Agent skill

Search Context

by instructa in instructa/agent-skills

Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents.

MITAuto-check passedMobile

Install Search Context

skills CLI
$ npx skills add instructa/agent-skills --skill search-context -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install instructa/agent-skills search-context --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/instructa/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/search-context .claude/skills/search-context && 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
search-context
GitHub stars
139
Token cost
~2.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
967 words
Files
17 (incl. scripts, references)
Skills in repo
17
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents.

  • Works in 9 steps: Convert the user request into concise… → If the user asks for local/third-party… → Use GitHub repository discovery for… → …
  • A user asks for GitHub reference projects
  • SKILL.md covers Default workflow, Required local tools, Main command and Presets, plus 7 more sections
  • Runs JavaScript scripts from its folder; calls node, git and npm

What it does

Search Context is an agent skill from instructa/agent-skills. Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents. Use when a user asks for GitHub reference projects, examples, prior art, inspiration, implementation patterns, or includes "$search-context" in a coding prompt.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 21 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `README.md`, `agents/openai.yaml` and `examples/example-ios-progress-ring-output.md`).

It sits in Mobile, covering Intellectual property and iOS development. It works with GitHub and iOS. The repository describes itself as: A curated collection of agent-skills. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • A user asks for GitHub reference projects
  • Implementation patterns
  • Includes $search-context in a coding prompt

Example prompts

  • “$search-context”
  • “/search-context”

Requirements

  • Node.js

Workflow steps

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

  1. Convert the user request into concise GitHub search phrases. For broad app/product requests, split the request into stack, domain, and…
  2. If the user asks for local/third-party references, search the local reference library first.
  3. Use GitHub repository discovery for fresh references, not GitHub code search.
  4. Prefer recent, maintained, readable repositories.
  5. Clone only the top candidate pool using blobless shallow clone.
  6. Inspect local and cloned repositories with rg.
  7. Verify candidates with local proof terms and reject generic/noisy references.
  8. Write a compact Markdown reference manifest with rejected/noisy references.
  9. Tell the agent which files are worth reading and why.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit d49c149. 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

    Ships 1 file in scripts/ (JavaScript, from the files we listed), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • node
    • git
    • npm
    • gh

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

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, npm and gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    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

Search Context loads about 2.1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 68 tokens; SKILL.md has 967 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~68
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.1k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~2.7k

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); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from instructa/agent-skills at commit d49c149, republished under its MIT licence (© instructa). 967 words, ~2,074 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/search-context/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 16 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
search-context
description
Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents. Use when a user asks for GitHub reference projects, examples, prior art, inspiration, implementation patterns, or includes "$search-context" in a coding prompt.
license
MIT
metadata.version
0.1.0
metadata.requires
gh, git, rg, node

Search Context

Use this skill when the user wants an agent to find useful GitHub reference projects for a feature, UI pattern, implementation pattern, platform, framework, or library.

Trigger examples:

  • $search-context visual progress indicator ring for ios app latest 2026
  • find GitHub references for a SwiftUI circular progress ring
  • how do good projects implement this pattern?
  • clone a few reference repos and tell me which files to inspect
  • give this agent GitHub context before implementing the feature

The goal is not faster raw code search. The goal is better reference selection, fewer cloned repositories, less context noise, and a clean manifest that tells the coding agent what to inspect.

Default workflow

  1. Convert the user request into concise GitHub search phrases. For broad app/product requests, split the request into stack, domain, and pattern facets instead of running one overloaded query.
  2. If the user asks for local/third-party references, search the local reference library first.
  3. Use GitHub repository discovery for fresh references, not GitHub code search.
  4. Prefer recent, maintained, readable repositories.
  5. Clone only the top candidate pool using blobless shallow clone.
  6. Inspect local and cloned repositories with rg.
  7. Verify candidates with local proof terms and reject generic/noisy references.
  8. Write a compact Markdown reference manifest with rejected/noisy references.
  9. Tell the agent which files are worth reading and why.

Required local tools

This skill expects these tools to be available in the shell:

  • gh, authenticated with GitHub
  • git
  • rg, also known as ripgrep
  • node version 18 or newer

Before running a search, use:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs check

Main command

From the skill directory:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs run "visual progress indicator ring for ios app latest 2026" \
  --preset ios-swift \
  --max-repos 5

If the package has been linked with npm link, use:

bash
search-context run "visual progress indicator ring for ios app latest 2026" --preset ios-swift

Presets

Use a preset when the platform or stack is clear.

  • ios-swift: iOS, Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, Apple UI components.
  • web-react: React, Next.js, Vite, Tailwind, component patterns.
  • generic: fallback when the stack is unknown.

The preset controls GitHub language filters, query expansion, local rg terms, file globs, and scoring hints. Presets are hints, not the whole plan: broad requests should still be decomposed into narrower searches such as framework architecture, domain examples, and UI/workflow patterns.

Local reference library

Use the local library for existing third-party folders or previously curated references:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs library add ../third-party/some-repo --tags react,ui --presets web-react --project current
node scripts/search-context.mjs library search "ProgressRing"
node scripts/search-context.mjs run "React progress ring" --sources library,github --project current

Library metadata is stored in the OS user cache at <cache>/library/repositories.json. Project-specific clusters are stored in the same registry when --project current or --project <id> is used.

Keep FFF or any future long-lived index as an optional search backend under this library workflow. Do not make FFF a hard requirement and do not split this into a separate skill unless the goal changes from reference selection to general code search.

Clone policy

Use blobless shallow clones for reference repositories:

bash
git clone --depth=1 --filter=blob:none --single-branch --no-tags <repo-url> <user-cache>/search-context/refs/owner__repo

Do not use normal full clones by default. Do not clone more than 5 repositories unless the user explicitly asks. Do not install dependencies from cloned reference repos. Do not execute cloned project code. Do not copy large code blocks into the agent context.

