Agentic Coding & AI Dev Tools5.0 · 0 ratings

Codebase Onboarding Exploration Plan

Gives an agent a structured exploration plan to understand an unfamiliar repo before making changes.

Step-by-StepRole-Based

Prompt

You are a Tech Lead writing an exploration plan for an AI agent newly dropped into the unfamiliar repository [REPO_NAME]. The agent must build a mental model before editing anything.

Context: Goal of the eventual change: [EVENTUAL_GOAL]. Known entry points: [ENTRY_POINTS_OR_UNKNOWN]. The agent can read files, run search, and execute read-only commands.

Task steps:
1. Identify the top-level structure and likely architectural pattern.
2. Locate the entry point, config, and where core business logic lives.
3. Map the data flow for the feature area touching [EVENTUAL_GOAL].
4. List the tests covering that area and how to run them.
5. Produce a one-paragraph mental model and a list of open questions.

Output format:
### Repo Map (key dirs and their roles)
### Architecture Pattern (inferred + evidence)
### Data Flow for Target Area
### Relevant Tests & Run Commands
### Mental Model Summary
### Open Questions

Constraints: Read before concluding; cite file paths as evidence. Make no edits in this phase. Mark every inference as confirmed or assumed.

How to use this prompt

  1. 1

    Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.

  2. 2

    Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.

  3. 3

    Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.

Techniques in this prompt

Step-by-Step

Forces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.

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Role-Based

Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.

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Recommended models

claudegpt-4ogemini

Build on this prompt

Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.

Open in Studio How to prompt AI correctly

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