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+---
+name: code-reference
+description: Explore external codebases to answer questions about their architecture, implementation, and behavior. Use when needing to understand how a library, framework, or external project works internally — for debugging dependency behavior, making architecture decisions, understanding API internals, or learning implementation patterns. Triggers on repo slugs or URLs with questions (e.g., "how does X implement Y"), "look at the source of", "check how [dep] works", "explore [repo]", or when answering a question would benefit from reading source code of an external project. Also invoke proactively when the user's question about a dependency could be answered more accurately by reading the actual source rather than relying on training data.
+---
+
+# Code Reference
+
+Explore external codebases to answer specific questions, grounded in actual source code.
+
+## Input Parsing
+
+Arguments are freeform — a mix of **target** (what repo) and **question** (what to find out).
+
+Extract:
+1. **Target** — a GitHub URL, repo slug (`org/repo`), package name, or natural language description
+2. **Question** — what the user wants to know (may be implicit: "how does the allocator work", "what's the plugin architecture")
+
+If only a target is given with no question, ask what they want to know.
+
+## Workflow
+
+### 1. Resolve the Repository
+
+**Slug or URL provided:**
+
+```bash
+gh repo view <slug> --json nameWithOwner,url,defaultBranch
+```
+
+**Package name or description (ambiguous):**
+
+First check if it's a dependency of the current project (see step 2) to resolve the exact repo. Otherwise search:
+
+```bash
+gh search repos "<query>" --limit 5 --json nameWithOwner,description,url
+```
+
+If multiple candidates match, present them and ask the user to pick.
+
+### 2. Version Pinning
+
+If the referenced repo corresponds to a **direct dependency** of the current project, identify the pinned version and check out the matching release tag. This ensures advice is grounded in the version actually in use.
+
+Check these files in the project root to find the version:
+
+| Ecosystem | Dependency files | Version source |
+|-----------|-----------------|----------------|
+| Python | `pyproject.toml`, `uv.lock`, `requirements*.txt` | Version specifier or locked version |
+| Node | `package.json`, `package-lock.json` | `dependencies` / `devDependencies` |
+| Go | `go.mod` | `require` directives |
+| Rust | `Cargo.toml`, `Cargo.lock` | `[dependencies]` section |
+| Zig | `build.zig.zon` | `.dependencies` |
+| JVM | `build.gradle.kts`, `libs.versions.toml` | Version catalog or dependency block |
+| Nix | `flake.nix`, `flake.lock` | Input refs and locked revisions |
+
+If a version is found, resolve the matching git tag:
+
+```bash
+gh api "repos/{owner}/{repo}/git/refs/tags" --jq '.[].ref' | grep -i "<version>"
+```
+
+### 3. Clone or Locate
+
+Cache reference repos at `~/.cache/claude/references/`:
+
+```bash
+REF_DIR="$HOME/.cache/claude/references/<owner>/<repo>"
+
+if [ -d "$REF_DIR" ]; then
+  git -C "$REF_DIR" fetch --tags --quiet
+else
+  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$REF_DIR")"
+  gh repo clone <owner>/<repo> "$REF_DIR"
+fi
+
+# If version-pinned, checkout the tag
+git -C "$REF_DIR" checkout <tag> --quiet 2>/dev/null
+```
+
+### 4. Explore
+
+Two-phase strategy — orient first, then dig in.
+
+#### Phase A: DeepWiki Probe
+
+Use the DeepWiki MCP server (`mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_structure`, `mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_contents`) to get a high-level overview of the repo before reading source files. This is fast, context-efficient, and especially valuable for large or unfamiliar projects.
+
+- Get the wiki structure to identify relevant sections
+- Read sections that relate to the user's question
+- Use the overview to identify which modules, files, and abstractions to target in Phase B
+
+If DeepWiki hasn't indexed the repo or the MCP is unavailable, skip to Phase B with a broader initial pass.
+
+#### Phase B: Targeted Source Exploration
+
+Launch Explore sub-agents (via Task tool with `subagent_type=Explore`) against the cloned repo directory. Frame the exploration prompt around:
+
+- The user's specific question
+- Architectural context from DeepWiki (if available)
+- The pinned version and any version-specific considerations
+
+For questions that span multiple subsystems, launch parallel Explore agents targeting different aspects.
+
+Set the exploration `path` to `$REF_DIR` so the agent searches the reference repo, not the current project.
+
+### 5. Respond
+
+Provide:
+- **Direct answer** to the question, grounded in source code
+- **Key files** — paths in the reference repo most relevant to the answer
+- **Code excerpts** — short, targeted snippets (not full files)
+- **Version note** — if version-pinned, state the version examined
+
+Stay focused on the question asked. Don't dump the whole architecture unless that's what was requested.