AI CODEBASE ANALYSIS.
READ THE REPOSITORY.
A project is more than the file currently open. Read the structure, the local conventions and the tests before asking a model to reshape it.
# Example project A small application with a clear task. Before making changes: - Read the package scripts. - Follow the existing conventions. - Identify the relevant checks.
ESTABLISH
WHAT IS ALREADY TRUE.
THE WORKING TREE
Existing changes are part of the situation. Understand who owns them before touching the same files.
BTHE LOCAL PATTERNS
A new abstraction is not automatically an improvement. Look for the pattern already doing the job.
CTHE CHECKS
Find the tests, scripts and manual checks that can tell you whether the task is actually complete.
Inspect this repository. Identify the architecture, the relevant conventions and the checks for this task. Do not modify files yet.
What to establish before editing an unfamiliar codebase
Identify the entry points, the module responsible for the requested behavior and the checks the project already uses. Read enough neighboring code to see its conventions, but do not mistake a broad scan for an explanation of the specific execution path.
Inspect existing modifications separately from your planned change. An unrelated edit may be unfinished work owned by someone else. The example file browser is read-only reference material; in a real session, use the actual repository and describe which conclusions were verified against it.
