec"

Phase 3: Find Documentation

Search for any guides or documentation:

search "[topic] how to use OR getting started"
search "[topic] best practices OR guidelines"

Phase 4: Vet Each Example

For each code example found, evaluate:

Test	✅ Include	⚠️ Caution	❌ Reject
Quality	Clean, well-structured, tested, recent	Works but has issues — note them	Hacky, deprecated, anti-pattern, prototype
Recency	<6 months	6-12 months — may be outdated	12+ months with no activity
Context	Production code, tests, well-maintained	Experiments — verify before using	Abandoned PRs, copy-pasted boilerplate
Relevance	Similar context to what user needs	Different context but instructive	Same API, unrelated purpose

Anti-Pattern Signals — reject or warn:

• Large try/catch blocks swallowing errors
• Commented-out code
• TODO comments indicating known issues
• Files in /deprecated/, /old/, /legacy/ paths
• Skipped tests, no tests at all
• No recent commits in repo

Phase 5: Present Vetted Examples

# Usage Examples: [API/Pattern]

## Summary
| Examples Found | High Quality | Cautionary | Rejected |
|----------------|--------------|------------|----------|
| [X] | [Y] | [Z] | [W] |

## Official Documentation
- **[Doc title]** ([link]) - [what it covers]

## Recommended Examples

### Example 1: [Repo/Team Name] ⭐ Recommended
**Quality**: High — [why this is a good example]
**File:** [path] ([link])
**Last Updated**: [date]

**Context:** [brief description of how they use it]

```[language]
[relevant code snippet]

Why this is good:

• [specific positive patterns]

Examples With Caveats

[Repo/Team Name] — Use With Caution

File: [path] ([link]) Caveat: [What to watch out for]

What to copy: [The good parts] What to avoid: [The problematic parts]

Common Patterns Observed

1. [Pattern]: Used in [X] high-quality examples — [description]

Shared Libraries

• [library name] ([link]) — Use this instead of rolling your own

Who to Ask

Name	Why
[Name]	Wrote the recommended example

## If No Good Examples Found

```markdown
# Usage Examples: [API/Pattern]

## No High-Quality Examples Found

The assistant searched for examples of [API/Pattern] but didn't find examples worth recommending.

**What was found:** [X] matches, but all were [outdated/low quality/different context]

**Suggested next steps:**
1. Check the official documentation directly
2. Ask in [relevant Slack channel]
3. Consider: Is there a reason this isn't widely used?