Source Code Inspection

When you hit a runtime error or mystery behavior and need to trace it back through actual source files, this skill keeps Claude methodical. It enforces search before read, demands narrow file ranges instead of dumping entire modules, and formats every claim with precise line-anchored citations that render as clickable links. The workflow stops Claude from hallucinating about code it hasn't actually loaded and makes answers checkable. Honest callout: it's only as good as your error messages and search terms, so vague "something's broken" requests still need you to narrow the scope first. Best for post-mortem debugging and tracing config or query construction paths.

GitHub stars: 320
last updated: May 14, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add frankchen021/datastoria --skill source-code-inspection --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

When To Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

investigate source-code causes of runtime failures or query errors
trace where SQL, configuration, or request parameters were built in code
find the code path that led to an error such as UNKNOWN_TABLE
explain behavior with file-cited evidence from the repository

Workflow

Use search_file first to locate relevant files and line numbers before reading content.
Use read_file only for targeted sections; do not read entire files or large ranges.
Prefer narrow, iterative reads: search identifiers, function names, or error strings, then expand only when necessary.
Do not claim to have reviewed code that was not loaded with tools in this conversation.
If no matches found, refine the search and retry before giving up.