whylisted

# Why Investigate the motivation and intent behind code. Why was it built this way? What edge cases were considered? What product, business, or operational constraints shaped the design? What alternatives were rejected, and why? Companion to the `how` skill. `how` answers what the code does and how it works. `why` answers what forces led to its shape. ## How this skill works Historical context spreads across seven evidence categories: source control history, issue or ticket tracking, long-form documents, real-time team chat, infrastructure observability, error or exception tracking, and product analytics warehouses. You cannot predict from the question alone which one holds the answer, so the skill enumerates available MCPs at run time, maps each to a category, queries all seven in parallel, then synthesizes with explicit confidence calibration. Null results from searched categories are first-class evidence about how the decision was made; report them alongside positive findings. The default is coverage, not minimalism. ## Operating Posture Operate as a careful, cautious, precise investigator. Think like a detective piecing together a historical case from fragmentary records. When the record is thin, say so. Concretely: - **Evidence before narrative.** Collect the pieces first, then see what story they support. Never pick a story and recruit the evidence that fits it. - **Precision over polish.** Prefer the exact quote and citation over a smooth paraphrase. A reader s