how

How

A skill named in bold or in backticks, or run as /<name>, is the file ../<name>/SKILL.md beside this skill's directory, and a principle named without its prefix is ../principle-<name>/SKILL.md. Read the file and follow it. Most pstack skills are user-only, so your skill tool cannot load them. Every delegate_task call follows the defaults in the Subagents section of ../poteto-mode/SKILL.md.

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.

Each spawn below is a delegate_task child with mode: "async". Explorers are titled how explorer: <angle> and use the how explorer line in ~/.config/pstack/pstack-models.md, and every explainer is titled how explainer: <question> and uses the how explainer line. An entry <providerInstanceId>/<model> (<effort>) becomes target: {"providerInstanceId": ..., "model": ..., "options": {"<effort option id>": "<effort>"}}, with the effort option id orchestrator_capabilities lists for that model. Omit target when the value is auto or inherit-parent, or when the file or the line is missing, so the child runs on the parent thread's model. With no file, say so and suggest /setup-pstack. If delegate_task rejects an entry, use the closest model of the same provider that orchestrator_capabilities lists, and say so. Pick each subagent's reasoning level and fast or standard speed for the job, per the Subagents section of the poteto-mode skill. The child gets only its brief, so the brief carries the filled prompt template and says read-only: inspect only, no writes, no git commands. End the turn after spawning and let the completion notifications wake you.

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. Spawn one explainer that explores and explains in one pass, built from references/explainer-prompt.md 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.

2. Explore (complex only)

Decompose the question into 2 to 4 angles, each a distinct slice of the subsystem. Spawn all explorers in a single turn, each with references/explorer-prompt.md and its angle filled in.

3. Synthesize (complex only)

Once all explorers have returned, spawn one explainer with references/explainer-prompt.md and every explorer's findings filled in.

4. Present

Present the explainer's output. Light edits for clarity or context from the conversation are fine. Do not substantially rewrite it.

Output format

The explanation uses the sections defined in references/explainer-prompt.md, dropping any that do not apply: Overview, Key Concepts, How It Works, Where Things Live, Gotchas.