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