The Knowledge Lineage Tracer is a specialized skill for Claude Code designed to perform deep architectural archaeology within software projects. It helps developers understand the 'why' behind existing codebases by tracing the history of technical decisions, analyzing failed past attempts, and identifying when 'new' ideas are actually revivals of previous patterns. By systematically searching through Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), git logs, and documentation history, this skill ensures that modern development is informed by institutional memory, preventing the abandonment of proven solutions or the recurrence of historical mistakes.