ashlr-search

Ashlr Search

Shift every search operation to the genome-aware layer so redundant file reads are eliminated before they happen.

Core rules (active when this skill is enabled)

1. Orient first. Run ashlr__orient once at the start of each task — before any grep or glob. The genome overview often answers the "where does X live?" question without a single file read.

2. Prefer ashlr__grep over native Grep. ashlr__grep is genome-aware: when a .ashlrcode/genome/ directory exists it returns pre-summarized relevant sections instead of raw ripgrep output. The token cost is 70–90% lower on large repos.

3. Prefer ashlr__glob over native Glob. Same reason — genome-aware glob filters to relevant paths and avoids returning thousands of lines for broad patterns.

4. Compose multi-term queries with | alternation. A single call ashlr__grep("auth|session|token") is cheaper than three sequential calls. Combine related terms whenever the goal is "find anything touching X".

5. Trust genome section summaries. When ashlr__grep returns a genome section match with a summary, read the summary — do NOT immediately open the referenced file unless you need exact line content for an edit. Genome summaries are curated; they reflect what actually matters in that section.

6. Do not re-search what's already in context. If a previous tool call already returned content for a file or pattern, use that result. Re-running the same grep costs tokens and returns nothing new.

Anti-patterns

• Running native Grep when ashlr__grep is available
• Running 3+ sequential single-term greps instead of one combined query
• Reading a full file after a genome summary already answered the question
• Globbing broad patterns (**/*.ts) without first checking the genome manifest

Example

# Good: orient first, then one composed grep
ashlr__orient()
ashlr__grep("authMiddleware|verifyToken|session.userId")

# Bad: three native greps, no orient
Grep("authMiddleware")
Grep("verifyToken")
Grep("session.userId")