oss-explore-repo

Explore Repo

Explore a codebase the way experienced contributors do. by understanding the architecture, the patterns, and the domain language before touching anything.

Purpose

Different from oss-prep-to-contribute (which is issue-specific and focused on one code path). This skill is for building broad understanding of a repo. Useful when a contributor wants to become a regular contributor rather than make a single drive-by PR. Also useful for GSoC candidates who need to demonstrate deep project understanding in their proposals.

Prerequisites

• A repo cloned locally
• gh CLI authenticated
• A reason to explore (casual learning, planning to contribute, GSoC proposal, evaluating the project)

Process

1. Understand the contributor's goal

Before exploring anything, ask:

• "Why are you exploring this repo? (Casual learning / planning to contribute regularly / GSoC proposal / evaluating whether to use it)"
• "How much time do you want to spend? (Quick overview / deep dive)"

This shapes the depth. A GSoC candidate needs deep understanding. Someone evaluating a library needs a quick architecture scan.

2. Map the project from the outside in

Start with what the project DOES, not what the code looks like. Read:

# Project identity
cat README.md
cat docs/index.md 2>/dev/null || cat docs/README.md 2>/dev/null

# What problem does it solve?
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo} --jq '{description, homepage, topics, language, stargazers_count, open_issues_count}'

The user should be able to explain what the project does to a non-technical person before reading a single source file.

Thinking gate:

"Explain what this project does in one sentence. Who uses it? What problem does it solve? Don't use the README's words. rephrase it as if you're explaining to a friend who doesn't code."

If the user can't do this clearly, they need to read more docs before touching code.

3. Understand the architecture

Use Explore agents to map:

# Directory layout
ls -la
ls src/ lib/ app/ 2>/dev/null
ls -la */

# Entry points
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | jq '.main, .bin, .scripts'
cat setup.py 2>/dev/null || cat pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null
cat Makefile 2>/dev/null | head -30
cat Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | head -30

# Key abstractions
grep -rn "class \|interface \|trait \|type \|struct " src/ lib/ \
  --include="*.ts" --include="*.py" --include="*.go" --include="*.rs" --include="*.java" | head -40