codebase-navigation
Skill2 starsChanged 6 months agoMITView on GitHub
Efficiently explore, map, and understand unfamiliar codebases before making changes.
5 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- n1m21n/Infinitetheir own version, first seen Oct 9, 2026
- chthollyphile/folia-majortheir own version, first seen Oct 8, 2026
- Anasabdellatif/forgeostheir own version, first seen Sep 1, 2026
- Brainboxai-IL/agent-readytheir own version, first seen May 23, 2026
- abdullah1854/ClaudeSuperSkillstheir own version, first seen Dec 25, 2025
Other versions5 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 5
- chthollyphile/folia-major★ 12ksame name
- n1m21n/Infinite★ 318same name
- Anasabdellatif/forgeos★ 2same name
- abdullah1854/ClaudeSuperSkills★ 1same name
- Brainboxai-IL/agent-ready★ 0same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository10 other files it gives its agents.
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- context-window-managementSkill
- dependency-assessmentSkill
- error-interpretationSkill
- human-escalationSkill
- incremental-verificationSkill
- multi-agent-collaborationSkill
- production-awarenessSkill
- requirement-extractionSkill
- safe-refactoringSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
8 rules. About 0 are common, 7 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈7
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 14
Before touching code, build a mental map:
- Very specific: line 15
Read README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and any project-level config files
- Distinctive: line 30
Follow imports from the entry point to understand the call graph
- Distinctive: line 37
Use the right tool for each search type:
- Distinctive: line 57
Read before writing: - Never create a file without first searching for an existing one that does the same thing
- Distinctive: line 59
Minimize exploration scope: - Start narrow (the specific module), widen only when needed
- Distinctive: line 60
Document what you find: - If the architecture isn't documented, note your findings for context
- Distinctive: line 61
Respect boundaries: - If the project separates concerns into layers, don't bypass them
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Codebase Navigation
What This Skill Enables
An agent that can quickly orient itself in any codebase - finding the right files, understanding the architecture, and identifying conventions - before writing a single line of code. Agents without this skill guess at file locations, miss existing utilities, and create duplicates.
Core Competencies
1. Project Reconnaissance
Before touching code, build a mental map:
- Read
README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md, and any project-level config files - Identify the package manager and build system (
package.json,pyproject.toml,Cargo.toml,go.mod) - Map the directory structure - where does source live? Tests? Config? Docs?
- Identify the entry point(s) of the application
2. Convention Detection
Infer the project's conventions from existing code:
- Naming: camelCase vs snake_case vs kebab-case - match what exists
- File organization: feature-based vs layer-based vs hybrid
- Import style: relative vs absolute, barrel files, path aliases
- Testing conventions: co-located tests vs separate
__tests__directory, naming patterns - Error handling: custom error classes, result types, try/catch patterns
3. Dependency Mapping
Trace how components connect:
- Follow imports from the entry point to understand the call graph
- Identify shared utilities and where they live
- Locate configuration and environment variable usage
- Map database models/schemas to their consumers
- Identify external API integrations and their client modules
4. Search Strategies
Use the right tool for each search type:
| Goal | Strategy |
| Find a file by name | Glob patterns: **/UserService.*, **/*.config.* |
| Find where a function is defined | Grep for function name( or def name or class Name |
| Find where a function is called | Grep for the function name, exclude the definition file |
| Understand data flow | Start at the API endpoint, follow the handler chain inward |
| Find related tests | Look for files matching *.test.*, *.spec.*, or test_* near the source |
5. Architecture Recognition
Identify common architectural patterns:
- MVC/MVVM: Models, views/templates, controllers/viewmodels in separate directories
- Clean Architecture: Domain/entities at the core, use cases, adapters, infrastructure at edges
- Microservices: Multiple
services/or separate packages with their own entry points - Monorepo:
packages/orapps/directory with shared libraries - Serverless: Function handlers in
functions/orlambdas/, infrastructure as code nearby
Behavioral Rules
- Read before writing - Never create a file without first searching for an existing one that does the same thing
- Match conventions - New code should be indistinguishable from existing code in style
- Minimize exploration scope - Start narrow (the specific module), widen only when needed
- Document what you find - If the architecture isn't documented, note your findings for context
- Respect boundaries - If the project separates concerns into layers, don't bypass them
Failure Modes
| Failure | Symptom | Correction |
| Skipping reconnaissance | Creating files in wrong locations | Always map the project before writing |
| Ignoring conventions | Code looks foreign in the PR diff | Read 3-5 existing files in the same area first |
| Shallow search | Missing existing utilities, creating duplicates | Search by concept, not just by exact name |
| Assuming structure | "I expect a utils/ folder" when the project uses lib/shared/ | Let the project tell you its structure |
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Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
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Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.