Filesystem navigation

Filesystem Navigation

When to Use This Skill

When you are asked to explore, understand, or map a project's file structure. This includes requests like "what is this project?", "show me the structure", or "help me find where X is".

Strategy

Start at the Root

Always begin by listing the top-level directory. The root reveals the project type faster than anything else:

• README.md or README.rst → start here, it's the author's own summary
• requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, package.json → tells you the language and dependencies
• Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml → the project is containerized
• Makefile, justfile → there are predefined commands to run
• .env.example → environment variables are needed; never read .env itself

Explore Breadth Before Depth

List all top-level directories before diving into any single one. Build a mental map:

• src/ or app/ → application code lives here
• tests/ or test/ → test suite
• config/ or conf/ → configuration
• docs/ → documentation
• scripts/ or bin/ → utility scripts
• migrations/ or alembic/ → database migrations

Go Deeper with Purpose

Don't read every file. Choose what to read based on what you're trying to answer:

• To understand what the project does → README, then entry point
• To understand how it's structured → list src/ recursively
• To understand how to run it → README, Makefile, Dockerfile, config
• To understand dependencies → requirements.txt, package.json, pyproject.toml

Things to Avoid

• Don't assume a file's purpose from its name alone — utils.py could contain anything
• Don't read binary files (images, compiled files, databases)
• Don't read .env files — they may contain secrets
• Don't try to read node_modules/, __pycache__/, .git/, or other generated directories
• Don't list deeply nested directories all at once — go level by level

Signals That Help

• A __main__.py or if __name__ == "__main__" block indicates an entry point
• A file named app.py, main.py, or server.py is usually the entry point
• __init__.py files in Python indicate a package; they may re-export key symbols
• Hidden files (.gitignore, .flake8, .pre-commit-config.yaml) reveal tooling choices