grounded

Verify code references against the repository before trusting them. Use when writing, renaming, or reviewing code, imports, paths, or comments.

Grounded skill

Grounded checks whether concrete references in a repository actually resolve: symbols, imports, file paths, magic numbers. It never guesses.

When to verify

• Before calling a function you did not see defined in this session.
• After renaming anything: query what else touches the old name.
• Before trusting a comment, docstring, or README claim about the code.
• Before committing imports you did not see exported.

How to verify

Prefer the MCP tools when available (check_path on edited files, blast_radius before renames). Without MCP, shell out:

console

grounded scan <file> --quiet          # exit 1 on findings, 0 when clean
grounded impact <symbol> [PATH]       # definers, importers, comment claims
grounded fix [PATH] --dry-run         # preview unambiguous rewrites

Single-file checks take about a millisecond in-process, about 60 ms cold. Full trees take seconds; gate pull requests on changed lines instead:

console

grounded scan . --changed

What findings mean

• lie: provably false. Fix it before building on it.
• drift: adjacent evidence disagrees. Read it before trusting it.
• smell: fragile pattern. Note it, fix it when touching the area.

Non-goals (use the right tool)

• Docstring contracts: darglint, pydoclint, eslint-plugin-jsdoc.
• Commented-out code: Ruff ERA001.
• Type errors: mypy, tsc. Style: ruff, eslint.

References

Load these only when needed:

• references/rules.md: exact checker semantics, severities, suppressions.
• references/commands.md: full CLI surface and exit codes.