Codebase Onboarding

Use semantic search to systematically explore and understand a new codebase.

Onboarding Workflow

1. Index the Codebase

index_codebase(directory="/path/to/project")

Note the collection name for subsequent searches.

2. Discover Architecture

Run these semantic queries to map the codebase:

Query	Purpose
"Where is the main entry point?"	Find application start
"How is the application initialized?"	Understand bootstrap
"What are the core data models?"	Find domain objects
"How does routing work?"	Find request handling
"Where is configuration loaded?"	Find settings/env handling

3. Identify Patterns

Query	Purpose
"How are errors handled?"	Error handling patterns
"How is logging done?"	Logging conventions
"How are dependencies injected?"	DI patterns
"How are tests structured?"	Testing patterns

4. Summarize Findings

After exploration:

• List key entry points and their purposes
• Describe the main architectural layers
• Note unusual patterns or conventions
• Identify areas needing more exploration

When to Use

• First time working with a codebase
• After significant refactoring
• When documentation is sparse or outdated

When NOT to Use

• For specific questions (use semantic-explore)
• For finding exact symbol names (use grep)