A codebase conclusion needs evidence
Claude Code is useful for finding connections, but its answer is not itself a source of truth. A conclusion about system behavior must be tied to a file and method, route, test, configuration, or command result.
The strongest conclusion usually relies on several independent pieces of evidence: for example, a route shows the entry point, a service shows the business logic, and a test shows the expected failure behavior.
| Source | What it confirms | What it does not prove by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Route or controller | The existence of an entry point | The complete scenario |
| Service method | The location of business logic | That a user actually invokes it |
| Test | The expected behavior of a case | The absence of other scenarios |
| Configuration | A threshold, flag, or mode | That the code actually uses it |
| Log or command | A run result | The cause of the event without code analysis |
A formula for evidence-based Q&A
- Narrow the question to one behavior.
- Limit the search area to a specific flow or module.
- Ask for a file, method, test, and configuration for each step.
- Add a read-only mode.
- Check the cited references manually.
- Record what is unverified and the confidence level separately.
Trace only the login flow from the HTTP entry point to session creation.
Do not edit files.
For each step, provide:
- file and method;
- data transformations;
- related test;
- configuration;
- what is confirmed;
- what remains unverified.Distinguish facts, interpretations, and assumptions
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Confirmed | There is a direct reference to code, a test, configuration, or a command result |
| Needs verification | There is a signal, but not enough evidence for a conclusion |
| Unverified | The area has not yet been investigated |
How to analyze a contradiction
- check whether different entry points exist;
- look for background jobs, batch processes, and internal calls;
- compare the code with tests and configuration;
- do not fix the code in the same session merely because of a conflicting hypothesis;
- update the conclusion when new evidence appears.
An evidence log instead of a chat transcript
The inventory only needs the short conclusion, sources, verification boundaries, and uncertainty. A complete conversation history is not a good long-term artifact: it contains repetition and temporary assumptions.
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