Explain how a subsystem works, trace a runtime flow, or determine where code and ownership belong before making a change.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# How
Build a working mental model from the code. Explain entry points, data flow, ownership, boundaries, and non-obvious behavior. Use **why** when the user wants historical motivation.
## Choose the mode
- **Explain**. Trace and explain the current system.
- **Critique**. Explain first, then identify architectural problems and practical improvements.
Treat one module or symbol as simple. Treat a flow across several modules or services as complex.
## Explore
For a simple question, inspect and explain inline.
For a complex question, divide the system into two to four non-overlapping slices. If the host supports subagents and the user permits them, assign each slice to a read-only subagent using the parent model. Use different available models only for an explicitly requested multi-model critique. If delegation is unavailable or forbidden, inspect the slices inline in the same order.
Each slice must:
1. Find the real entry point.
2. Trace callers, callees, state, and types from input to output.
3. Read code instead of inferring behavior from file names.
4. Record specific files and symbols.
5. Note behavior a newcomer would probably misunderstand.
…
The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260827.04830a9, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_5w3s6xibftiyw74x
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=painhardcore/pstack/how
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/f73a445093d9be622b6b6d050d382d6aeae7d81e6e70adca55970aa91314d458
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/architect/SKILL.md · Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/arena/SKILL.md · Spawn N parallel candidates at the same task, pick a base, graft the strongest parts of the losers into it. Use for…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/blast-radius/SKILL.md · Find what a change could break somewhere else before it ships, beyond the diff, and prove the one fact it's safe…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/create-verification-skill/SKILL.md · Generate a project-local verification skill that drives your app the way a user does — any language, framework, or…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/figure-it-out/SKILL.md · Design an auditable playbook when no narrower one fits: a large migration, an ambitious multi-part change, or work a…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/how/SKILL.md · Explain how a subsystem works, trace a runtime flow, or determine where code and ownership belong before making a…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/interrogate/SKILL.md · Use for "interrogate", "adversarial review", "multi-model review", "challenge this", "stress test this code", "find…
painhardcore/pstack · .opencode/skills/principle-boundary-discipline/SKILL.md · Apply when wiring validation, error handling, or framework adapters. Concentrate guards at system boundaries (CLI…
cursor/plugins · pstack/skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
cursor/plugins · harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
michael-denyer/pstack-claude · plugins/pstack/skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
backnotprop/pstack · skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
bastani-inc/atomic · packages/workflows/skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
j-star-films-studios/vibecode-protocol-suite · assets/.agent/skills/code-intelligence/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
theonlyfusioncube/potetos-for-everyone · skills/how/SKILL.md · Trace how a subsystem works using code and runtime evidence. Use for architecture walkthroughs, data flow, call paths…
creedants/pstack-t3 · skills/how/SKILL.md · Use for "how does X work", code walkthroughs before changing something, and placement / ownership / layering questions…
