Codebase Analyzer Skill

Orchestrates parallel codebase analysis using built-in Explore subagents. Adaptively selects which agent roles to activate based on task complexity, then delegates report synthesis to a specialized subagent.

Core Principles

1. Adaptive Agent Selection: Select roles from a pool based on task complexity — no fixed count
2. Task-Type Awareness: Adapt prompts and focus based on task type
3. Delegated Reporting: Raw findings go to codebase-analysis-reporter subagent for synthesis

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
task_description	Yes	Description of the development task
description	Yes	Task description from user
task_path	Yes	Path to task directory
artifact_name	No	Override output filename (default: codebase-analysis.md)

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Execution Workflow

Step 1: Parse Input and Determine Focus

Extract keywords, component names, file hints, domain, and technology hints from the description.

Determine primary focus from the task description:

Signal in Description	Primary Focus	Key Questions
Error/crash/broken language	Find buggy code path	Where does the issue occur? What's the execution flow?
Improve/enhance/existing	Find existing feature	What files implement this feature? How does it work?
Add/new/create	Find patterns/integration points	What similar patterns exist? Where should this integrate?

Step 2: Select Agent Roles

Choose which roles to activate from the pool. Each role is a distinct analysis concern.

Role	Purpose	When Needed
File Discovery	Find relevant files by patterns, keywords, naming	Almost always
Code Analysis	Analyze code structure, patterns, execution flow	When understanding existing behavior matters
Context Discovery	Find tests, consumers, dependencies	When understanding impact/coverage matters
Pattern Mining	Find similar implementations as templates	New features following existing patterns
Migration Target	Analyze target technology/compatibility	Migrations comparing current vs target

Decision signals:

• Specificity (exact files mentioned → fewer agents)
• Scope breadth (multiple domains → more agents)
• Uncertainty (unclear location → more agents)
• Task type (bugs tend focused, features broad, migrations broadest)

Examples:

Task Description	Roles Selected	Count
"Fix null check in utils/parser.ts"	File Discovery + Code Analysis (combined)	1
"Add sorting to user table"	File Discovery, Code Analysis	2
"Fix login timeout"	File Discovery + Code Analysis (combined), Context Discovery	2
"Add OAuth authentication system"	File Discovery, Code Analysis, Context Discovery	3
"Add export feature similar to import"	File Discovery, Code Analysis, Pattern Mining	3
"Migrate from REST to GraphQL"	File Discovery, Code Analysis, Context Discovery, Migration Target	4

When selecting fewer agents, merge related concerns into a single prompt — don't drop concerns.

State which roles you selected and why (1 sentence).

Step 3: Read Prompt Templates and Launch Agents

STOP — Do NOT skip this step. Do NOT write prompts from memory.

Before launching ANY Explore agent, you MUST use the Read tool to load the prompt template for each selected role. This is non-negotiable.

3a. Read templates — Use the Read tool to load ONLY the files for your selected roles:

Role	Read This File
File Discovery	references/file-discovery.md
Code Analysis	references/code-analysis.md
Context Discovery	references/context-discovery.md
Pattern Mining	references/pattern-mining.md
Migration Target	references/migration-target.md

If combining roles into one agent, also read references/combined.md for merging guidance.

3b. Adapt templates — Replace [description] with the actual task description. Select the correct task-type section (Bug / Enhancement / Feature).

3c. Launch agents — Use the Task tool with subagent_type="Explore" — one call per selected role, all in ONE message.

IMPORTANT: Every Explore agent prompt MUST include this instruction:

IMPORTANT: Do NOT create, write, or modify any files. Output all findings as text in your response only.

SELF-CHECK: Did you read the template files with the Read tool? If not, go back to 3a. Do not proceed.

Step 4: Delegate Report Generation

After all Explore agents complete, delegate to codebase-analysis-reporter subagent via Task tool:

Task tool:
  subagent_type: "maister:codebase-analysis-reporter"
  description: "Merge findings into analysis report"
  prompt: |
    You are the codebase-analysis-reporter. Merge these raw findings into a structured analysis report.

    Task description: [description]
    Agent roles used: [list of roles]
    Agent count: [N]
    Output path: [task_path]/analysis/[artifact_name]

    ## Raw Findings

    ### [Role 1 Name]
    [paste raw output from agent 1]

    ### [Role 2 Name]
    [paste raw output from agent 2]

    [... for each agent]

The subagent produces the final report at {task_path}/analysis/{artifact_name} and returns structured results.

Step 5: Return Results to Orchestrator

Pass through the subagent's structured output:

status: success|partial|failed
report_path: analysis/[artifact_name]
summary: "[1-2 sentence summary]"
files_found: [count]
complexity: simple|moderate|complex
risk_level: low|low-medium|medium|medium-high|high

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Error Handling

• No files found: Report partial results, suggest user provide more specific hints
• Agent timeout: Use results from completed agents, note incomplete analysis
• Conflicting results: Pass all perspectives to reporter subagent, which highlights conflicts

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Integration

Orchestrator	Phase	artifact_name
development orchestrator	Phase 1	codebase-analysis.md (default)
migration orchestrator	Phase 1	current-state-analysis.md
performance orchestrator	Phase 1	codebase-analysis.md (default)