Menu

Individual skill

how

Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions ("where should this live", "which package owns this", "is this the right layer"). Explains subsystem architecture, runtime flow, onboarding mental models. Use why for motivation.

plugins/pstack/skills/how/SKILL.md

Read pinned source

Source commit a80f632878066f0291db9e583e76daf09702d303

What was checked

Matches the observed repository HEAD
Yes
Scanner rules are current
Yes
Repository scan complete
No
Skill scan complete
No
Observed behavior
Network or broad shell
Last checked
Nov 5, 2026

These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.

Install this skill

Choose an agent in your Stack or copy a command below. Commands fetch the pinned commit and copy only this skill directory. Existing destinations are refused. Copying a command does not install anything.

An install command is unavailable: current rules, complete repository and skill scans, an eligible behavior level and a permitted license are required.

Repository context

Repository stars (not skill ratings)
16
Repository last updated
Nov 4, 2026
License
MIT

Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.

Files and excerpt

File metadata and permitted, redacted excerpts come from the recorded scan. Source links are pinned to that commit.

Browse files
Read excerpt

# How

Explore the codebase to answer "how does X work?" questions. Produce architectural explanations at the level of a senior engineer onboarding onto a subsystem, enough to build a working mental model, not so much that it reads like annotated source code.

**Dispatch contract.** Resolve every configured role through [`provider-dispatch.md`](../poteto-mode/references/provider-dispatch.md). Each lane below names a role line in the current harness's pstack model sheet and a default descriptor: use the line's value, or the default when the sheet or the line is missing. `auto` and `inherit-parent` run on the parent model natively. Each lane runs its saved attempt chain: a terminal outcome the sheet's `# fallback` policy authorizes advances to the next saved attempt per provider-dispatch's fallback state machine (`usage-exhausted` only when no policy is saved); every other route failure is a dropout, not a substitution. These lanes are read-only, so an eligible fallback advances directly. On Codex, resolve remaining Claude tool names via [`codex-tools.md`](../poteto-mode/references/codex-tools.md).

## 1. Assess complexity

If the scope is ambiguous, state your interpretation and explore. The user can redirect.

- **Simple** (a single module, a small utility, a narrow question such as "how does function X work"): no explorers. Dispatch one read-only lane that explores and explains in one pass using the `how explainer` line's descriptor (default `claude:opus@max`), with `references/explainer-prompt.md` built without the explorer-findings section. Go to step 4.
- **Complex** (a subsystem spanning multiple files or services, a cross-cutting feature, a full architectural overview): go to step 2.

When in doubt, take the simple path.