| name | codebase-onboarding |
| description | Analyze a codebase and generate onboarding documentation for engineers, tech leads, and contractors. Fast fact-gathering and repeatable onboarding outputs. Use when onboarding a new engineer, writing architecture-overview docs for a new project, or producing tech-lead briefings for unfamiliar repos. |
| compatibility | opencode |
Codebase Onboarding
Tier: POWERFUL
Category: Engineering
Domain: Documentation / Developer Experience
Overview
Analyze a codebase and generate onboarding documentation for engineers, tech leads, and contractors. This skill is optimized for fast fact-gathering and repeatable onboarding outputs.
Core Capabilities
- Architecture and stack discovery from repository signals
- Key file and config inventory for new contributors
- Local setup and common-task guidance generation
- Audience-aware documentation framing
- Debugging and contribution checklist scaffolding
When to Use
- Onboarding a new team member or contractor
- Rebuilding stale project docs after large refactors
- Preparing internal handoff documentation
- Creating a standardized onboarding packet for services
Quick Start
python3 scripts/codebase_analyzer.py /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/codebase_analyzer.py /path/to/repo --json
Recommended Workflow
- Run
scripts/codebase_analyzer.py against the target repository.
- Capture key signals: file counts, detected languages, config files, top-level structure.
- Fill the onboarding template in
references/onboarding-template.md.
- Tailor output depth by audience:
- Junior: setup + guardrails
- Senior: architecture + operational concerns
- Contractor: scoped ownership + integration boundaries
Onboarding Document Template
Detailed template and section examples live in:
references/onboarding-template.mdreferences/output-format-templates.md
Common Pitfalls
- Writing docs without validating setup commands on a clean environment
- Mixing architecture deep-dives into contractor-oriented docs
- Omitting troubleshooting and verification steps
- Letting onboarding docs drift from current repo state
Best Practices
- Keep setup instructions executable and time-bounded.
- Document the "why" for key architectural decisions.
- Update docs in the same PR as behavior changes.
- Treat onboarding docs as living operational assets, not one-time deliverables.
