---
name: ck-scout
description: Fast codebase scouting using parallel agents. Use for file discovery, task context gathering, quick searches across directories, finding where functionality lives, understanding project structure.
---

# ck-scout

Fast, token-efficient codebase scouting using parallel agents to find files needed for tasks.

## When to Use

- Beginning work on a feature spanning multiple directories
- User mentions needing to "find", "locate", or "search for" files
- Starting a debugging session requiring file relationships understanding
- User asks about project structure or where functionality lives
- Before changes that might affect multiple parts of the codebase

## Don't Use When

- You already know which specific files to read — read them directly
- The codebase is tiny (< 10 files) — just read directly
- You need documentation lookup — use `ck-docs-seeker` instead

## Arguments

- Default: Scout using built-in parallel exploration agents
- `ext`: Scout using external Gemini/OpenCode CLI tools in parallel (for very large codebases)

## Workflow

### 1. Analyze Task

- Parse user prompt for search targets
- Identify key directories, patterns, file types
- Estimate codebase scale to determine number of agents needed

### 2. Divide and Conquer

- Split codebase into logical segments per agent
- Assign each agent specific directories or file patterns
- Ensure no overlap, maximize coverage

### 3. Dispatch Parallel Agents

- Spawn multiple exploration agents simultaneously, each covering distinct directories
- Each agent receives exact directories/patterns to search and returns a detailed summary
- Timeout: 3 minutes per agent (skip non-responders)

**Notes:**
- Each subagent has a limited context window — give precise, bounded search instructions
- Scale number of agents to codebase size and task complexity

### 4. Collect Results

- Aggregate findings into a single report
- List unresolved questions at end

## Report Format

```markdown
# Scout Report

## Relevant Files
- `path/to/file.ts` - Brief description
- ...

## Unresolved Questions
- Any gaps in findings
```

## Integration

`ck-scout` is called by other skills as a prerequisite:
- `ck-code-review` uses it for edge case scouting before review
- `ck-planning` uses it for codebase understanding phase
- `ck-cook` uses it as the first step before planning
- `ck-debug` uses it to locate affected files