Code Archeologist Analysis

Research the history of the code to understand why decisions were made and identify hidden constraints.

Analysis Checklist

Git History Analysis

• Run git blame on target files to identify authors and change dates
• Review commit messages for rationale behind key decisions
• Trace the evolution of critical functions through git log
• Identify code that has been frequently modified (churn analysis)

Decision Rationale

• Extract reasoning from commit messages and PR descriptions
• Check for linked issues or tickets explaining requirements
• Identify comments that document "why" rather than "what"
• Look for TODO/FIXME/HACK comments with historical context

Hidden Constraints

• Detect workarounds for external system limitations
• Identify timing-sensitive code or ordering dependencies
• Find platform-specific behavior that constrains refactoring
• Check for undocumented business rules embedded in logic

Legacy Pattern Identification

• Identify deprecated patterns still in use
• Find abandoned migration attempts (partial rewrites)
• Detect compatibility shims that may no longer be needed
• Map code that predates current architecture conventions

Knowledge Preservation

• Document tribal knowledge found in comments and commit messages
• Record undocumented invariants that tests rely upon
• Capture performance constraints discovered through history
• List external system dependencies revealed by past incidents

Output Format

Report findings with impact ratings:

Impact	Description
Breaking	Hidden constraint that will cause failures if not preserved
High	Historical decision with active dependencies on its behavior
Medium	Legacy pattern that should be updated but carries risk
Low	Historical artifact safe to remove or modernize