investigating-a-codebase
Use when planning or designing features and need to understand current codebase state, find existing patterns, or verify assumptions about what exists - prevents hallucination by grounding plans in reality
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill investigating-a-codebase-brmatola-dotfiles --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Investigating a Codebase ## Overview Understand current codebase state to ground planning and design decisions in reality, not assumptions. Find existing patterns, verify design assumptions, and provide definitive answers about what exists and where. ## When to Use **Use for:** - Verifying design assumptions before implementation ("Design assumes auth.ts exists - verify") - Finding existing patterns to follow ("How do we currently handle API errors?") - Locating features or code ("Where is user authentication implemented?") - Understanding component architecture ("How does the routing system work?") - Confirming existence definitively ("Does feature X exist or not?") - Preventing hallucination about file paths and structure **Don't use for:** - Information available in external docs (use internet research) - Questions answered by reading 1-2 specific known files (use Read directly) - General programming questions not specific to this codebase ## Core Investigation Workflow 1. **Start with entry points** - main files, index, package.json, config 2. **Use multiple search strategies** - Glob patterns, Grep keywords, Read files 3. **Follow traces** - imports, references, component re
- Overview
- When to Use
- Core Investigation Workflow
- Verifying Design Assumptions
- Quick Reference
- Investigation Strategies
- Reporting Findings
- Common Mistakes
What does the investigating-a-codebase skill do?
Use when planning or designing features and need to understand current codebase state, find existing patterns, or verify assumptions about what exists - prevents hallucination by grounding plans in reality
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill investigating-a-codebase-brmatola-dotfiles --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.