New: 97,000+ skills indexed from GitHub repos with 100+ stars · every skill safety-checkedBrowse top skillsTop skills
Esc to closeBrowse all skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills

Agent skill

Codebase Navigation

by aiming-lab in aiming-lab/MetaClaw

A skill your agent uses when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works.

MITAuto-check passedAI & LLM Engineering

Install Codebase Navigation

skills CLI
$ npx skills add aiming-lab/MetaClaw --skill codebase-navigation -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install aiming-lab/MetaClaw codebase-navigation --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/aiming-lab/MetaClaw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/memory_data/skills/codebase-navigation .claude/skills/codebase-navigation && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
codebase-navigation
GitHub stars
3.5k
Token cost
~286 tokens
SKILL.md length
123 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
36
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works.

  • Works in 5 steps: Start with entry points: main.py,… → Follow imports to understand dependency… → Find the data model first — it shapes… → …
  • Exploring an unfamiliar codebase
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • Tracing code paths

What it does

Codebase Navigation is an agent skill from aiming-lab/MetaClaw. Use this skill when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works. Read before writing, and build a mental model of the architecture before making changes.

Its SKILL.md is about 290 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in AI & LLM Engineering. The repository describes itself as: 🦞 Just talk to your agent — it learns and EVOLVES 🧬. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Exploring an unfamiliar codebase
  • Tracing code paths
  • Answering questions about how the system works

Example prompts

  • “/codebase-navigation”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Start with entry points: main.py, init.py, index.ts, App.tsx.
  2. Follow imports to understand dependency structure.
  3. Find the data model first — it shapes everything else.
  4. Read tests: they document expected behavior better than comments.
  5. Check git log: recent commits explain why things are the way they are.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 922caf3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Codebase Navigation loads about 286 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 58 tokens; SKILL.md has 123 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~58
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~286

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from aiming-lab/MetaClaw at commit 922caf3, republished under its MIT licence (© aiming-lab). 123 words, ~286 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/codebase-navigation/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
codebase-navigation
description
Use this skill when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works. Read before writing, and build a mental model of the architecture before making changes.
category
coding

Codebase Navigation

Before modifying unfamiliar code, build a mental model.

Exploration strategy:

  1. Start with entry points: main.py, __init__.py, index.ts, App.tsx.
  2. Follow imports to understand dependency structure.
  3. Find the data model first — it shapes everything else.
  4. Read tests: they document expected behavior better than comments.
  5. Check git log: recent commits explain why things are the way they are.

Efficient search:

  • Use file pattern search (glob) to find files by name/extension.
  • Use content search (grep) to find where a function/class is defined vs. called.
  • Search for the error message text to find the source location directly.

Anti-patterns:

  • Modifying code without reading it first.
  • Assuming file structure from another codebase.
  • Grepping without a clear hypothesis of what you are looking for.

© aiming-lab, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in memory_data/skills/codebase-navigation of aiming-lab/MetaClaw.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 922caf3

Compare with similar skills

Codebase Navigation next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Codebase Navigation compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Codebase Navigation this skillaiming-lab/MetaClaw3.5k—~286Automated safety check: PassMIT
Agent BuildershareAI-lab/learn-claude-code78k6 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Add Uint Supportpytorch/pytorch104k2 repos~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Peft Fine TuningOrchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs13k9 repos~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Segment Anything Model GuideOrchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs13k9 repos~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
1passwordtrpc-group/trpc-agent-go1.8k13 repos~656Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0

Similar skills

  • Agent Builder

    shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code

    Design and build AI agents for any domain. An agent skill from shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code.

    78k GitHub starsUsed in 6 repos~1.2k tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

  • Add Uint Support

    pytorch/pytorch

    Add unsigned integer (uint) type support to PyTorch operators by updating ATDISPATCH macros.

