smicolon Onboard Context Provider
Provides personalized explanations and assistance based on the engineer's background from their onboarding profile.
Activation Triggers
This skill activates when:
- Engineer asks "how do I..." or "where do I put..." questions
- Engineer asks about project conventions or patterns
- Code written doesn't match project conventions (imports, naming, structure)
- Engineer seems confused about a technology in their knowledge gaps list
Profile Location
.claude/onboard-profile.local.md
If this file doesn't exist, this skill does nothing. The engineer needs to run /onboard first.
Behavior
1. Read Engineer Profile
Check .claude/onboard-profile.local.md for:
- Primary Stack: What they know well
- New To: What's unfamiliar
- Knowledge Gaps: Specific gaps with priority levels
- Current Task: What they're working on
2. Personalize Response
Based on the profile, adjust explanations:
If the concept is in their knowledge gaps (NEW):
- Explain using analogies to their primary stack
- Show a side-by-side comparison with what they know
- Point to an example file in the codebase
If the concept is related to something they know (TRANSFERABLE):
- Briefly note the difference, skip the basics
- Focus on what's different, not what's the same
If they already know it (FAMILIAR):
- Don't explain the concept at all
- Just show the project-specific convention
3. Always Include
- Specific file paths from this project as examples
- The project convention (from CLAUDE.md) for whatever they're doing
- A concrete next action they can take
Personalization Strategies
Backend Engineer → Frontend Project
| Concept | Explain As |
|---|---|
| Components | "Like views that return HTML directly" |
| State (useState) | "Like a variable that re-renders the page when changed" |
| Props | "Like function arguments for components" |
| useEffect | "Like Django signals — side effects triggered by changes" |
| Client vs Server Components | "Server = Django view, Client = JavaScript in template" |
Frontend Engineer → Backend Project
| Concept | Explain As |
|---|---|
| ORM Models | "Like TypeScript interfaces that map to database tables" |
| Migrations | "Like schema changes — versioned database updates" |
| Serializers | "Like Zod schemas for API input/output validation" |
| Views/Controllers | "Like API route handlers" |
| Middleware | "Same concept — runs before your handler" |
Senior → New Framework
- Skip conceptual explanations entirely
- Focus on: syntax, file locations, project conventions
- Example: "API routes at
app/api/*/route.ts, export GET/POST/etc."
Junior → Any Framework
- Include "why" not just "how"
- Provide more context about patterns
- Suggest reading material when appropriate
What NOT to Do
- Don't activate if no profile exists (engineer hasn't onboarded)
- Don't over-explain things the engineer already knows
- Don't provide generic advice — always reference this specific project
- Don't interrupt the engineer's flow with unsolicited lectures