Skills Guide

Advanced Code Search

VerifiedSafe

Advanced code search tool that locates definitions, usages, tests, and references for any symbol across the entire codebase. It helps developers understand how a function, class, or variable is used throughout the project. More powerful than simple text search as it understands code structure and groups results by category.

Download and use
Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
6/2/2026
Claude Code
#code-search#symbol-reference#codebase-navigation

Recommended for

Backend developerClaude CodeCode reviewFrontend developerFullstack developerRefactoring

Automated summary

Advanced code search tool that finds definitions, usages, tests, and references of symbols across the entire codebase.

Strengths

  • Understands C++ code structure for more accurate results than simple grep.
  • Searches across all file types (source, test, example, benchmark).
  • Provides context around each match and groups results by category.

Limitations

  • Requires the Python script and dependencies to be set up.
  • Only works with projects that follow a specific directory structure.
  • May be slow on very large codebases.
When to use it

Use it when you need to understand how a symbol is defined and used throughout the entire project.

When not to use it

Avoid using it for simple string searches where a quick grep would suffice.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

The skill runs a local Python script for code search. No network calls, file deletion, or obfuscation are indicated. The command is straightforward and takes a symbol name as argument. Assuming the script behaves as described, there are no security risks.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Find class references
Find all usages and definitions of the NetworkClient class in the codebase.
Trace function usage
Search for all occurrences of the connect method, including its definition and all calls.
Locate variable references
Show me every place where the server_address variable is used, including its definition.

name: search description: Advanced code search tool that finds definitions, usages, tests, and references across the entire codebase. Use when you need to understand how a symbol is used throughout the project.

Code Search

Intelligent code search that finds all references to symbols (functions, classes, variables, etc.) across code, tests, examples, benchmarks, and fuzz tests.

Instructions

  1. Run the search command with a symbol name: 
    uv run python .claude/skills/search/search.py <symbol>

Features

  • Finds function/class definitions
  • Locates all usages and references
  • Searches across:
    • Source files (src/, include/)
    • Test files (tests/)
    • Examples (examples/)
    • Benchmarks (benchmarks/)
    • Fuzz tests (fuzz/)
  • Shows context around each match
  • Groups results by category

Examples

Search for a function:

uv run python .claude/skills/search/search.py NetworkClient

Search for a method:

uv run python .claude/skills/search/search.py connect

Search for a variable:

uv run python .claude/skills/search/search.py server_address

Notes

  • More powerful than simple grep - understands C++ code structure
  • Shows both definitions and all usages
  • Helps trace how code flows through the system

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/download' --output '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/search' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori' '.claude/skills/search'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori'

openskills read 'advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/advanced-code-search-mmlj2ori/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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