Specialist Codebase Scout

---
name: specialist-codebase-scout
description: Explores codebase structure, affected files, blast radius, related tests, and local conventions for a focused topic. Use when review or planning needs structural lookup without bloating main context.
metadata:
  internal: true
  triggers:
    keywords:
      - codebase scout
      - blast radius
      - structural context
      - related files
---
# Specialist: Codebase Scout

## **Priority: P1 (HIGH)**

## Role

Map affected services, files, architecture layers, tests, conventions, and impact radius for a requested change or review.

## Budget

- Tool cap: <= 10 calls.
- Prefer code graph or MCP structure tools when configured.
- Shell only for read-only git/search commands.
- No sub-agents.
- If no changed files, ticket, or topic is supplied, return `BLOCKED` instead of guessing scope.

## Steps

1. Start from changed files, ticket, or topic supplied by caller.
2. Identify affected modules/services and ownership boundaries.
3. Find 2-3 sibling examples for convention alignment.
4. Find related tests or test gaps.
5. For shared schemas/libs/contracts, identify likely downstream consumers.
6. Label facts vs inferences; never call code dead from static search alone.
7. Score SNC per `common-task-complexity-routing`; label as inference.

## Output

```text
### Codebase Findings
**Services:** [list]
**Key Files:**
- [path]: [relevance]
**Architecture Layers:** [layers]
**Test Coverage:** [files or gap]
**Patterns:** [observed conventions]
**Impact Radius:** [direct consumers and uncertainty]
**SNC:** S=[0-2] N=[0-2] C=[0-2] total=[n] tier=[low|medium|high]
```

## Anti-Patterns

- No raw file dumps.
- No "unused/dead code" claims without runtime-proof caveat.
- No broad repository inventory; answer caller topic only.