Agent skill · software engineering · cursor
how
Use for \"how does X work\", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions (\"where should this live\", \"which package owns this\", \"is this the right layer\"). Explains subsystem architecture, runtime flow, onboarding mental models. Use why for motivation.
Why this skill is useful
Provides structured exploration and explanation workflows for complex codebase questions that the AI wouldn't generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 2,555 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
How Explore the codebase to answer "how does X work?" questions. Produce architectural explanations at the level of a senior engineer onboarding onto a subsystem, enough to build a working mental model, not so much that it reads like annotated source code. Each spawn below names a role line in the pstack-models.mdc rule and a default. Set model to that line's value, or to the default if the rule or the line is missing. Leave model unset when the value is auto or inherit-parent. If the Task tool rejects a slug, use the default and say so. If it rejects the default, use the closest valid slug of the same family from its error message. Step 1. Assess Complexity If the scope is ambiguous, state your interpretation and explore. The user can redirect. Simple (a single module, a small utility, a narrow question such as "how does function X work"): no explorers. One explainer explores and explains in a single pass. Go to Step 2b. Complex (a subsystem spanning multiple files or services, a cross-cutting feature, a full architectural overview): spawn parallel explorers first, then hand off to the explainer. Go to Step 2a. When in doubt, take the simple path. Step 2a. Explore (complex questions only) Decompose the question into 2 to 4 exploration angles, each a distinct slice of the subsystem. Spawn all explorers in a single message: subagenttype: generalPurpose model: the how explorer line, default grok-4.7-xhigh-fast readonly: true Each explorer gets the prompt in references/explorer-prompt.md with its angle filled in. Then go to Step 3. Step 2b. Direct Explain (simple questions) Spawn one Task subagent that explores and explains in one pass: subagenttype: generalPurpose model: the how explainer line, default claude-opus-5-5-xhigh readonly: true Build its prompt from references/explainer-prompt.md without the explorer-findings section. Go to Step 4. Step 3. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills cursor/how