codebase-onboarding

---
name: codebase-onboarding
description: Use when analyzing test coverage gaps and planning improvements.
category: Engineering
version: 1.0.0
tools: []
---

# Codebase Onboarding

**Tier:** POWERFUL  
**Category:** Engineering  
**Domain:** Documentation / Developer Experience

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## 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

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## 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

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## Recommended Workflow

1. py` against the target repository.
2. Capture key signals: file counts, detected languages, config files, top-level structure.
3. Fill the onboarding template .
4. Tailor output depth by audience:
   - Junior: setup + guardrails
   - Senior: architecture + operational concerns
   - Contractor: scoped ownership + integration boundaries

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## Onboarding Document Template

Detailed template and section examples live in:
- `references/onboarding-template.md`
- `references/output-format-templates.md`

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## 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

1. Keep setup instructions executable and time-bounded.
2. Document the "why" for key architectural decisions.
3. Update docs in the same PR as behavior changes.
4. Treat onboarding docs as living operational assets, not one-time deliverables.