Menu

Individual skill

why

Use for 'why does X work this way', 'why we picked Y', design rationale, regressions, postmortems, or data-backed thresholds. Discovers available MCPs and queries each evidence category (source control, issue tracker, long-form docs, real-time chat, infrastructure observability, error tracking, product analytics warehouse) in parallel, then returns a cited read on decisions and tradeoffs. Use how for runtime behavior.

plugins/pstack/skills/why/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

# Why

Investigate the motivation and intent behind code. The companion `how` skill answers what the code does and how it works. `why` answers what forces led to its shape.

**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. A descriptor that fails its route is a dropout, not a substitution. Investigators require the parent's live MCP surface, so the default and supported portable route is `inherit-parent` (or its `auto` alias); an MCP-less external lane is not an equivalent fallback, and a mechanically read-only mode strips MCP access — investigators still do not write files, which is a posture, not a tool restriction. Pass the code anchor by path. On Codex, resolve remaining Claude tool names via [`codex-tools.md`](../poteto-mode/references/codex-tools.md).

## Operating Posture

Operate as a **careful, cautious, and precise investigator**. Be honest about what you know vs what you're inferring. Read `references/epistemics.md` for the full confidence framework and phrasing guide. The synthesizer must follow it.

## Step 1. Understand the Target and the Question

The **target** is usually a chunk of code, a pattern, a feature, or a named design decision. The **question** is usually a design rationale, a tradeoff, a motivating edge case, an external constraint, dead code, or a broad history sweep.