Survey Patterns
Search the codebase for analogous features and reusable building blocks before planning a change. Returns structured findings. Does not write code or plans.
Step 1: Identify the Task
Determine what the change is about:
- If a task description was passed in, use it
- Otherwise, derive it from conversation context (the user's latest request)
State the task back in one sentence to confirm scope before searching.
Step 2: Spawn Pattern Survey Subagent
Spawn a single subagent (model: "opus", do not set run_in_background). The subagent's prompt must include:
- The confirmed task description from Step 1
- An instruction to read [references/pattern-surveyor.md](references/pattern-surveyor.md) for survey guidelines, categories, and output format before searching
The subagent covers all three categories (Analogous Features, Reusable Utilities, Convention Anchors) in one sweep and returns a single structured report.
Step 3: Output Findings
Output the subagent's report verbatim. Do not reformat or re-synthesize — references/pattern-surveyor.md specifies the exact output format the subagent produces.
Then use the TaskList tool and proceed to any remaining task.
Rules
- Do not write files.
- Do not propose implementation steps.