ix-infrastructure/ix-codex-plugin/ix-investigate

Check command -v ix first. If unavailable, use Grep + Read as fallback.

Goal

Answer: what is this, how does it connect, and what's the execution path? Stop as soon as those three questions can be answered accurately.

Phase 1 — Locate (always)

ix locate $ARGUMENTS --format llm

If multiple matches: use --kind, --path, or --pick N to resolve. Do not proceed until the entity is unambiguous.

If ix locate returns nothing: try

ix text $ARGUMENTS --limit 10 --format llm

Phase 2 — Explain (always)

ix explain <resolved-symbol> --format llm

Extract: role, importance, caller count, callee count, confidence score.

Evaluate: Is the explanation sufficient to answer the question?

Stop if: explain gave clear role, purpose, and connection summary -> skip to Output.

Phase 3 — Connections (run only if caller/callee detail needed)

Run only the directions you need, not both by default:

If "who uses this" matters:

ix callers <symbol> --limit 15 --format llm

If "what does this do internally" matters:

ix callees <symbol> --limit 15 --format llm

Stop if: you now know who uses it and what it depends on.

Phase 4 — Trace (run only if execution flow is unclear)

ix trace <symbol> --format llm

One trace only. Pick the most representative direction (--upstream or --downstream) based on the question.

Stop if: execution path is now clear.

Phase 5 — Code read (last resort only)

Only if the above steps leave a specific implementation question unanswered:

ix read <symbol> --format llm

Use ix read <symbol> — never a native file read. Ix is the memory layer; native reads bypass it and load unnecessary context. If the symbol is a class, read the specific method suspected, not the class.

Disambiguation chain for ambiguous-file responses:

1. If ix read <class> returns ambiguous-file, look up the resolved file path from the prior ix locate result and call ix read <path> at the symbol level instead.
2. If that also returns nothing or is ambiguous, do NOT fall back to a native whole-file read. Instead, note which members remain unresolved and reduce evidence quality to uncertain in the Output.

If ix read returns nothing and no path was resolved by ix locate, only then fall back to a native read scoped to the exact line range, not the whole file.

Hard limit: One ix read call maximum. If still unclear after reading, surface the ambiguity to the user rather than reading more.

Output

## [Symbol] — Investigation
 
**What it is:** [kind, file, subsystem — from graph]
**Role:** [orchestrator / boundary / helper / utility / etc.]
 
**Execution flow:**
[downstream: what it calls -> what those call, 2 levels max]
[upstream: who calls it, top 5]
 
**Key connections:**
- Depends on: [top 3 callees]
- Used by: [top 3 callers with their subsystem]
 
**Evidence quality:** [strong / partial / uncertain] — [one-line reason]
 
**Next step:**
- [most useful follow-up based on findings]

If confidence < 0.7 in ix output, label those claims as [uncertain] and recommend ix map to refresh.