Launch research agents to understand a codebase before planning changes. Use when starting a new feature, fixing bugs, or refactoring. Creates workflow artifacts in `.claude/workflows/NNN-slug/`. Triggers on /epic:explore or when user wants to explore/understand codebase structure, patterns, or implementation details before making changes.
/plugin marketplace add astrosteveo/claude-code-plugins/plugin install astrosteveo-epic-plugins-epic@astrosteveo/claude-code-pluginsThis skill is limited to using the following tools:
references/codebase-template.mdreferences/docs-template.mdreferences/state-template.mdResearch phase of the Explore-Plan-Implement workflow. Launch background agents to document codebase structure and (optionally) external documentation.
1. Parse feature description
2. Check for existing workflows (conflict handling)
3. Determine research scope (codebase only vs. codebase + docs)
4. Create workflow directory: .claude/workflows/NNN-slug/
5. Launch agent(s) in background
6. Wait for completion with TaskOutput
7. Update state.md
8. Present summary
Directory format: .claude/workflows/NNN-slug/
# Find highest existing number
ls .claude/workflows/ | grep -oE '^[0-9]{3}' | sort -r | head -1
# If none exist, start at 001
# Otherwise, increment highest by 1
.claude/workflows/
├── 001-fix-login-bug/
├── 002-add-oauth/
└── 003-refactor-api/ # Next would be 004-*
Before creating a new workflow, check for existing active workflows.
ls -d .claude/workflows/*/ 2>/dev/null
Read each existing state.md to check status:
| Existing Status | Action |
|---|---|
| No workflows | Proceed with 001 |
| All complete/committed | Proceed with next number |
| One in_progress | Present options to user |
| Multiple in_progress | Present picker to user |
If an active (in_progress) workflow exists:
⚠️ Active workflow detected
Existing: .claude/workflows/002-add-oauth/
Status: implement (phase 2/4)
Last updated: 2 hours ago
Options:
1. Continue existing workflow (recommended)
2. Pause existing and start new workflow
3. Abandon existing and start fresh
Use AskUserQuestion to get user choice.
If multiple in_progress workflows exist:
⚠️ Multiple active workflows detected
1. [►] 002-add-oauth (implement phase 2/4) - 2 hours ago
2. [►] 003-refactor-api (plan) - 1 day ago
Options:
1. Continue workflow #1
2. Continue workflow #2
3. Pause all and start new workflow
4. Show status of all workflows
Launch codebase-explorer + docs-researcher when feature:
Launch ONLY codebase-explorer when:
Launch codebase-explorer + technology-evaluator when:
If unclear: Ask user to choose scope.
| Scenario | Agent(s) |
|---|---|
| "Add Redis caching" | codebase-explorer + docs-researcher |
| "Which caching solution?" | codebase-explorer + technology-evaluator |
| "Fix the login bug" | codebase-explorer only |
| "Implement OAuth2 with Google" | codebase-explorer + docs-researcher |
| "Should we use OAuth or JWT?" | codebase-explorer + technology-evaluator |
| docs-researcher | technology-evaluator |
|---|---|
| Gathers documentation | Gathers AND evaluates |
| Single technology focus | Multiple option comparison |
| Facts only, no opinions | Structured tradeoff analysis |
| Lighter weight (Haiku) | Heavier weight (Opus) |
| "How does X work?" | "Should we use X or Y?" |
Always use run_in_background: true. Launch parallel when both needed.
Task tool:
subagent_type: epic:codebase-explorer
run_in_background: true
prompt: |
Explore codebase for: [feature]
Output to: .claude/workflows/[NNN-slug]/codebase-research.md
Template: references/codebase-template.md
Task tool:
subagent_type: epic:docs-researcher
run_in_background: true
prompt: |
Research docs for: [feature]
Output to: .claude/workflows/[NNN-slug]/docs-research.md
Template: references/docs-template.md
Create .claude/workflows/[NNN-slug]/state.md after launching agents. See references/state-template.md for structure.
Track:
TaskOutput with block: true for each agent✓ Explore Phase Complete
Feature: [description]
Directory: .claude/workflows/[NNN-slug]/
Research Scope: [codebase only | full]
Research Artifacts:
- codebase-research.md ([X] files documented)
- docs-research.md ([Y] sources) ← if applicable
Next: Review artifacts, then run /epic:plan
references/codebase-template.md - Output template for codebase-explorerreferences/docs-template.md - Output template for docs-researcherreferences/state-template.md - Workflow state tracking formatCreating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or particle systems. Create original algorithmic art rather than copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.
Applies Anthropic's official brand colors and typography to any sort of artifact that may benefit from having Anthropic's look-and-feel. Use it when brand colors or style guidelines, visual formatting, or company design standards apply.
Create beautiful visual art in .png and .pdf documents using design philosophy. You should use this skill when the user asks to create a poster, piece of art, design, or other static piece. Create original visual designs, never copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.