Code History

Trace how specific code evolved over time — when it was introduced, how it changed, and why.

Use this skill when

Understanding how a function or method evolved over time
Tracking when a specific code pattern was introduced or changed
Finding which commit/PR introduced, modified, or removed a piece of code
Investigating why code changed and what motivated each revision

Do not use this skill when

The user wants to modify code (this skill is read-only)
The user wants general git log without a specific target
The user only needs git blame for a single line's last author
The user only wants to see a specific commit's diff (git show is sufficient)

This skill is read-only. Never modify any files or run write commands.

Instructions

Tool Usage

Purpose	Tool	Command / Pattern
Search code pattern history	Bash	`git log -p --all -S '<pattern>'`
Trace function line history	Bash	`git log -L :'<func>':<file> --no-patch`
Trace file history	Bash	`git log --follow --oneline -- <path>`
Find pattern location	Grep	Search for pattern across codebase
Read file context	Read	Read surrounding code for understanding
Link commit to PR	Bash	`gh pr list --search '<sha>' --state all`

Step 1: Identify the Target

Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine what to trace:

Input type	Example	Detection
Code pattern	`user["type"] == "ADMIN"`	Contains operators, quotes, brackets
Function/method name	`ensure_valid_state`	Single identifier, no operators
File path	`src/auth/services.py`	Contains `/` or file extension
Ambiguous	Something else	Ask the user to clarify

If the input is a function name, locate the file it belongs to using Grep to search for the definition pattern.

Step 2: Collect History

First, measure the history size:

git log --oneline --all -S '<pattern>' | wc -l

Then choose the appropriate strategy:

If commits ≤ 30: read full history with git log -p --all -S '<pattern>'

If commits > 30: narrow scope with -- <file_path> or --since="1 year ago". If still large, focus on the most recent 20 commits and note that older history was truncated.

By target type:

Code patterns: git log -p --all -S '<pattern>'
Functions: supplement with git log -L :'<function_name>':<file_path> --no-patch --oneline
Files: git log --follow --oneline -- <file_path>

Step 3: Link to PRs

For each relevant commit, extract the PR reference:

From commit message: parse PR number if present (e.g., (#123), Merge pull request #123)
Via gh CLI (if available): gh pr list --search '<commit-sha>' --state all --json number,title,url --limit 1

If gh is not installed or fails, rely on commit message parsing only and note it.

Step 4: Analyze Changes

For each commit in the history, classify:

Dimension	Values
Change type	Added / Modified / Refactored / Moved / Deleted / Restored
Intent	Bug fix / Feature / Refactoring / Performance / Cleanup / Migration
Scope	Targeted (commit directly addresses this code) / Incidental (side effect of a larger change)

Determine intent from: commit message, PR title, and diff context. If intent is unclear, state that explicitly rather than guessing.

Step 5: Output

Timeline table:

## Change History: `<target>`

| # | Date | Author | Commit | PR | Change |
|---|------|--------|--------|----|--------|
| 1 | YYYY-MM-DD | name | `abcdef1` | #N title | Added — initial implementation |
| 2 | YYYY-MM-DD | name | `abcdef2` | #N title | Modified — added validation |
| 3 | YYYY-MM-DD | name | `abcdef3` | #N title | Refactored — extracted to util |

Detailed analysis (for each significant change):

Before/after diff summary
Change intent (based on commit message/PR)
Functional impact — what changed in behavior or interface

Insights (only when directly supported by evidence in the history):

Summarize the evolution arc (e.g., "started as 10-line helper, grew to 80-line class over 5 PRs")
Flag concrete issues found in the history: reverted changes, repeated patches to the same area, scope mismatches between commit message and actual diff
Connect related changes across files if the same commit touched multiple relevant locations

code-history