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.
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Create required directories if they don't exist: mkdir -p thoughts/shared/handoffs/ .claude
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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
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Detect tech stack (look for package.json, requirements.txt, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc.)
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Ask the user about their goals using AskUserQuestion
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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`