investigate

name	investigate
description	Investigate a Starfield form or record type to understand its structure
user_invocable	true

Form Investigation Skill

When the user asks you to investigate a Starfield form, record type, or game concept, follow this workflow to research it and document findings in CLAUDE.md.

Arguments

The user will provide context about what to investigate, e.g.:

• /investigate SurfaceBlock — investigate a record type
• /investigate the worldspace terrain setup — investigate a concept
• /investigate 0x00000C36 — investigate a specific form

Workflow

Step 1: Run gen_inspect

If investigating a specific record type or form, run gen_inspect to dump its properties:

cd /c/Git/FrankyCLI && dotnet run -- gen_inspect <RecordType> <search>

Supported record types: SurfaceBlock, Worldspace, PackIn, Cell, Static, Activator, Npc, Location

Use list as record type to see available groups and counts.

If investigating a concept rather than a specific record, skip to Step 2.

Step 2: Search the Codebase

Search for how the form/concept is used in the codebase:

• Grep for the record type name, EditorID, or FormKey
• Read relevant files that create, modify, or reference the form
• Check CLAUDE.md for existing documentation on the topic

Step 3: Search Mutagen Source (if needed)

If the record's Mutagen type is unclear, search for the interface/class definition:

• Check what properties are available on the getter/setter types
• Look at how other gen_ files or passes use the same record type

Step 4: Summarize Findings

Present findings to the user, including:

• What the record/form is and what it does
• Key properties and their purposes
• How it's currently used in the codebase
• Any Mutagen API notes (getter vs setter types, DeepCopy behavior, etc.)

Step 5: Update CLAUDE.md

If the investigation revealed useful, stable knowledge (not session-specific), add it to CLAUDE.md under an appropriate section. Follow the existing documentation style — concise, code-example-heavy, focused on practical usage.

Only add to CLAUDE.md if the user confirms the findings are worth documenting.

Notes

• gen_inspect uses reflection to dump properties, so output may include internal Mutagen fields — focus on the meaningful ones
• The tool loads the full Starfield.esm load order, so it takes a moment to start
• For binary data (BTD files, etc.), use gen_btd_info instead