---
name: codemap-mcp-first-exploration
description: "CodeMap skill: codemap-mcp-first-exploration"
---

# MCP-First Exploration

Use this skill when the task starts with unclear files, a broad bug/feature request, or a question like "where should I look?"

## Process

1. Ask CodeMap for a ranked shortlist using the narrowest fitting tool.
2. Read outlines before full files.
3. Prefer symbol bodies over whole-file reads.
4. Fall back to raw search when CodeMap results stay weak or noisy after 1–2 tries, the file is unindexed, or the search needs dynamic strings/regex — don't keep repeating MCP calls hoping for a better answer.
