Gitnexus Exploring
Orient an agent (or you) in an unfamiliar repo by querying GitNexus for symbols, processes, and full execution traces before changing code.
Overview
Gitnexus-exploring is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Ship review, Operate iterate) that maps unfamiliar code via GitNexus queries, symbol context, and execution-flow resources.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/abhigyanpatwari/gitnexus --skill gitnexus-exploringWhat is this skill?
- Six-step checklist from repo discovery through reading source for implementation detail
- gitnexus_query surfaces related execution flows for concepts like auth or database logic
- gitnexus_context returns callers and callees for deep dives on named symbols
- READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name} traces end-to-end execution flows
- Stale-index guard: run node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze when context reports staleness
- 6-step exploration checklist
Adoption & trust: 856 installs on skills.sh; 41.7k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You need to change or debug code in a repo you did not write, and ad-hoc file search does not reveal how features actually run.
Who is it for?
Solo builders jumping into inherited repos, large services, or agent-assisted refactors where “how does X work?” must be answered with flows, not filenames alone.
Skip if: Greenfield projects with no GitNexus index yet, or pure product/market questions with no repository to inspect.
When should I use this skill?
User asks how code works, wants architecture, traces execution flows, or explores unfamiliar parts of the codebase.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a grounded map of processes, symbols, and traces so the next edits target the real call chain instead of guesswork.
- Documented understanding of target flows
- List of key symbols and processes to read
- Execution trace paths from process resources
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Canonical shelf is Build because exploration happens while implementing or extending product code, not during initial market research. Agent-tooling fits GitNexus URI resources and gitnexus_query/context calls that extend the coding agent’s codebase map.
Where it fits
Map database and service layers before adding a new API endpoint.
Trace how webhooks are processed end-to-end before swapping a provider.
Verify the real auth flow matches the spec before tagging a release.
Follow a process resource to see what runs when an error path fires in production code.
How it compares
Structured codebase exploration via an indexed graph, not a one-off “explain this folder” chat prompt.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is gitnexus-exploring for?
Indie and solo developers (and small teams) who use agentic coding tools and need fast, trace-backed understanding of existing repositories.
When should I use gitnexus-exploring?
During Build when implementing features in unfamiliar code; during Ship review when tracing behavior before release; during Operate when investigating how production paths are wired.
Is gitnexus-exploring safe to install?
Treat it like any skill that can drive terminal analyze commands and read repo indexes—review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and your GitNexus runner permissions before enabling in sensitive repos.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Gitnexus Exploring
# Exploring Codebases with GitNexus ## When to Use - "How does authentication work?" - "What's the project structure?" - "Show me the main components" - "Where is the database logic?" - Understanding code you haven't seen before ## Workflow ``` 1. READ gitnexus://repos → Discover indexed repos 2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context → Codebase overview, check staleness 3. gitnexus_query({query: "<what you want to understand>"}) → Find related execution flows 4. gitnexus_context({name: "<symbol>"}) → Deep dive on specific symbol 5. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name} → Trace full execution flow ``` > If step 2 says "Index is stale" → run `node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze` in terminal. ## Checklist ``` - [ ] READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context - [ ] gitnexus_query for the concept you want to understand - [ ] Review returned processes (execution flows) - [ ] gitnexus_context on key symbols for callers/callees - [ ] READ process resource for full execution traces - [ ] Read source files for implementation details ``` ## Resources | Resource | What you get | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | `gitnexus://repo/{name}/context` | Stats, staleness warning (~150 tokens) | | `gitnexus://repo/{name}/clusters` | All functional areas with cohesion scores (~300 tokens) | | `gitnexus://repo/{name}/cluster/{name}` | Area members with file paths (~500 tokens) | | `gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name}` | Step-by-step execution trace (~200 tokens) | ## Tools **gitnexus_query** — find execution flows related to a concept: ``` gitnexus_query({query: "payment processing"}) → Processes: CheckoutFlow, RefundFlow, WebhookHandler → Symbols grouped by flow with file locations ``` **gitnexus_context** — 360-degree view of a symbol: ``` gitnexus_context({name: "validateUser"}) → Incoming calls: loginHandler, apiMiddleware → Outgoing calls: checkToken, getUserById → Processes: LoginFlow (step 2/5), TokenRefresh (step 1/3) ``` ## Example: "How does payment processing work?" ``` 1. READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/context → 918 symbols, 45 processes 2. gitnexus_query({query: "payment processing"}) → CheckoutFlow: processPayment → validateCard → chargeStripe → RefundFlow: initiateRefund → calculateRefund → processRefund 3. gitnexus_context({name: "processPayment"}) → Incoming: checkoutHandler, webhookHandler → Outgoing: validateCard, chargeStripe, saveTransaction 4. Read src/payments/processor.ts for implementation details ```