Agent Skills: Ace Search

Ace Search

Overview

Use Augment Context Engine (ACE) semantic retrieval to quickly locate where things live in a codebase and explain how code is organized, without making edits.

Core principle: search semantically first; cite concrete file paths + symbols; iterate queries; stay read-only.

Workflow

1. Restate the search goal in one sentence (what you’re looking for + the expected shape: file, symbol, call site, test, config).
2. Decide tool:
   • Use mcp__augment-context-engine__codebase-retrieval for semantic questions: “where is X implemented?”, “how does Y work?”, “what calls Z?”
   • Use rg/grep only for exact, non-semantic string needs (e.g., an error message, a literal config key) where “ALL occurrences” matters.
3. Run ACE retrieval with a specific query that names:
   • the concept (feature/domain),
   • the likely artifact type (handler, CLI command, API route, config loader, test),
   • any known identifiers (function/class/module names).
4. Summarize results anchored to facts:
   • List key files (path/to/file.ext) and the relevant symbols/functions/classes.
   • Describe relationships (caller/callee, entrypoints, config flow) at a high level.
5. If results are weak, refine once:
   • add constraints (language/framework, directory, module name),
   • ask a single clarifying question if needed (e.g., product name, endpoint name, exact error text).
6. Stop before editing:
   • If the user asks to modify code, ask whether they want a separate edit-focused pass; do not call apply_patch in this skill.

Query Patterns (Copy/Paste)

• “Where is {feature} implemented? List entrypoints and main modules.”
• “Find the CLI command / subcommand handling {name} and its code path.”
• “How is {concept} configured? Identify config loading + env var parsing + defaults.”
• “Where are the tests for {feature}? List unit/integration/e2e tests and helpers.”
• “Trace the call path from {entrypoint} to {target} (functions/classes/modules).”
• “Find all call sites / usages of {identifier} and summarize patterns.”

Output Standard

• Prefer file paths + symbol names over generalities.
• If you reference a file, include enough context in words so the user can open it and confirm quickly.
• If you are unsure, say what’s missing and ask one targeted question.

Quick Reference

| Need | Do | |---|---| | “Where is X implemented?” / “How does X work?” | Use mcp__augment-context-engine__codebase-retrieval | | “Show me every occurrence of this exact string” | Use rg/grep (exact match) | | “Find definition/constructor of Foo” (exact symbol) | Use mcp__augment-context-engine__codebase-retrieval first; use rg only if you truly need exact-match enumeration | | “And now change it” | Stop; ask to switch to an edit-focused workflow |

Example

User: “在这个仓库里，rollback 是在哪里实现的？列出入口和主要调用路径。”

ACE query to run:

• “Find where rollback is implemented. Identify the CLI entrypoint/command, the function(s) performing rollback, and any backup/restore modules. Return key files and symbols.”

Then respond with:

• Key files + symbols (entrypoint + implementation + helpers)
• High-level call flow (who calls what)
• Any relevant tests

Common Mistakes

• Using rg/grep for semantic discovery (“where is X implemented?”) instead of ACE.
• Writing an overly vague ACE query (“find auth”) and not refining it.
• Reporting conclusions without anchoring them to file paths + symbols.
• Making edits “while you’re here” when the task is explicitly search-only.

Rationalization Table

| Rationalization | Counter | |---|---| | “rg is faster; I’ll just grep quickly.” | Speed is irrelevant if the query is semantic; use ACE to avoid missing the right entrypoint/symbols. | | “I already know where it is.” | Prove it with a retrieval-backed file + symbol list; don’t guess. | | “I might as well fix it now.” | This skill is read-only; stop and ask to switch workflows before editing. |

Red Flags (Stop)

• Reaching for rg/grep before attempting ACE retrieval
• Not listing file paths/symbols in the answer
• Editing files (or proposing patches) during a search-only request
• “I’m sure it’s in src/ somewhere” (guessing without retrieval evidence)