claude-skills/docs/skills/engineering/codebase-onboarding.md
Claude 9975cc9f9b
chore(update-docs): post-v2.6.1 sync sweep + Codex sync bug fix
Ran the /update-docs pipeline post-v2.6.1 release. Most of the work was
verification (docs already in sync from prior PRs #644, #649). Two real
issues surfaced and fixed:

1. Codex sync bug (the headline fix)
- scripts/sync-codex-skills.py used iterdir() which is single-level only
- Missed the engineering/<plugin>/skills/<name>/SKILL.md pattern used by
  4 Pocock plugins + many other standalone plugins restructured since
  PR #593
- Added Pattern 3 discovery: when <domain>/<plugin>/ contains a skills/
  subdir with <name>/SKILL.md, recurse one level
- Impact: Codex index 195 → 289 skills (+94 previously-hidden skills)
- Gemini sync was already correct (uses recursive rglob)
- OpenClaw was already correct (uses recursive find)

2. Stale skill counts in 2 user-facing docs
- README.md: 268 → 272 (3 occurrences: tagline + badge + skills overview)
- docs/getting-started.md: 246 → 272 (2 occurrences: meta description + FAQ)
- All other files (CLAUDE.md, docs/index.md, mkdocs.yml site_description,
  marketplace.json) were already at 272 (refreshed in PRs #644 + #649)

Other regenerations (no source changes — auto-updated from latest content):
- docs/skills/engineering/*.md regenerated (picks up v2.6.1 description fixes)
- docs/agents/*.md regenerated (no agent changes)
- docs/commands/*.md regenerated (no command changes)
- .codex/skills-index.json + 94 new symlinks (mostly Pocock + plugin-pattern
  skills that should have been there since PR #593)

Verification:
- All 5 user-facing docs (CLAUDE.md, README.md, docs/index.md,
  docs/getting-started.md, mkdocs.yml) show "272 skills" consistently
- marketplace.json: v2.6.1, 43 plugins, 0 broken source paths
- mkdocs build: 371 pages (280 skills + 58 agents + 33 commands), clean
  in 17.31s, no errors or new warnings
- audit_skills.py: runs cleanly against 298 real skills

No production code changes outside the Codex sync fix. This is a docs +
tooling sweep, not a feature release.

https://claude.ai/code/session_01VFreMf7XLBqMgjsrG4wSYe
2026-05-14 10:41:52 +00:00

3 KiB

title description
Codebase Onboarding — Agent Skill for Codex & OpenClaw Analyze a codebase and generate onboarding documentation for engineers, tech leads, and contractors. Fast fact-gathering and repeatable onboarding. Agent skill for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw.

Codebase Onboarding

:material-rocket-launch: Engineering - POWERFUL :material-identifier: `codebase-onboarding` :material-github: Source
Install: claude /plugin install engineering-advanced-skills

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

# 1) Gather codebase facts
python3 scripts/codebase_analyzer.py /path/to/repo

# 2) Export machine-readable output
python3 scripts/codebase_analyzer.py /path/to/repo --json

# 3) Use the template to draft onboarding docs
# See references/onboarding-template.md

  1. Run scripts/codebase_analyzer.py against the target repository.
  2. Capture key signals: file counts, detected languages, config files, top-level structure.
  3. Fill the onboarding template in references/onboarding-template.md.
  4. 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.md
  • references/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

  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.