file-index

name	file-index
description	Compact feature-to-file index mapping feature names to exact file paths. Use when the user mentions a feature and exact file paths are needed, or to refresh the index after files change.

File Index Skill

Purpose

Compact file index that maps feature names to exact file paths. Eliminates multi-step searching — one read gives you every file for any feature.

Activation

• Load: When user mentions a feature name and you need to find its files
• Generate: On first use, or when user says "refresh index"

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How It Works

A compact index is maintained at: .codex/idev/file-index/index.md

This file maps every feature to its exact FE and BE file paths (~100-150 lines). One read replaces 5-10 grep/glob operations.

Relationship to smart-context: this index (file-index/index.md) is the lightweight path index — feature name → exact file paths, for fast lookup. smart-context's index.json is the feature/keyword index — detected stack, feature names, and naming patterns. They coexist and serve different lookups; neither replaces the other.

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Index Format

# File Index
Generated: YYYY-MM-DD

## [FeatureName]
FE:
  - pages: path/to/Page.tsx
  - containers: path/to/Container1.tsx, path/to/Container2.tsx
  - hooks: path/to/feature.hook.ts
  - service: path/to/feature.service.ts
  - types: path/to/feature.types.ts
  - models: path/to/feature.models.ts
BE:
  - controller: path/to/Controller.cs
  - service: path/to/Service.cs
  - interface: path/to/IService.cs
  - entity: path/to/Entity.cs
  - dtos: path/to/Dto.cs, path/to/CreateDto.cs, path/to/UpdateDto.cs
  - extensions: path/to/DtoExtensions.cs

## [FeatureName2]
...

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Phase 1: Generate Index

Scan the codebase to build the index. This is technology-agnostic:

1. Detect project structure (use architecture-scanner cache if available)
2. For frontend:
   - Glob for feature directories (src/modules/features/*, src/features/*, etc.)
   - For each feature, glob for: pages, containers, hooks, services, types, models
3. For backend:
   - Glob for controller files → extract feature name from class name
   - For each feature, find: service, interface, entity, DTOs
4. Cross-reference FE and BE features by name similarity
5. Write index.md

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Phase 2: Usage

Finding files for a feature:

User mentions "orders"
  → Read index.md
  → Find "## Orders" section
  → All file paths instantly available
  → No grep needed

Finding a specific layer:

User says "update the orders service"
  → Read index.md → Find Orders → service: path
  → Read that file directly
  → One read instead of glob + grep + read

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Phase 3: Keeping Index Fresh

The index can become stale when files are created/deleted/moved.

Auto-refresh triggers:

• User says "refresh index" or "update index"
• A new feature is created (add its section)
• Index is older than 14 days

Incremental updates:

• When you create a new file → add it to the index immediately
• When you delete a file → remove it from the index
• Do NOT rescan everything for a single file change

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Integration with Other Skills

User asks about "orders":
  1. file-index → get all Order file paths (1 read)
  2. architecture-scanner cache → know FE/BE roots
  3. Read the specific file needed

Total: 2 reads to get any file. No searching.

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Anti-Patterns

1. Do NOT include node_modules, bin, obj, or build output paths
2. Do NOT include test files in the main index (add separate section if needed)
3. Do NOT include every file — only feature-organized files that are frequently accessed
4. Do NOT let the index exceed ~200 lines
5. Do NOT grep/glob when the index has the answer