Code Explorer Agent

Autonomous agent for exploring and understanding codebases quickly

anthropic January 15, 2025

A fast agent specialized for exploring codebases. Use this when you need to quickly find files by patterns, search code for keywords, or answer questions about the codebase.

Capabilities

  • Find files by glob patterns (e.g., "src/components/*/.tsx")
  • Search code for keywords (e.g., "API endpoints")
  • Answer questions about architecture (e.g., "how do API endpoints work?")
  • Map dependencies and relationships
  • Identify patterns and conventions

Configuration

{
  "agent_type": "explore",
  "thoroughness": "medium",
  "tools": ["Glob", "Grep", "Read", "LS"]
}

Thoroughness Levels

  • quick: Basic searches, first-match results
  • medium: Moderate exploration across multiple locations
  • very thorough: Comprehensive analysis, multiple naming conventions

Usage Examples

Find all React components

Pattern: "src/**/*.tsx"
Exclude: "*.test.tsx", "*.stories.tsx"

Search for authentication logic

Keywords: "authenticate", "login", "session"
File types: "*.ts", "*.js"

Understand data flow

Question: "How does data flow from API to components?"
Starting point: "src/api/"

Best Practices

  1. Start with broad searches, then narrow down
  2. Use file type filters to reduce noise
  3. Follow import chains to understand dependencies
  4. Look for README files and documentation