
Codebase Onboarding
Spin up a contributor-ready README with quick start, architecture, and verify checklist so you or future-you can clone and ship without tribal knowledge.
Overview
codebase-onboarding is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Validate, Operate) that produces a structured README and quick-start onboarding doc for a codebase.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill codebase-onboardingWhat is this skill?
- Full README template: positioning, live/staging links, badges, and 2–3 sentence product framing
- Prerequisites table with versions and install hints (Node, pnpm, Docker, PostgreSQL)
- 5-minute setup block: clone, install, compose, env copy, migrate, seed, dev, test
- Verify checklist for localhost, health endpoint, and passing tests
- Architecture section with system diagram and tech-stack rationale table
- 5-minute setup section
- verify checklist with 3 acceptance checks
Adoption & trust: 557 installs on skills.sh; 17.5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You can run the app from memory, but there is no README that lets a stranger—or you in six months—install, test, and understand the system quickly.
Who is it for?
Solo founders documenting a monorepo or full-stack app right after the first working vertical slice.
Skip if: Repos that already have mature contributor guides, or projects needing legal/compliance onboarding packets instead of dev setup.
When should I use this skill?
User asks for codebase onboarding docs, contributor README, or structured project quick start from an existing repo.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave the session with a markdown README containing prerequisites, setup commands, architecture summary, and a verify checklist aligned to your stack.
- README.md with quick start, architecture, tech stack table, and verification checklist
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Onboarding docs are authored while the product exists in Build, but the same template pays off whenever someone new touches the repo. It produces documentation artifacts—README structure, setup commands, architecture sketch—not runtime code or launch copy.
Where it fits
Turn a hacky demo repo into something a beta tester can clone with Docker and run tests in one pass.
Replace a stub README with prerequisites, pnpm scripts, and an architecture diagram before opening the repo to contractors.
Update setup steps after bumping Node 20 and PostgreSQL 16 so on-call you is not guessing install order.
How it compares
A prose template for human-readable onboarding—not an automated repo indexer or architecture-as-code generator.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is codebase-onboarding for?
Solo and indie developers who want agent help drafting a complete README and local dev guide without starting from a blank file.
When should I use codebase-onboarding?
Use it in Validate when a prototype repo needs a credible quick start for testers, in Build when hardening contributor docs, or in Operate when refreshing setup steps after infra changes.
Is codebase-onboarding safe to install?
It is documentation-oriented; still review the Security Audits panel on this page and avoid pasting secrets into generated README examples.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Codebase Onboarding
# Onboarding Document Template ## README.md - Full Template ```markdown # [Project Name] > One-sentence description of what this does and who uses it. [](https://github.com/org/repo/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [](https://codecov.io/gh/org/repo) ## What is this? [2-3 sentences: problem it solves, who uses it, current state] **Live:** https://myapp.com **Staging:** https://staging.myapp.com **Docs:** https://docs.myapp.com --- ## Quick Start ### Prerequisites | Tool | Version | Install | |------|---------|---------| | Node.js | 20+ | `nvm install 20` | | pnpm | 8+ | `npm i -g pnpm` | | Docker | 24+ | [docker.com](https://docker.com) | | PostgreSQL | 16+ | via Docker (see below) | ### Setup (5 minutes) ```bash git clone https://github.com/org/repo cd repo pnpm install docker compose up -d cp .env.example .env pnpm db:migrate pnpm db:seed pnpm dev pnpm test ``` ### Verify it works - [ ] App loads on localhost - [ ] Health endpoint returns ok - [ ] Tests pass --- ## Architecture ### System Overview ``` Browser / Mobile | v [Next.js App] <- [Auth] | +-> [PostgreSQL] +-> [Redis] +-> [S3] ``` ### Tech Stack | Layer | Technology | Why | |-------|-----------|-----| | Frontend | Next.js | SSR + routing | | Styling | Tailwind + shadcn/ui | Rapid UI | | API | Route handlers | Co-location | | Database | PostgreSQL | Relational | | Queue | BullMQ + Redis | Background jobs | --- ## Key Files | Path | Purpose | |------|---------| | `app/` | Pages and route handlers | | `src/db/` | Schema and migrations | | `src/lib/` | Shared utilities | | `tests/` | Test suites and helpers | | `.env.example` | Required variables | --- ## Common Developer Tasks ### Add a new API endpoint ```bash touch app/api/my-resource/route.ts touch tests/api/my-resource.test.ts ``` ### Run a database migration ```bash pnpm db:generate pnpm db:migrate ``` ### Add a background job ```bash # Create worker module and enqueue path ``` --- ## Debugging Guide ### Common Errors - Missing environment variable - Database connectivity failure - Expired auth token - Generic 500 in local dev ### Useful SQL Queries - Slow query checks - Connection status - Table bloat checks ### Log Locations | Environment | Logs | |-------------|------| | Local dev | local terminal | | Production | platform logs | | Worker | worker process logs | --- ## Contribution Guidelines ### Branch Strategy - `main` protected - feature/fix branches with ticket IDs ### PR Requirements - CI green - Tests updated - Why documented - Self-review completed ### Commit Convention - `feat(scope): ...` - `fix(scope): ...` - `docs: ...` --- ## Audience-Specific Notes ### Junior Developers - Start with core auth/data modules - Follow tests as executable examples ### Senior Engineers - Read ADRs and scaling notes first - Validate performance/security assumptions early ### Contractors - Stay within scoped feature boundaries - Use wrappers for external integrations ``` ## Usage Notes - Keep onboarding setup under 10 minutes where possible. - Include executable verification checks after each setup phase. - Prefer links to canonical docs instead of duplicating long content. - Update this template when stack conventions or tooling change. # codebase-onboarding reference ## Output Formats ### Notion Export ```javascript // Use Notion API to create onboarding page const { Client } = require('@notionhq/client') const notion = new Client({ auth: process.env.NOTION_TOKEN }) const blocks = markdownToNotionBlocks(onboardingMarkdown) // use notion-to-md await notion.pages.create({ parent: { page_id: ONBOARDING_PARENT_PAGE_ID }, properties: { title: { title: [{ text: { content: 'Engineer Onboarding — MyApp' } }] } }, children: blocks, }) ``` ### Confluence Export ```bash # Using confluence-cli or REST API cur