search-first

Search-First Development Skill

🎯 Goal

Ensure absolute context clarity by researching the codebase and documentation before proposing or implementing any changes.

🛠️ Instructions

1. Stop and Research: Before writing a single line of code, use grep_search, find_by_name, and mcp_gitnexus_query to understand the existing logic.
2. Reference Existing Patterns: Identify where similar functionality exists and replicate established patterns.
3. Cross-Reference Docs: Use mcp_context7_query-docs or read_url_content to check library documentation for the latest best practices.
4. Impact Analysis: Use mcp_gitnexus_impact to see what will break if you change a symbol.
5. Evidence-Based Planning: Your implementation_plan.md must cite specific files and line numbers found during research.

🚨 Verify Empty Results (MANDATORY)

When grep_search returns "No results found", NEVER trust it blindly. Always verify by:

1. Read the file directly with view_file — especially for files you've previously viewed or edited, or files under ~500 lines.
2. Check encoding/save state — the file may have unsaved changes or encoding issues that prevent grep from matching.
3. Try alternative search terms — the function/variable may use a different naming convention than expected.
4. Rule: If you previously saw content in a file and grep now says it doesn't exist, the grep result is wrong, not your memory. Always read the file to confirm.

⚠️ Anti-Pattern: Concluding "feature X doesn't exist" based solely on empty grep results without reading the actual source file. This leads to incorrect analysis and wasted time.

🏁 Workflow

1. Query: Search for the concept/component.
2. Trace: Follow the execution flow using mcp_gitnexus_context.
3. Validate: Confirm assumptions with tool output. If grep returns empty but you expect results, READ the file.
4. Execute: Only then, proceed to planning and implementation.