Context Fetch Skill

Core principle: Search first, read targeted sections, never load full files blindly.

When to Use

Activate this skill before:

• Starting any coding task

• Beginning a refactor

• Investigating a bug

• Understanding unfamiliar code

Process

Step 1: Define the Question

What are you trying to find or understand?

Examples:

• "Where is the login endpoint defined?"

• "How does the caching layer work?"

• "What calls the processPayment function?"

Step 2: Identify Keywords

Extract searchable terms:

Question Keywords

Login endpoint login , auth , POST.*login

Caching layer cache , redis , memoize

Payment calls processPayment , payment

Step 3: Search Before Reading

PowerShell:

Simple pattern search

Select-String -Path "src/**/*.ts" -Pattern "login" -Recurse

With ripgrep (if available)

rg "login" --type ts

Bash:

With ripgrep (recommended)

rg "login" --type ts

With grep

grep -r "login" src/ --include="*.ts"

Step 4: Evaluate Results

From search results, identify:

• Primary candidates — Files directly matching your question

• Secondary candidates — Files that reference primary candidates

• Ignore list — Files with keyword but unrelated context

Step 5: Targeted Reading

Only read what's justified:

Read specific line range (PowerShell)

Get-Content "src/auth/login.ts" | Select-Object -Skip 49 -First 30

Read specific function (with view_code_item tool)

view_code_item: src/auth/login.ts -> handleLogin

Inputs

When invoking this skill, provide:

Input Description Example

Question What you're trying to find "Where is user validation?"

Scope Directory or file pattern src/ , *.service.ts

Keywords Terms to search for validate , user , schema

Outputs

After executing this skill, report:

• Candidate files — Ranked by relevance

• Relevant extracts — Key snippets found

• Next reads — Specific files/line-ranges to read next

• Skip list — Files searched but not relevant

Anti-Patterns

❌ Loading Everything First

BAD: Reading 5 full files to "understand context"

Read: src/auth/login.ts (500 lines) Read: src/auth/register.ts (400 lines) Read: src/auth/types.ts (200 lines)

✅ Search Then Target

GOOD: Search first, read only what's needed

Search: "validatePassword" in src/auth/ Found: login.ts:45, register.ts:78 Read: login.ts lines 40-60

❌ Broad Searches

BAD: Searching for common terms

Search: "function" → 10,000 results

✅ Specific Searches

GOOD: Searching for specific identifiers

Search: "validateUserCredentials" → 3 results

Context Efficiency Metrics

Track your efficiency:

Metric Good Poor

Files searched 10+ <5

Files fully read <3 10+

Lines read <200 1000+

Targeted sections Yes No

Integration with GSD

This skill supports GSD's context management:

• Prevents context pollution — Less irrelevant code loaded

• Supports wave execution — Each wave starts with minimal context

• Enables model switching — Less context = easier handoff

Quick Reference

1. Define question → What am I looking for?
2. Extract keywords → What terms to search?
3. Search codebase → rg/grep/Select-String
4. Evaluate results → Which files matter?
5. Read targeted → Specific lines only
6. Report findings → Candidates + extracts

Part of GSD methodology. See PROJECT_RULES.md for search-first discipline rules.