Agent skill · research science · aiskillstore
explore-codebase
Pattern for efficiently exploring codebases using parallel subagents. Use when you need to understand code structure, find patterns, or gather context.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach for exploring codebases with parallel subagents, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 1k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 405 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Explore Codebase Skill Pattern for exploring codebases efficiently with parallel subagents. When to Load This Skill You need to understand parts of the codebase You're gathering context before making decisions You need to find patterns, conventions, or existing implementations Exploration Strategy For Quick Searches (Do Yourself) Use when looking for a specific thing. For Broad Understanding (Spawn Explorers) Spawn parallel explorer subagents: Spawn multiple for different areas simultaneously. Note: Use "explorer" (lowercase) for the custom dotagent agent defined in @.claude/agents/explorer.md. The built-in "Explore" (capitalized) is a different Claude Code agent with simpler behavior. Synthesize Results Combine explorer outputs into coherent understanding: Common patterns across areas Integration points Constraints discovered Gaps to note Output Format After exploration, summarize as: Principles Parallel over sequential - Spawn multiple explorers at once Breadth over depth - Explore broadly first Structured output - Always produce YAML summaries Note gaps - What you couldn't find matters
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills aiskillstore/explore-codebase