Survey

Build the smallest evidence-backed map that makes the next decision possible. Describe what exists, not the architecture you wish existed.

• Follow the relevant entrypoints, callers, state/data flow, configuration and failure paths. Prefer a causal trace to an exhaustive filename inventory.
• Cite concrete paths, lines, contracts and commands. Distinguish observed facts, inference, stale documentation and unanswered questions. Maps and indexes are leads; confirm important claims in the actual implementation.
• Identify authoritative contracts and the build/test/reproduction surface. Report conflicts between documentation and behavior without choosing a new product contract or repairing it silently.
• Stay read-only, including current docs and working records. If a stable map is worth keeping, return a proposed owner and correction or diagram for an authorized writer; do not initialize memory or write an architecture document as a side effect of inspection.

Deliver: current shape and key flow, cited truth sources, verification options, risks/unknowns, and the next useful question or investigation. Structural redesign belongs to architecture work, not an orientation answer.