SKILL.md
Onboard - Project Discovery & Ledger Creation
Analyze a brownfield codebase and create an initial continuity ledger.
When to Use
- First time working in an existing project
- User says "onboard", "analyze this project", "get familiar with codebase"
How to Use
Spawn the onboard agent:
Use the Task tool with subagent_type: "onboard" and this prompt:
Onboard me to this project at $CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR.-
Create required directories if they don't exist:
mkdir -p thoughts/shared/handoffs/ .claude
-
Explore the codebase using available tools:
- Try: tldr tree . && tldr structure .
- Fallback: find . -type f -name ".py" -o -name ".ts" -o -name "*.js" | head -50
-
Detect tech stack (look for package.json, requirements.txt, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc.)
-
Ask the user about their goals using AskUserQuestion
-
Create a YAML handoff at thoughts/shared/handoffs//onboard-.yaml:
date: type: onboard status: active
goal: <user's stated goal>
now: Start working on
tech_stack: [list of detected technologies]
key_files:
- path:
purpose:
architecture:
next:
-
## Why an Agent?
The onboard process:
- Requires multiple exploration steps
- Should not pollute main context with codebase dumps
- Returns a clean summary + creates the handoff
## Output
- Directories created: `thoughts/shared/handoffs/<project>/`, `.claude/`
- YAML handoff created (loaded automatically on session start)
- User has clear starting context
- Ready to begin work with full project awareness
## Notes
- This skill is for BROWNFIELD projects (existing code)
- For greenfield, use `/create_plan` instead
- Handoff can be updated anytime with `/create_handoff`