Gitnexus Exploring

abhigyanpatwari/GitNexus/gitnexus-claude-plugin/skills/gitnexus-exploring

by abhigyanpatwari50aa4be3b2c2c9a1561fc44878e5d8f87b99d16eNo license47K starsListed Oct 9, 2026Updated Oct 9, 2026Repository updated today

Use when the user asks how code works, wants to understand architecture, trace execution flows, or explore unfamiliar parts of the codebase. Examples: "How does X work?", "What calls this function?", "Show me the auth flow"

Instructions onlySoftware Development Research & Analysis

AI-generated overview

Explains how a codebase works by querying a GitNexus index for execution flows, symbols and architecture.

What it does: Guides an agent through a GitNexus MCP workflow: list indexed repositories, read a repository context resource to check index freshness, run query to find execution flows related to a concept, and run context to see a symbol's callers, callees and processes. It then reads source files for implementation details and reports the bound repository and index freshness alongside the explanation. It produces an architectural explanation of unfamiliar code rather than code changes.
When to use it: Use when someone asks how a piece of code works, what calls a function, how a flow such as authentication or payment processing is structured, or where a given area of logic lives. Also suited to exploring an unfamiliar codebase before making changes.
Requirements: Requires a GitNexus MCP server with indexed repositories and the query, context and list_repos tools plus gitnexus:// resources. Re-analysis of a stale index is done by running node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze in a terminal. Ships no scripts of its own; mcp.json configures the MCP connection.

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

Bind the repository first

Step 1 discovers what is indexed; every call after it must say which of those it means. With one indexed repository, use the examples below as written. With more than one, pass repo on every call: an omitted repo normally errors, but under an MCP policy with a configured default it resolves to that default silently. If you cannot tell which repository is meant, stop and ask. Report the bound repository and index freshness alongside your explanation.

list_repos is paginated, so page with offset: pagination.nextOffset until hasMore is false before concluding a repository is absent.

Workflow

1. list_repos {} or READ gitnexus://repos                          → Discover indexed repos2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context             → Codebase overview, check staleness3. query({search_query: "<what you want to understand>"})  → Find related execution flows4. context({name: "<symbol>"})            → Deep dive on specific symbol5. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name}      → Trace full execution flow

1. list_repos {} or READ gitnexus://repos                          → Discover indexed repos2. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context             → Codebase overview, check staleness3. query({search_query: "<what you want to understand>"})  → Find related execution flows4. context({name: "<symbol>"})            → Deep dive on specific symbol5. 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. Hot-tool staleness names which index answered (branch/lastCommit) and how fresh it is (status). Re-analyze only for behind or diverged — current is identity, unknown is unmeasurable.

Checklist

- [ ] list_repos {} — bind repo; explicit repo when >1 indexed, ask if ambiguous- [ ] READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context- [ ] query for the concept you want to understand- [ ] Review returned processes (execution flows)- [ ] context on key symbols for callers/callees- [ ] READ process resource for full execution traces- [ ] Read source files for implementation details- [ ] State the repository and index freshness with the explanation

- [ ] list_repos {} — bind repo; explicit repo when >1 indexed, ask if ambiguous- [ ] READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/context- [ ] query for the concept you want to understand- [ ] Review returned processes (execution flows)- [ ] context on key symbols for callers/callees- [ ] READ process resource for full execution traces- [ ] Read source files for implementation details- [ ] State the repository and index freshness with the explanation

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

query — find execution flows related to a concept:

query({search_query: "payment processing", repo: "my-app"})→ Processes: CheckoutFlow, RefundFlow, WebhookHandler→ Symbols grouped by flow with file locations

query({search_query: "payment processing", repo: "my-app"})→ Processes: CheckoutFlow, RefundFlow, WebhookHandler→ Symbols grouped by flow with file locations

context — 360-degree view of a symbol:

context({name: "validateUser", repo: "my-app"})→ Incoming calls: loginHandler, apiMiddleware→ Outgoing calls: checkToken, getUserById→ Processes: LoginFlow (step 2/5), TokenRefresh (step 1/3)

context({name: "validateUser", repo: "my-app"})→ Incoming calls: loginHandler, apiMiddleware→ Outgoing calls: checkToken, getUserById→ Processes: LoginFlow (step 2/5), TokenRefresh (step 1/3)

repo is required once more than one repository is indexed, and may be omitted with a single one.

Example: "How does payment processing work?"

1. list_repos {}                             → total: 1 (my-app) — bind it   READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/context       → 918 symbols, 45 processes2. query({search_query: "payment processing"})   → CheckoutFlow: processPayment → validateCard → chargeStripe   → RefundFlow: initiateRefund → calculateRefund → processRefund3. context({name: "processPayment"})   → Incoming: checkoutHandler, webhookHandler   → Outgoing: validateCard, chargeStripe, saveTransaction4. Read src/payments/processor.ts for implementation details5. Answer, noting: Repository my-app, index current

1. list_repos {}                             → total: 1 (my-app) — bind it   READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/context       → 918 symbols, 45 processes2. query({search_query: "payment processing"})   → CheckoutFlow: processPayment → validateCard → chargeStripe   → RefundFlow: initiateRefund → calculateRefund → processRefund3. context({name: "processPayment"})   → Incoming: checkoutHandler, webhookHandler   → Outgoing: validateCard, chargeStripe, saveTransaction4. Read src/payments/processor.ts for implementation details5. Answer, noting: Repository my-app, index current

Had step 1 returned two repositories, every call above would carry repo: "my-app".

Source and attribution

Source:abhigyanpatwari/GitNexusingitnexus-claude-plugin/skills/gitnexus-exploringat commit50aa4be

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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Gitnexus Exploring

Exploring Codebases with GitNexus

When to Use

Bind the repository first

Workflow

Checklist

Resources

Tools

Example: "How does payment processing work?"

Source and attribution

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