Start with a question
Run /explore <topic> in Claude Code or $explore <topic> in Codex. For example:
/explore would caching help our dashboard?
/explore should this app support teams?
/explore alternatives to our current upload flowExplore reads relevant code and context, compares options, and helps you decide whether a change is worthwhile. Plans and an active feature are not required. It can consult authoritative documentation when needed, ask focused questions, or use a diagram in the conversation.
A conversation, not a deliverable
There is no mandatory report or checklist. Explore states uncertainty and the strongest case against its recommendation. Leaving the project alone is a valid outcome. Continue the discussion until you have enough evidence to decide.
Read-only boundaries
Explore does not write files, plans, specs, or activity state. It does not run product code, tests, builds, or servers, install dependencies, or change Git state. It never turns a discussion into implementation approval.
Choose the right neighbor
- Brief explains an existing planned feature and its dependencies.
- Discovery develops broader product plans through a reviewed conversation.
- Debug reproduces and isolates an actual failure.
- Feature writes the spec when you are ready to plan a feature.
- Fix specifies a confirmed bug or small unplanned change.
Explore suggests a handoff when you are ready; it does not invoke another skill automatically.