By default, keep cloned repositories and manifests in the OS user cache, not in the current project. Use --project-local only when the user explicitly wants .refs/ and .context/ in the current directory. Inside a Git worktree, those project-local paths must be ignored or the CLI will refuse to write them.

Show full SKILL.md (432 more words)Show less

Search policy

Use repository discovery first. Avoid using gh search code as the primary source. Use local rg after cloning to verify that the repository actually contains relevant implementation files. GitHub Code Search can be used as an optional pre-clone proof gate, but do not depend on it by default because the API is rate-limited.

Good reference selection beats raw search speed.

For mixed requests, prefer several narrow repository searches over one broad query. Example: "habit life app with TanStack Start" should produce stack queries like tanstack start, domain queries like habit life, and pattern queries like habit life tanstack start. Do not let a general React preset drown the run in unrelated component libraries.

Proof gates should reject or down-rank candidates that only match generic terms like react, start, or full. For known stacks/domains, require concrete code proof where possible:

  • TanStack Start: @tanstack/react-start, createServerFn, StartServer, StartClient, routeTree.gen, vinxi.
  • Habit apps: habit, streak, completion, calendar, routine.
  • Noise: raw GitHub zip links, default secrets, and README-only bait.

Score repositories by:

  • intent match
  • language and stack match
  • recent pushed_at
  • not archived
  • not a fork unless explicitly useful
  • readable size
  • license presence
  • examples, demos, samples, or preview apps
  • local matches in relevant implementation files

Output contract

Always produce a Markdown manifest. The default output is:

text
<user-cache>/search-context/runs/<timestamp>/reference-context.md

The manifest must include:

  • user goal
  • preset used
  • search plan mode and facets, when generated
  • GitHub search phrases used
  • top reference repositories
  • why each repository is useful
  • local path for each cloned repository
  • relevant files with short snippets only
  • rejected references with short reasons
  • what to study
  • what not to copy
  • any failures or uncertainty

Do not dump full repositories or long file contents into the response.

After the manifest is written, the coding agent should:

  1. Open only the relevant files listed in the manifest.
  2. Study implementation patterns, API choices, animation structure, state handling, and styling.
  3. Adapt the pattern to the current project.
  4. Respect licensing and avoid copying large sections of code.
  5. Implement the requested feature in the user's project.
  6. Run tests or build checks if available.

Useful commands

Run a reference search:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs run "SwiftUI progress ring animation" --preset ios-swift

Preview searches without cloning:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs run "SwiftUI progress ring animation" --preset ios-swift --dry-run

Use SSH for cloning:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs run "SwiftUI progress ring animation" --preset ios-swift --ssh

Search the local reference library:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs library search "Circle().trim"

Clean cached reference repos older than 30 days:

bash
node scripts/search-context.mjs clean --older-than 30d

Safety and licensing

Treat cloned repositories as untrusted code. Never run project scripts, package managers, tests, binaries, or install commands inside a reference repository unless the user explicitly asks and the risk is understood. Use reference repos for ideas, structure, and comparison, not for blind copying. Surface license information in the manifest when available.

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

Files

SKILL.md and 16 other files (scripts, references) in skills/engineering/search-context of instructa/agent-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • .gitignore
  • LICENSE
  • README.md
  • VERSION
  • agents/openai.yaml
  • examples/example-ios-progress-ring-output.md
  • examples/usage.md
  • package.json
  • presets/generic.json
  • presets/ios-swift.json
  • presets/web-react.json
  • references/security.md
  • references/workflow.md
  • scripts/search-context.mjs
  • templates
  • … and 1 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit d49c149

Compare with similar skills

Search Context 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.

Search Context compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Search Context this skillinstructa/agent-skills139—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
iOS App Store SubmitZestfulPulse/ios-app-store-submit142—~4.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Web To Mobilesuntay44/web-to-mobile-magic-plugin107—~781Automated safety check: PassMIT
Swift Developmentaiskillstore/marketplace430—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Reviewing Changesbitwarden/ios694—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
iOS SecurityHoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard570—~500Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Questions about Search Context

What does Search Context do?

Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents. Search Context is an agent skill from instructa/agent-skills. Find, clone, inspect, and summarize high-quality GitHub reference repositories for coding agents.

When should I use Search Context?

Search Context fits situations like: A user asks for GitHub reference projects; implementation patterns; includes $search-context in a coding prompt.

How do I install Search Context in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add instructa/agent-skills --skill search-context -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/engineering/search-context in instructa/agent-skills) into .claude/skills/search-context in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Search Context in Codex?

Run `npx skills add instructa/agent-skills --skill search-context -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/engineering/search-context in instructa/agent-skills) into .agents/skills/search-context in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Search Context 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 instructa/agent-skills --skill search-context -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/search-context, .gemini/skills/search-context, .github/skills/search-context and .opencode/skills/search-context in your project.

What does Search Context need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Search Context needs JavaScript for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (node, git, npm and gh). Our summary lists: Node.js.

Does Search Context access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, npm and gh, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Search Context 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. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Search Context use?

Search Context is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Search Context use?

About 2.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 617 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Search Context?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Search Context: iOS App Store Submit (ZestfulPulse/ios-app-store-submit, 142 stars), Web To Mobile (suntay44/web-to-mobile-magic-plugin, 107 stars), Swift Development (aiskillstore/marketplace, 430 stars) and Reviewing Changes (bitwarden/ios, 694 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Search Context?

instructa (a GitHub organization) maintains it in instructa/agent-skills, which has 139 GitHub stars. The repository holds 17 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 28, 2026.

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