EXPLORING Phase

The EXPLORING phase gathers context about the project and forms an initial understanding of what needs to be built.

Purpose

• Understand the current project state
• Read relevant files and documentation
• Check recent git history for context
• Form an initial list of items/topics to discuss

Step 0: Query Kodex

Before reading files, check project knowledge base for relevant context.

Topic Inference

1. Get current work item from collab-state.json
2. Extract keywords from item title/description
3. Build topic candidates:

   • {keyword}

   • {keyword}-patterns

   • {keyword}-conventions

Query Process

FOR each candidate topic name:
  Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__kodex_query_topic
  Args: { "project": "<cwd>", "name": "<candidate>" }

  IF found: Add to context

Example

For work item "Add user authentication":

Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__kodex_query_topic
Args: {
  "project": "<absolute-path-to-cwd>",
  "name": "authentication"
}

Fallback

If no topics found from title keywords:

1. Try keywords from item description
2. Try removing suffixes (-patterns, -conventions)
3. Continue to file exploration without Kodex context

Display found topics before proceeding to "Check project state".

Process

1. Check project state:

   • Read relevant files (code, docs, configs)
   • Check recent commits for context
   • Understand existing architecture

2. Gather requirements context:

   • Review any existing specs or requirements
   • Understand stakeholder expectations
   • Identify constraints and dependencies

3. Form initial item list:

   • Create a preliminary list of topics to discuss
   • Group related items together
   • Prioritize by importance/dependencies

Single-Item Mode (EXPLORING)

When

currentItem

is set in collab-state.json:

• Read relevant files based on item description
• Check git history for related changes
• Gather context specific to this item only
• Do NOT expand scope beyond this item

Exit Criteria

• Context gathered from relevant files
• Initial list of items/topics formed
• Ready to discuss items one at a time

Checkpoint: Current State Diagram

REQUIRED before proceeding to CLARIFYING:

Create a diagram showing the current state relevant to this work:

Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__create_diagram
Args: {
  "project": "<cwd>",
  "session": "<session>",
  "name": "current-state-item-N",
  "content": <flowchart showing existing components/flow>
}

Display: "Current state diagram: [previewUrl]"

If the work item doesn't involve architecture/flow (e.g., pure text changes), create a simple diagram showing the file(s) being modified:

graph LR
    A[File: path/to/file.md] --> B[Section being modified]

Transition to CLARIFYING

Prerequisites:

• Read relevant files/context
• Formed initial list of items

Announce: "I've gathered context. Now let me discuss each item with you one at a time."

Completion

At the end of this skill's work, call complete_skill:

Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__complete_skill
Args: { "project": "<cwd>", "session": "<session>", "skill": "brainstorming-exploring" }

Handle response:

• If

  action == "clear"

  : Invoke skill: collab-clear
• If

  next_skill

  is not null: Invoke that skill
• If

  next_skill

  is null: Workflow complete