Watch out. The assistant only sees what you paste, so its view of dependencies can be wrong. Verify against the real code, and never paste secrets or code your company does not allow in external tools.
Understand an unfamiliar codebase faster
Get a plain explanation of a module, its data flow and the risky parts before you change it.
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Best for
- Engineers joining a new team
- Developers picking up legacy services
- Freshers learning a production codebase
What you need
- An AI assistant your company allows for code
- The files for one module
- The ticket you need to work on
Starter prompt
Copy it, fill in the parts in square brackets, and paste it into the AI assistant your organisation allows.
I am a developer new to this codebase. Below are the files for the [module name] module, written in [language and framework]. Explain: what this module is responsible for, the main functions and how data flows between them, what it depends on outside these files, and the three places where a change is most likely to break something. For each claim, name the file and function. If something depends on code I have not given you, say so rather than guessing. My task is: [describe ticket]. Files: [paste files].
How to use it
1.Pick a small scope
2.Ask for the map
3.Probe the risky parts
4.Write it down
- 1
Pick a small scope
Choose one module related to your ticket, not the whole repository. Remove secrets, keys and customer data from the files.
- 2
Ask for the map
Run the prompt and read the explanation next to the code. Check each claim by opening the named function.
- 3
Probe the risky parts
Ask follow-up questions about the three risky places, such as what happens on an error or empty input.
- 4
Write it down
Turn what you learned into a short README note for the next person.
What you end up with
A clear mental map of the module and a README note for your team.
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