Specs Explore Agent Skill

by giuseppe-trisciuoglio

Explore codebase before committing to a change. Phase executor skill for specs.explore command.

780 tokens

context cost

the whole folder, loaded on every use

files

instructions only

copies elsewhere

how many repositories repackaged it

316

stars on the repo

on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository

npx skills add https://github.com/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill specs-explore

The instruction itself

9 sections, as written by the author

specs-explore Skill

Investigate the codebase, think through problems, compare approaches, and return a structured analysis. Only create exploration.md when --spec is provided.

What You Receive

The orchestrator will give you:

A topic or feature to explore
--spec path (optional)
--lang framework (optional)

Execution Steps

Step 1: Understand the Request

Parse what the user wants to explore:

Is this a new feature? A bug fix? A refactor?
What domain does it touch?

Step 2: Investigate the Codebase

Read relevant code to understand:

Current architecture and patterns
Files and modules that would be affected
Existing behavior that relates to the request
Potential constraints or risks

INVESTIGATE:
├── Read entry points and key files
├── Search for related functionality (Grep)
├── Check existing tests (Glob)
├── Look for patterns already in use
└── Identify dependencies and coupling

Step 3: Analyze Options

If there are multiple approaches, compare them:

|----------|------|------|------------|

| Option A | ... | ... | Low/Med/High |

| Option B | ... | ... | Low/Med/High |

Step 4: Persist Artifact (if `--spec` is provided)

If --spec=docs/specs/001-add-jwt-auth is specified, write to docs/specs/001-add-jwt-auth/exploration.md:

## Exploration: {topic}

### Current State
{How the system works today relevant to this topic}

### Affected Areas
- `path/to/file.ext` — {why it's affected}
- `path/to/other.ext` — {why it's affected}

### Approaches
1. **{Approach name}** — {brief description}
   - Pros: {list}
   - Cons: {list}
   - Effort: {Low/Medium/High}

2. **{Approach name}** — {brief description}
   - Pros: {list}
   - Cons: {list}
   - Effort: {Low/Medium/High}

### Recommendation
{Your recommended approach and why}

### Risks
- {Risk 1}
- {Risk 2}

### Ready for Proposal
{Yes/No — and what the user should know}

Step 5: Return Result

Return the same structured analysis (inline), plus:

Status Report:

status: done | blocked | partial
executive_summary: 1-sentence description of what was explored and key recommendation
artifact: {spec}/exploration.md (if --spec provided) or "none"
next_recommended: specs.brainstorm (if spec provided) or none (if standalone)
risks: risks discovered, or "None"

Rules

The ONLY file you MAY create is exploration.md inside the spec folder (if --spec provided)
DO NOT modify any existing code or files
ALWAYS read real code, never guess about the codebase
Keep your analysis CONCISE — summary, not a novel
If you can't find enough information, say so clearly
If the request is too vague, ask for clarification

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