How do I install the Codebase Understanding skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add onedro1d/codebase-understanding in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Codebase Understanding safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Codebase Understanding?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Codebase Understanding free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Codebase Understanding?

OneDro1d (@onedro1d) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Codebase Understanding by onedro1d — Agent Skill

Name: Codebase Understanding
Author: OneDro1d

Codebase Understanding

Navigate the codebase cheaply by reading the context store first, not re-scanning the repo. Use at the start of any investigation, feature, or review to locate the relevant service/file fast and with minimal tokens. Triggers on "where is", "how does X work", "understand the code", "find the service for".

OneDro1d b82de2f 1.6 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Codebase Understanding (read-first, low-token)

Goal: locate the relevant code in the fewest tokens. NEVER scan the whole repo to answer a question the context store already answers.

Order of reading (stop as soon as you have what you need)

.claude/context/SERVICE-MAP.md — which service/db/queue/API owns this area.
.claude/context/FINDINGS.md — is this already known/solved?
.claude/context/DECISIONS.md — is the current behavior intentional?
The ONE relevant <service>/CLAUDE.md — contracts, key files, gotchas.
The shared-models CLAUDE.md — only when tracing a routing key / RPC across services.
Source — targeted, by file:line from the above, via Grep/Read. Not whole-file dumps unless necessary.

Cheap search patterns

Routing key / RPC: grep -rn "<routing.key>" <service>/ then open the dispatcher.
A symbol: grep -rn "MethodName\|TypeName" <service>/ --exclude-dir={obj,bin}.
A flow: start at the SERVICE-MAP "In → Out" column, follow the routing key to the next consumer.

Output

A short "where it lives" answer: service, file:line, and the one-line role. Do not paste large code blocks — cite locations.

Don't

Don't re-derive the architecture; it's in SERVICE-MAP/CLAUDE.md.
Don't read every service. Read the one(s) the map points to.

Frequently asked questions