Pattern from senior engineers exploring new codebases:
1. Look at folder structure
2. Check file names
3. Read imports and dependencies
4. Follow logical connections
5. Build understanding through discovery
This is exactly how Cline works. This is Agentic Exploration. 🧵
No embeddings. No vector search. Just intelligent exploration using the same tools developers use: file reading, grep, directory navigation.
When you ask Cline to add error handling to a payment function:
RAG approach:
- Searches for "payment" + "error" in vector space
- Returns disconnected chunks
- Misses your custom error framework
- Suggests generic try-catch blocks
Cline's approach:
- Locates the payment function
- Traces imports to find your error utilities
- Examines similar functions for patterns
- Checks calling functions for error contracts
- Suggests handling that fits your architecture
The difference? Connected comprehension vs summary-level understanding.
Modern models like Claude 4 and Gemini 2.5 Pro have context windows that make this possible. The constraint isn't how much info we can provide, but ensuring it's relevant and well-organized.
Agentic exploration naturally produces high-quality context by following the logical structure of your code.
