Explore Codebase

Use Opencode’s built-in Explore agent for fast, read-only codebase exploration.

When to Use

• Initial codebase discovery and mapping
• Finding files by patterns (e.g., “find all React components”)
• Understanding project structure and architecture
• Quick code searches without modifying files
• Answering questions about “where is X located?”

How to Use

Option 1: Invoke @explore Subagent

When running inside Opencode, invoke the Explore subagent directly:

@explore Find all API endpoints in this codebase

@explore Map out the database models and their relationships

@explore What authentication patterns are used here?

Option 2: CLI with Explore Agent

From the terminal, use the --agent explore flag:

opencode run --agent explore "Map out the project structure"

opencode run --agent explore "Find all test files"

opencode run --agent explore "What are the main components in src/?"

What Explore Agent Does

The Explore agent is:

• Read-only – Cannot modify files (safe for exploration)
• Fast – Optimized for quick searches and file discovery
• Pattern-matching – Great for glob searches and keyword finding
• Codebase mapping – Efficient at understanding structure

Common Patterns

Map entire codebase:

@explore Give me an overview of this project's architecture

Find specific files:

@explore Find all files related to authentication

Understand patterns:

@explore What testing framework is used and where are tests located?

Quick search:

@explore Search for where 'User' type is defined

Best Practices

1. Start broad, then narrow – Ask for overall structure first
2. Use specific terms – Name files, functions, or patterns explicitly
3. Chain explorations – Use results to ask follow-up questions
4. Combine with other agents – After exploring, switch to Build agent to make changes

Integration with Workflow

After exploring, transition to implementation:

@explore [your exploration query]

[Review results, then:]

Now let's implement the changes. [Switch to Build agent or continue with main agent]