# Hierarchical Wave Analysis

Large codebases must be analyzed in waves — never attempt full analysis in a single session.
Each wave produces a condensed document that replaces raw context for subsequent waves.

## Wave 1 — Structure, No Code
- Read only directory structure and file names (ls, tree, glob) — do NOT open files
- Derive: rough modules, layers, top-level organization
- Output: `docs/A_discovery/structure-map.md`
- Context cost: minimal

## Wave 2 — Entry Points and Dependencies
- Read only structurally informative files: project files (.csproj, package.json, pom.xml),
  main routers/controllers, DB migrations/schema files, configuration
- Do NOT read business logic yet
- Output: `docs/A_discovery/entry-points.md`
- Context loaded: structure-map.md

## Wave 3 — Module-by-Module Deep Dive
- One module = one session (or one subagent)
- Analyze ONLY the subtree for that module — ignore everything else
- Context loaded: structure-map.md + capabilities-inventory.md (current state)
- Output per module: dedicated discovery document in `docs/A_discovery/`
- After each module: update capabilities-inventory.md with new findings

## Key Principles
- Each wave produces a condensed document that replaces raw context
- Raw code (large, unstructured) → condensed docs (small, oriented) → growing inventory
- Never load the full codebase into a single session
- When dispatching parallel agents for Wave 3: each agent gets exactly one module subtree
- Track analyzed modules explicitly in task.md with checkboxes

## Wave Progression
```
Raw code (large, unstructured)
    ↓ Wave 1
structure-map.md (small, orienting)
    ↓ Wave 2
entry-points.md (small, precise)
    ↓ Wave 3 × N modules
domain-model.md, capabilities-inventory.md (growing, condensed)
```