ezcater-research_skill

Overview

This skill provides a practical methodology to investigate ezCater systems, code evolution, and architectural decisions for straightforward research requests. It guides you through the right internal tools, search patterns, and commands to locate design docs, PRs, Jira tickets, and git history. Use it for focused lookups and light synthesis without triggering a deep research workflow.

How this skill works

The skill prescribes a step-by-step approach: query indexed docs via Glean, run Atlassian CLI for Jira/Confluence lookups, search GitHub PRs with gh, and inspect repository history with git commands. It explains effective query patterns, which tools to use for each data source, and how to cross-reference findings to confirm conclusions. The output is a concise synthesis with citations and identified gaps.

When to use it

• You need a quick explanation of why a specific technical decision was made (single-component).
• Locate a PR, commit SHA, or Jira ticket related to a feature or bug.
• Trace recent code changes or the history of a single file or module.
• Understand a workflow or state transition by reading docs and related tests.
• Search internal docs or Slack discussions indexed by Glean for focused context.

Best practices

• Always use Glean MCP tools for Google Drive and Docs content; do not try to open Google Docs URLs directly.
• Use the atl CLI for all Jira and Confluence queries to get reliable results and linkable references.
• When searching GitHub, prefer gh CLI to list and view PRs and issues; use git log/blame for file-level history.
• Be specific in queries: include feature names, component names, and common synonyms to avoid noisy results.
• Cross-reference findings across at least two sources (e.g., PR + Jira, or commit + Confluence page) and explicitly note gaps or uncertainties.

Example use cases

• Investigate why a legacy authentication library was chosen: search Glean for ADRs, list PRs with gh, and view related Jira tickets via atl.
• Trace the evolution of an order-state file: run git log --follow -p on the file, find associated PRs, and search Confluence for process diagrams.
• Find the original implementation PR for a feature: gh pr list with 'initial <feature>' then open linked Jira epic with atl.
• Quickly gather evidence for a production bug: search Jira for incident tickets, grep the codebase for related functions, and check recent commits with git blame.