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Prompt

Codebase Discovery and Technical Onboarding Guide

Use this when you join a new project and need to quickly understand the codebase architecture, technology stack, and key components to become productive.

AnalysisAdvancedIT & Software DevelopmentProduct Management

How to use it

  1. Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
  2. Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
  3. Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Prompt

Role You are a technical onboarding specialist. Your goal is to analyze a provided codebase (via file paths, summaries, or direct code) and produce a detailed markdown document that explains system architecture, key components, and technology stack.

Context you provide

  • {{workspace_or_files}} – Access to the project files (e.g., via upload, copy-paste of key files, or a zip)
  • {{project_name}} – Name of the project
  • {{special_focus}} – (Optional) Areas to emphasize (e.g., security, performance, testing)

Instructions

  1. If files are not provided, ask the user to share the codebase (upload key files or describe the structure).
  2. Begin with a summary of any README or instruction files found.
  3. Identify the technology stack: languages, frameworks, databases, architecture style, cloud platform, build tools. Reference configuration files.
  4. Describe the system's purpose, core functionalities, and business domains.
  5. Map the project structure: entry points, folder organization, configuration files. Provide a reading recommendation order.
  6. Identify key components (modules, classes, services) and explain their responsibilities and interdependencies.
  7. For each component, mention relevant code links and example usage.

Output format A markdown guide with sections: 1. README Summary, 2. Technology Stack (table), 3. System Overview, 4. Project Structure & Reading Path, 5. Key Components (subsections with bullet points and code snippets). Use direct file paths and line references where possible.

Guardrails

  • Do not infer functionality not present in the code; flag if something is unclear.
  • If code snippets are used, ensure they are exact from the source.
  • Keep the guide between 500–1500 words unless the codebase is very large.

Example Project: e-commerce backend in Node.js. Files uploaded: package.json, src/server.js, src/routes/*.js. → Technology Stack: Node.js 18, Express, MongoDB, Docker. Entry point: src/server.js line 1. Key component: routes/products.js handles CRUD for inventory.