researching-codebases

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

5 scripts

Use when answering complex questions about a codebase that require exploring multiple areas or understanding how components connect - coordinates parallel sub-agents to locate, analyze, and synthesize findings

2installs

Sourcecachemoney/agent-toolkit

Added on2026-02-20

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add cachemoney/agent-toolkit researching-codebases

SKILL.md Content

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Researching Codebases

Coordinate parallel sub-agents to answer complex codebase questions.

When to Use

Questions spanning multiple files or components
"How does X work?" requiring tracing through code
Finding patterns or examples across the codebase
Understanding architectural decisions or data flow

When NOT to Use

Simple "where is X?" - use
```
code-locator
```
directly
Single file questions - just read the file
External/web research only - use
```
web-searcher
```
directly

Workflow

0. Check past research (optional)

Before decomposing a new research question, consider checking for related past research:

Run
```
list-research.py
```
script to see recent research docs
Run
```
search-research.py
```
script with relevant keywords
If related research exists, run
```
read-research.py
```
script to load it
Build on previous findings instead of starting fresh

See

research-tools.md

for script usage.

1. Read mentioned files first

If the user references specific files, read them FULLY before spawning agents. This gives you context for decomposition.

2. Decompose the question

Break the query into parallel research tasks. Consider:

Which areas of the codebase are relevant?
Do I need locations, analysis, or examples?
See
```
agent-selection.md
```
for agent capabilities

3. Spawn parallel agents

Launch multiple agents concurrently for independent tasks. Use the

task

tool with appropriate

subagent_type

.

Wait for ALL agents to complete before synthesizing.

4. Synthesize and respond

Combine findings into a coherent answer:

Direct answer to the question
Key
```
file:line
```
references
Connections between components
Open questions if any areas need more investigation

5. Offer to save (optional)

For substantial research, ask:

Want me to save this to a research doc? (project:
.research/
or global:
~/.research/
)

Skip this for quick answers.

When saving:

Run
```
gather-metadata.py
```
script to get date, repo, branch, commit, cwd.
Add query (from user's question) and tags (from content)
Format YAML frontmatter per
```
output-format.md
```
Create directory if it doesn't exist
Use filename:
```
{filename_date}_topic-slug.md
```

Agent Reference

See

agent-selection.md

for when to use each agent.

Common Mistakes

Spawning agents before reading context: Read any files the user mentions first.

Not waiting for all agents: Synthesize only after ALL agents complete.

Over-documenting simple answers: Not every question needs a saved research doc.

Sequential when parallel works: If tasks are independent, spawn them together.