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Prompting Guide: how to ask Corrdex for stronger answers

Corrdex works best when your question clearly names the feature, file, technology, provider, or domain you care about, and asks for the answer shape you want. Use broad discovery prompts when you are searching, then switch to implementation-trace or deep file follow-ups once Corrdex has found the right area.

Short version
Name the exact feature, technology, file, or domain.
Decide whether you want discovery, implementation trace, or deep file analysis.
Ask for grouping, flow, communication, or functions explicitly.
Use narrow follow-ups once Corrdex finds the right area.
Ask for risk or blast radius only when you want judgment.
Prefer exact anchors when you know them.
Sections
Core principlesPrompt templatesWeak vs strong promptsIdeal prompting pattern
01

Core principles

01

Start with the exact thing you want to find

Corrdex performs best when the question names the feature, technology, provider, domain, file, or behavior you actually care about. Broad product-language prompts are weaker than concrete code-facing prompts.

Good examples
Find where authentication is implemented end to end.
Show me the main domains or folders in this codebase, and what each one does.
Which providers, integrations, or external services exist in this repo?
Avoid
Tell me about the projectExplain the backendWhere does everything happen
02

Ask for the shape of answer you want

If you want a quick inventory, architecture map, implementation trace, or file-level breakdown, say that directly. Corrdex gets stronger when the expected answer shape is explicit.

Good examples
Give me a quick overview of the technologies used here.
Trace this feature from entrypoint to service to storage.
Break this file down function by function.
Useful phrases
Show me the main filesGroup them by folder or domainTrace it end to endList the important functionsShow how they communicateKeep it implementation-focused
03

Use discovery prompts for broad search

When you are not sure where something lives, ask Corrdex to search broadly first. This works especially well for technologies, integrations, providers, and subsystem discovery.

Good examples
Search for object storage in this repo.
Find all email-related providers, config, and send paths.
Show me where AWS, S3, SES, or Redis appear in the implementation.
04

Use implementation-trace prompts when you want the real path

Once you know the area, ask for the concrete execution path. Corrdex is strongest when the question asks for entrypoints, handlers, services, repositories, storage, and external APIs in one flow.

Good examples
Find where booking cancellation is implemented end to end.
Trace this upload flow from entrypoint to storage.
Show me the request path from route to database for this feature.
05

Follow up narrowly instead of starting over

After Corrdex finds the right area, keep drilling into the same subject. Ask about one file, one function, one dependency edge, or one communication path at a time.

Good examples
Go deeper on this file.
Now show me the important functions in it.
How do these files communicate with each other?
What depends on this part?
06

Ask for risk only when you want judgment

Risk, violations, blast radius, and refactor guidance are useful, but they are not the best default for every question. Ask for them when you want quality or change impact, not just implementation location.

Good examples
If I change this file, what is the likely blast radius?
Which architectural violations matter most here?
How should I refactor this area without breaking current behavior?
07

Prefer exact anchors when you know them

If you know the file path, function name, provider name, or domain term, include it. Exact anchors produce the most reliable answers and make follow-ups much stronger.

Good examples
Tell me about packages/app-store/salesforce/lib/CrmService.ts.
Trace createScanRun end to end.
Show me upload-aws-s3 and how signed URLs work.
08

If you paste prior context, keep the active ask clear

Corrdex can work from pasted prior context, but the active question should still be short and explicit. Put the real ask first, then paste the prior answer or notes below it.

Good examples
How do these files communicate with each other? Then paste the prior answer below.
Which of these dependencies are actually in the request path? Then paste the previous breakdown.
02

Prompt templates

Technology discovery
Tell me the main technologies, providers, integrations, and external services used in this codebase. Group them by area.
Feature discovery
Search broadly for [feature or capability] in this repo. Show me the main files first, then tell me which path looks primary.
Full implementation trace
Find where [feature] is implemented end to end. I want the entrypoint, handler, service, repository or storage layer, and important functions.
Integration mapping
Which providers, integrations, or external services exist for [area]? Group them by folder or integration area, and show the main files for each.
Deep file analysis
Go in depth on [file or function]. Break down what the important functions do, what they call, what depends on them, and the main communication paths.
Risk-focused prompt
If I change [file, function, or feature], what is the likely blast radius, what parts are risky, and what should I verify before refactoring it?
03

Weak vs strong prompts

Strong
Show me the main domains or folders in this codebase, and what each one does.
Find where authentication is implemented end to end, from entrypoint to storage.
Which providers, integrations, or external services exist in this repo?
Go deeper on CrmService.ts. Then show how its dependencies communicate with it.
Weak
Tell me about the project
Where is auth
What does this repo do
Find storage
04

Ideal prompting pattern

Checklist
Name the feature, technology, file, or domain.
Choose discovery or trace mode.
Ask for the exact answer shape.
Drill down with narrow follow-ups.
Ask for risk or blast radius only if needed.
Example
Find where authentication is implemented end to end. Show me the main entrypoints, services, storage or persistence layer, and important functions. After that, I want to go deeper on the primary file and understand its blast radius.