    104k GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~2.3k tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

  • Peft Fine Tuning

    Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs

    Parameter-efficient fine-tuning for LLMs using LoRA, QLoRA, and 25+ methods.

    13k GitHub starsUsed in 9 repos~3.1k tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

  • Segment Anything Model Guide

    Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs

    Guide to using Meta's Segment Anything Model for zero-shot image segmentation with point, box or mask prompts, or automatic mask generation.

    13k GitHub starsUsed in 9 repos~3.3k tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

  • 1password

    trpc-group/trpc-agent-go

    Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). An agent skill from trpc-group/trpc-agent-go.

    1.8k GitHub starsUsed in 13 repos~656 tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

  • Chroma Vector Database

    Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs

    Shows how to store documents and embeddings in Chroma, query them by similarity with metadata filters, and persist them to disk for RAG and semantic search projects.

    13k GitHub starsUsed in 8 repos~2.3k tokens
    AI & LLM EngineeringAuto-check passed

More from aiming-lab/MetaClaw

All 36 skills in this repo

  • Data Validation First

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    Use this skill before any data analysis, transformation, or modeling.

    3.5k GitHub stars~230 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Input Validation And Sanitization

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    A skill your agent uses when implementing any endpoint, form handler, CLI tool, or function that accepts external input.

    3.5k GitHub stars~251 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Robust Error Handling In Scripts

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    A skill your agent uses when writing shell scripts, Python automation, or any unattended batch job.

    3.5k GitHub stars~225 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Structured Logging And Observability

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    A skill your agent uses when building production services, pipelines, or automation that needs to be debugged, monitored, or audited.

    3.5k GitHub stars~247 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Agent Task Handoff

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    A skill your agent uses when delegating a subtask to a sub-agent, spawning a parallel worker, or handing off work across sessions.

    3.5k GitHub stars~258 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Async Communication Etiquette

    aiming-lab/MetaClaw

    A skill your agent uses when writing messages in async channels (Slack, GitHub issues, email threads) where the reader may not have context and cannot ask follow-up questions immediately.

    3.5k GitHub stars~224 tokensUpdated 4 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

Categories

Questions about Codebase Navigation

What does Codebase Navigation do?

A skill your agent uses when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works. Codebase Navigation is an agent skill from aiming-lab/MetaClaw. Use this skill when exploring an unfamiliar codebase, tracing code paths, or answering questions about how the system works.

When should I use Codebase Navigation?

Codebase Navigation fits situations like: exploring an unfamiliar codebase; tracing code paths; answering questions about how the system works.

How do I install Codebase Navigation in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add aiming-lab/MetaClaw --skill codebase-navigation -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (memory_data/skills/codebase-navigation in aiming-lab/MetaClaw) into .claude/skills/codebase-navigation in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Codebase Navigation in Codex?

Run `npx skills add aiming-lab/MetaClaw --skill codebase-navigation -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (memory_data/skills/codebase-navigation in aiming-lab/MetaClaw) into .agents/skills/codebase-navigation in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Codebase Navigation in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add aiming-lab/MetaClaw --skill codebase-navigation -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/codebase-navigation, .gemini/skills/codebase-navigation, .github/skills/codebase-navigation and .opencode/skills/codebase-navigation in your project.

What does Codebase Navigation need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Codebase Navigation is instructions for the agent only.

Does Codebase Navigation access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Codebase Navigation safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Codebase Navigation use?

Codebase Navigation is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Codebase Navigation use?

About 286 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Codebase Navigation?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Codebase Navigation: Agent Builder (shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code, 78k stars), Add Uint Support (pytorch/pytorch, 104k stars), Peft Fine Tuning (Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs, 13k stars) and Segment Anything Model Guide (Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs, 13k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Codebase Navigation?

aiming-lab (a GitHub organization) maintains it in aiming-lab/MetaClaw, which has 3,459 GitHub stars. The repository holds 36 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 7, 2026.

Source: aiming-lab/MetaClaw on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.