codenavi

To navigate an unknown codebase safely, enforce an investigation-first cycle spanning briefing, recon, plan, execute, verify, and debrief. This ensures source-based verification and surgical changes that touch only the code required for the specific bug fix.

The best way to investigate unfamiliar code flows is by running a structured reconnaissance phase that reads existing project knowledge bases and uses source-based verification. This prevents guessing by explicitly flagging uncertainty when context is missing.

You can persist codebase investigation findings by recording durable discoveries in a local .notebook/ knowledge base. This approach compounds project intelligence across sessions, allowing future work to read an INDEX.md for immediate context.

Surgical refactoring on poorly documented codebases requires matching existing conventions and touching only what the mission demands. By adhering to a strict mission cycle, you minimize collateral changes and maintain codebase integrity.

Codebase investigation works even without developer documentation by relying on source-based verification and summoning other available skills or MCPs as needed. It explicitly flags uncertainty and asks targeted questions to compensate for missing context.