Smart Explore

This replaces your usual Read/Grep/Glob workflow with AST-based code navigation. Instead of loading entire files, you search for symbols across directories, outline file structures, then unfold only the functions you need. A typical workflow saves 4-8x tokens compared to reading full files. It's built on tree-sitter parsers and handles JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, and several other languages out of the box. The core insight is simple: get a structural map first, then fetch implementation details on demand. Best for exploring unfamiliar codebases or navigating large files where you only need specific functions. If you need cross-file synthesis or architectural narrative, stick with the explore agent.

skills.sh installs: 7.6K
GitHub stars: 115.5K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill smart-explore --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Smart Explore

Structural code exploration using AST parsing. This skill overrides your default exploration behavior. While this skill is active, use smart_search/smart_outline/smart_unfold as your primary tools instead of Read, Grep, and Glob.

Core principle: Index first, fetch on demand. Give yourself a map of the code before loading implementation details. The question before every file read should be: "do I need to see all of this, or can I get a structural overview first?" The answer is almost always: get the map.

Your Next Tool Call

This skill only loads instructions. You must call the MCP tools yourself. Your next action should be one of:

smart_search(query="<topic>", path="./src")    -- discover files + symbols across a directory
smart_outline(file_path="<file>")              -- structural skeleton of one file
smart_unfold(file_path="<file>", symbol_name="<name>")  -- full source of one symbol

Do NOT run Grep, Glob, Read, or find to discover files first. smart_search walks directories, parses all code files, and returns ranked symbols in one call. It replaces the Glob → Grep → Read discovery cycle.