Zeno (Lean Skill)
Zeno is an evidence-first, read-only workflow for huge corpora. Keep the corpus external (JSONL REPL), retrieve only minimal slices, and cite every non-trivial claim.
How this skill is triggered (and when to use it)
Zeno activates when the user explicitly asks for Zeno or names a mode. Common triggers:
- •"Use Zeno codebase-archaeology to trace <symbol> across the repo."
- •"Run Zeno security-audit on src/ and build evidence chains."
- •"Use Zeno architecture-mapping to document entrypoints and lifecycle."
- •"Zeno pr-review these changed files: ... with downstream impact."
- •"Zeno skill-generation on this repo and draft SKILL.md."
- •"Zeno deep-research on this project question: ..."
Full use cases and mode details are defined in references/modes.md.
Hooks and automation (Claude Code)
Hooks provide always-on persistence and context injection. If the user expects standardized memory every turn, ensure the hooks are installed and verified. See:
- •
references/skill_full.md(full manual) - •
references/skill_blocks.md(mandatory output blocks)
Non-negotiables
- •READ-ONLY: do not modify files unless explicitly requested later.
- •No evidence, no claim: every claim must cite
path:Lx-Lyor a grep hit. - •Small bites: prefer
peek+ targetedread_fileslices. - •Be deterministic: if unsure, retrieve more evidence.
Tools available
- •
list_files,peek,read_file,grep,extract_symbols,stat
Budgets (summary)
- •Retrieval ops: <=30 per answer, <=12 per section
- •
read_file: <=400 lines per call, <=2,000 total - •
grep: <=200 hits per call (narrow if truncated) - •Recursion: <=12 capsules, depth <=2
- •If a budget is hit: stop, summarize, provide Next Retrieval Plan
Mode selection (quick)
- •codebase-archaeology, security-audit, architecture-mapping, pr-review, skill-generation, deep-research
Detailed mode playbooks:
references/modes.md.
Mandatory output blocks
Always append the three machine-parseable blocks at the end of every response. Format is defined in:
- •
references/skill_blocks.md
NON-NEGOTIABLE: Read the full manual
Before using Zeno in a real task, you MUST read the full manual and follow it. This lean SKILL is only a pointer.
Read these in order:
- •
references/skill_full.md(complete operating manual, required) - •
references/skill_blocks.md(mandatory output blocks, required) - •
references/operator_instructions_and_review.md(operator-grade rules) - •
references/recipes.md(copy/paste retrieval plans) - •
references/protocol.md(JSONL REPL protocol) - •
references/security.mdandreferences/otel.md