A command for reviewing project context and breaking a task into requirements, assumptions, dependencies, and risks.

Use it at the start of a task to inspect project notes, existing patterns, relevant files, and recent changes.

It gives an agent an initial understanding of an unfamiliar codebase before implementation begins.

How hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank configures Claude Code

Reuse

Borrowing it

Nothing to install: this file belongs to hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank. Take a copy, put it at the same path in your own repository, and replace the rules that are about this project with yours.

Copy the file

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/main/.claude/commands/workflow/understand.md

Clone the repo

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank

Made for: Claude Code.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

README.md

[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand/github.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand)

Your own site

<a href="https://agentmods.dev/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand/github.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>

Or the 80×15 button, for a site that already has a row of RSS and ATOM ones. Only the verdict fits; the numbers stay here.

Your own site · 80×15

<a href="https://agentmods.dev/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank/understand.svg" alt="Reviewed on agentmods" width="80" height="20"></a>

Per session 7 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.

When invoked 722 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.

Security scan A 0 findings. A grade says what 26 rules found in the file — not that it is safe.

Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.

Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

Model	Per session	Once invoked
Fable 5.1	$0.00007	$0.00722
Opus 5.5	$0.00003	$0.00289
Sonnet 5.5	$0.00001	$0.00144
Haiku 4.5	$0.00001	$0.00072

Measured 2mo ago against content hash a07850f1254a, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-10-07, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

understand scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2mo ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

.claude/commands/workflow/understand.md · 108 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 108 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Context Review & Initial Assessment

Memory Bank Context

@memory-bank/projectbrief.md
@memory-bank/productContext.md
@memory-bank/systemPatterns.md
@memory-bank/techContext.md
@memory-bank/activeContext.md
@memory-bank/progress.md

Task

Think through the task requirements and current project context to establish comprehensive understanding.

$ARGUMENTS

Process

1. Task Decomposition

Break down the task into core requirements
Identify explicit and implicit constraints
Clarify the scope and expected outcomes
Note any assumptions that need validation

2. Context Discovery

Leverage parallel tool execution for efficient information gathering:

Use Task agent for broad pattern searches when exploring unknown areas
Apply Grep/Glob for specific file and content location
Read relevant files, configurations, and documentation
Check recent git history if understanding evolution helps

3. Initial Analysis

Based on gathered information:

Map current system state and relevant components
Identify dependencies and integration points
Recognize existing patterns that should be followed
Spot potential challenges or contradictions

4. Knowledge Synthesis

Connect findings to existing project documentation
Relate to established project patterns and conventions
Consider technical constraints and architecture decisions
Review current project context and focus areas

5. Feedback Loop Analysis (When returning from other phases)

When revisiting due to implementation feedback:

From /workflow:execute: Focus on specific blockers or discoveries
- Review the documented issues from implementation
- Investigate root causes of integration problems
- Clarify ambiguous requirements based on real constraints
From /workflow:plan: Re-examine assumptions that proved incorrect
- Validate new constraints discovered during planning
- Research alternative approaches for blocked strategies
Efficiency tip: Target investigation to specific feedback rather than full re-analysis

Read the full file on GitHub · 108 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

2mo ago First seen · 108 lines · 7 tokens per session scan A a07850f1254a

Subscribe to this mod's changes

understand is a command published in the GitHub repository hudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank (42 stars, last pushed 1y ago), licensed Unlicense. It adds 7 tokens to every session and 722 once invoked, about $0.0000 per session on Opus 5.5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.

Planning

understand next to 6 commands from other repositories
Mod	Type	Stars	Last push	Licence	Scan	Tokens	Works with
understandhudrazine/claude-code-memory-bank	Command	42	1y ago	Unlicense	A	7	Claude Code
checklistgithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	13	Claude Code
clarifygithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	27	Claude Code
specifygithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	13	Claude Code
analyzegithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	26	Claude Code
convergegithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	35	Claude Code
implementgithub/spec-kit	Command	148k	yesterday	MIT	A	14	Claude Code

claude-code-memory-bank: Command for Claude Code