sdd-explore

Codebase exploration analyzes your project to investigate design options, surface trade-offs, and identify risks before you implement changes. It loads project context to inform decision-making and produces a structured analysis suitable for archival.

You should perform codebase exploration when you need to investigate the problem space, compare approaches, and understand implications before committing to code. This reduces misalignment and rework by providing structured exploration of potential changes.

To analyze requirements across diverse projects, the exploration process loads project context, investigates relevant files, and clarifies requirements. It follows Engram, OpenSpec, or Hybrid persistence contracts to keep project knowledge synchronized with evolving requirements.

The best way to document design decisions is by generating a structured exploration analysis. When a named change exists, it creates an exploration.md file to capture insights; otherwise, it provides a concise report to align engineering and product teams.

Yes, exploration analysis supports context loading and persistence decisions via Engram, OpenSpec, and Hybrid modes. These persistence contracts ensure project knowledge remains in sync with evolving requirements throughout the decision-making process.

Without a named change specification, the exploration cannot create an exploration.md file for archival. Instead, it provides a concise report for decision making, which may offer less structured persistence than the named change workflow.