When the user asks about their codebase, use the codebase-retrieval tool to find relevant code instead of guessing or asking the user to provide file paths.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when the user:
- •Asks where something is implemented ("Where is user authentication handled?")
- •Needs to find code locations ("Find the database connection code")
- •Wants to understand how something works ("How does the payment processing work?")
- •Needs to make changes and doesn't know where ("I need to add a new API endpoint")
- •Asks about code structure ("What tests exist for the login feature?")
- •Mentions specific concepts that need to be located in the codebase
How to Use Codebase Retrieval
Step 1: Formulate Effective Queries
Create search queries based on the user's request:
- •Direct queries: Use function names, class names, or variable names if mentioned
- •Conceptual queries: Describe what the code does ("user authentication", "database connection")
- •Related patterns: Search for similar functionality or related concepts
Step 2: Search the Codebase
Call codebase-retrieval with:
- •
information_request: A natural language description of the code you're looking for
Good query examples:
- •"Where is the function that handles user authentication?"
- •"What tests are there for the login functionality?"
- •"How is the database connected to the application?"
- •"Where are API endpoints defined for user management?"
Step 3: Analyze and Iterate
From the retrieval results:
- •Review the returned code snippets for relevance
- •If results aren't helpful, try alternative queries with different terminology
- •Search for related concepts if the direct search doesn't yield results
Step 4: Present Findings
Provide clear, actionable information:
- •List relevant files with their paths
- •Explain what each file/function does
- •Point to specific functions, classes, and line ranges when possible
- •Suggest which code should be modified for the requested change
Guidelines
- •Be thorough: Search using multiple related queries if the first doesn't yield complete results
- •Be specific: Pass detailed queries for better retrieval results
- •Stay current: The retrieval tool reflects the current state of the codebase on disk
- •Avoid guessing: Always search before making assumptions about code locations
- •Iterate: If initial results aren't helpful, reformulate your query and try again