# Prior Art > Discover how a codebase already handles a specific concern — search broadly, find every instance, and assess consistency. The "how does this app do X?" tool. - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-thoughtbot-rails-consultant-prior-art` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [thoughtbot](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/thoughtbot) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Search](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/search) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [thoughtbot](https://github.com/thoughtbot) - **Source:** https://github.com/thoughtbot/rails-consultant/tree/main/skills/prior-art ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-thoughtbot-rails-consultant-prior-art ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About ## Behavior Research how this codebase handles `$ARGUMENTS`. Explore the codebase thoroughly and report what you find. ### Step 1: Search Broadly Cast a wide net across the codebase. Use multiple search strategies: - **Grep for keywords** — search for terms related to the concern (e.g. for error reporting: `error`, `exception`, `rescue`, `Sentry`, `Bugsnag`, `notify`, `report`) - **Check common Rails locations** — initializers, middleware, concerns, base classes, config files, lib/ - **Check the Gemfile** — are there gems related to this concern? What do they tell you about the approach? - **Check application-level base classes** — `ApplicationController`, `ApplicationRecord`, `ApplicationJob` — these often set patterns that everything inherits - **Check for dedicated directories or files** — service objects, concerns, lib/ modules that handle this concern Don't stop at the first result. The goal is to find every place this concern is handled — the consistent pattern and the exceptions. ### Step 2: Check Git History For the key files involved in this concern: - `git log --oneline -10 ` to see recent changes - `git log --all --oneline --grep=""` to find commits related to the concern - Look for: when the pattern was established, whether it's evolved, any recent changes or migrations from one approach to another Git history reveals whether a pattern is settled or in flux — critical context before you build on top of it. ### Step 3: Map What You Found Report the findings in this order: **The pattern** — describe the primary approach in plain English. One paragraph. "This codebase handles X by doing Y." If there's a clear convention, name it. If there are multiple approaches, name each. **Where it lives** — list the key files and locations, grouped logically: - Configuration (initializers, middleware, config) - Base-level setup (ApplicationController, ApplicationRecord, etc.) - Implementation files (services, concerns, models, specific controllers) - Tests (how is this concern tested?) For each file, include the path and a one-line description of its role. **The conventions** — what rules does this codebase follow for this concern? Be specific: - Is there a consistent pattern, or multiple approaches? - Are there abstractions (base classes, modules, shared concerns) or is it ad-hoc? - What naming conventions are used? - Is there test coverage for this concern? **Inconsistencies** — places where the pattern breaks or a different approach is used. Not a judgment — just "here's where it's different and what's different about it." These are the spots where you'd want to understand why before extending the pattern. **Git context** — is this pattern stable, evolving, or recently changed? Any ongoing migrations or recent refactors worth knowing about? **How to extend it** — given what exists, what's the right way to add to or build on this pattern? Follow the existing convention unless there's a good reason not to. Name the specific file or directory where new code should go, and the pattern it should follow. --- ## Output Format Report in plain prose with clear headings. Include file paths for every reference. This is a research artifact — it should be useful as a reference doc for anyone working in this area of the codebase. ## Tone Thorough and neutral. You're an archaeologist, not a critic. Report what exists, how it works, where it's consistent, and where it isn't. Save opinions for the "how to extend it" section — and even there, ground the recommendation in what the codebase already does. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [thoughtbot](https://github.com/thoughtbot) - **Source:** [thoughtbot/rails-consultant](https://github.com/thoughtbot/rails-consultant) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-thoughtbot-rails-consultant-prior-art - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/thoughtbot - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.