Codebase Documenter

Generates comprehensive documentation for codebases - architecture, components, data flow, development guidelines.

When to Use

• "explain this codebase"

• "document the architecture"

• "how does this code work"

• "create developer documentation"

• "generate codebase overview"

• "create onboarding docs"

What It Documents

1. Project Overview

• Purpose & vision

• Target users

• Key features

• Technology stack

• Project status

2. Architecture

• High-level structure

• Design patterns

• Data flow

• Control flow

• Diagrams (Mermaid)

• Architectural decisions

3. Directory Structure

• Organization purpose

• Naming conventions

• Entry points

• Core modules

• Configuration locations

4. Key Components

• Major modules

• Classes & functions

• Responsibilities

• Interactions

• Extension points

• Code examples

5. External Integrations

• APIs consumed

• Databases & schemas

• Authentication

• Caching

• Message queues

• File storage

6. Data Models

• Database schema

• Data structures

• Validation

• Migrations

• Data transformations

7. Development Setup

• Prerequisites

• Installation steps

• Configuration

• Running the app

• Testing

• Debugging

• Troubleshooting

8. Development Guidelines

• Coding conventions

• Testing approach

• Error handling

• Logging

• Security practices

• Performance patterns

9. Deployment

• Build process

• Deployment steps

• Environments

• Monitoring

• Rollback procedures

10. Contributing

• Development workflow

• Code review guidelines

• Testing requirements

• Documentation updates

Approach

• Explore using Explore agent (thorough)

• Map structure with Glob

• Read critical files (README, entry points, core modules)

• Identify patterns with Grep (imports, exports)

• Trace execution paths

• Extract knowledge from docs, comments, tests

• Synthesize into cohesive documentation

Output

Creates markdown documentation:

docs/

├── README.md              # Overview and quick start

├── ARCHITECTURE.md        # System architecture

├── DEVELOPMENT.md         # Development guide

├── API.md                 # API documentation

├── DEPLOYMENT.md          # Deployment guide

└── CONTRIBUTING.md        # Contribution guidelines

Or single comprehensive doc if preferred.

Depth Levels

• Quick: High-level overview (15-30 min)

• Standard: Comprehensive coverage (30-60 min)

• Deep: Exhaustive with examples (60+ min)

Visual Elements

• Mermaid diagrams (architecture, flow charts, sequence)

• Code examples from codebase

• Specific file:line references

• Tables for structured info

• Lists for guidelines

Tools Used

• Task (Explore agent): Codebase exploration

• Glob: Map directory structure

• Grep: Find patterns, imports, exports

• Read: Analyze key files

• Write: Create documentation

• Bash: Extract metadata (git log, versions)

Success Criteria

• Complete coverage of all areas

• Clear explanations with examples

• Visual diagrams for complex concepts

• Specific file:line references

• Actionable setup/development instructions

• New developer can onboard using only docs

• Organized, navigable structure

• Accurate and current information

Integration

• code-auditor: Includes quality/security context

• project-bootstrapper: Documents bootstrap decisions

• visual-html-creator: Create visual diagrams