Codemap Generator

VerifiedSafe

Generates CODEMAP.md files to navigate and document codebase architecture. Creates project structure diagrams and infrastructure visualizations.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationIntermediate
306/2/2026
Claude Code
#codebase-mapping#architecture-diagrams#project-navigation#onboarding

Recommended for

Our review

Generates a CODEMAP.md file to navigate a codebase, including architecture diagrams and project structure analysis.

Strengths

  • Automates creation of comprehensive navigation maps
  • Automatically detects technology stacks (application and infrastructure)
  • Uses Mermaid diagrams to visualize component relationships
  • Adapts depth based on project size for optimal output

Limitations

  • Requires external tools like terraform to be initialized for advanced diagrams
  • Can be overwhelmed by very large repositories (>500 files) despite depth management
  • Only modifies CODEMAP.md, not ARCHITECTURE.md, which may lead to inconsistencies
When to use it

Use this skill when onboarding to a new project, needing a quick overview of code structure, or generating automated architecture documentation.

When not to use it

Avoid this skill for very small projects where manual documentation suffices, or when automatic dependency analysis is unreliable (e.g., non-standard monorepo).

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

The skill only performs read-only analysis (Glob, Grep, ast-grep, terraform graph) and generates documentation (Write) with user confirmation. It has no network access, no arbitrary shell execution, and no destructive commands.

No concerns found

Examples

Generate codebase map
Map the current codebase and generate a CODEMAP.md file with architecture diagrams.
Infrastructure diagram
Generate an architecture diagram for this project's infrastructure, including Terraform resources and dependencies.
Onboarding map
Onboard me to this repository by creating a CODEMAP of the project structure, highlighting entry points and key directories.

name: codemap description: Generate navigational codebase maps with architecture diagrams. Use when mapping a codebase, creating architecture docs, visualizing project structure, generating infrastructure diagrams, understanding repo layout, or onboarding to a new project. allowed-tools:

  • Read
  • Write(./**)
  • Glob
  • Grep
  • Bash(ast-grep:*)
  • Bash(terraform graph:*)
  • AskUserQuestion
  • Task

Codemap Generator

Generate CODEMAP.md files that help humans and AI agents navigate codebases.

Output Separation

  • CODEMAP.md = Auto-generated navigation map (this skill creates/updates)
  • ARCHITECTURE.md = Hand-written design decisions (never touch)

Workflow

Phase 1: Project Analysis

  1. Count files to determine project size:

    • Use Glob with pattern **/* excluding vendored paths
    • Exclude: node_modules/, vendor/, __pycache__/, target/, .terraform/, .*
    • Count results to determine depth
  2. Detect project type(s):

    • Check for IaC patterns (Terraform, Ansible, K8s, etc.)
    • Check for application code (package.json, go.mod, requirements.txt, etc.)
    • Projects can be mixed (app + infra)
  3. Set depth based on file count: | Files | Depth | Output | |-------|-------|--------| | <50 | shallow | Single root CODEMAP.md | | 50-500 | medium | Root + key directories | | >500 | deep | Root + 2 levels, skip vendored |

Phase 2: Existing File Check

STOP. Check for existing CODEMAP.md before proceeding.

Before generating, check if CODEMAP.md exists.

If exists: Use AskUserQuestion with options:

  • Overwrite completely
  • Merge/update (preserve manual additions)
  • Abort

If not exists: Proceed to generation.

Do NOT proceed to Phase 3 until resolved.

Phase 3: Content Generation

Generate sections based on what's detected:

For Application Code

  1. Tech Stack - languages, frameworks, key dependencies
  2. Directory Structure - annotated tree with purpose per directory
  3. Entry Points - main files, CLI commands, API servers
  4. Code Architecture Diagram - mermaid showing component relationships
  5. Key Files Reference - important files with one-line descriptions

For Infrastructure Code

  1. IaC Stack - Terraform, Ansible, K8s, etc.
  2. Infrastructure Topology Diagram - mermaid showing resource relationships
  3. Module/Role Hierarchy Diagram - mermaid showing code organization
  4. Resource Inventory - what's managed, providers used

For Mixed Repos

Include both sections with clear delineation.

Phase 4: Output

Write CODEMAP.md to project root (and subdirectories if depth warrants).

Detection Patterns

Application Code

| Indicator | Stack | |-----------|-------| | package.json | Node.js/JavaScript/TypeScript | | go.mod | Go | | Cargo.toml | Rust | | requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, setup.py | Python | | pom.xml, build.gradle | Java | | Gemfile | Ruby | | composer.json | PHP | | *.csproj, *.sln | .NET |

Infrastructure as Code

| Indicator | Tool | Analysis Method | |-----------|------|-----------------| | *.tf files | Terraform | Parse resources, modules, use terraform graph if initialized | | playbook*.yml + roles/ | Ansible | Map playbooks → roles → tasks | | kind: in YAML, kustomization.yaml | Kubernetes | Parse manifests, map services/deployments | | Chart.yaml | Helm | Parse templates, values | | Pulumi.yaml | Pulumi | Treat like application code | | AWSTemplateFormatVersion | CloudFormation | Parse resources, nested stacks | | docker-compose.yml | Docker Compose | Map services, networks, volumes |

Mermaid Diagram Patterns

Code Architecture (Component Relationships)

graph TD
    subgraph "API Layer"
        A[REST API]
        B[GraphQL]
    end
    subgraph "Business Logic"
        C[Services]
        D[Domain Models]
    end
    subgraph "Data Layer"
        E[Repositories]
        F[Database]
    end
    A --> C
    B --> C
    C --> D
    C --> E
    E --> F

Infrastructure Topology

graph LR
    subgraph "AWS"
        ALB[Load Balancer]
        subgraph "ECS Cluster"
            SVC1[Service A]
            SVC2[Service B]
        end
        RDS[(PostgreSQL)]
        REDIS[(Redis)]
    end
    ALB --> SVC1
    ALB --> SVC2
    SVC1 --> RDS
    SVC2 --> RDS
    SVC1 --> REDIS

Module Hierarchy (Terraform)

graph TD
    ROOT[Root Module]
    ROOT --> VPC[modules/vpc]
    ROOT --> ECS[modules/ecs]
    ROOT --> RDS[modules/rds]
    ECS --> SG[modules/security-groups]
    RDS --> SG

Analysis Techniques

Import Graph (AST-based)

For JS/TS:

ast-grep --pattern 'import $_ from "$SOURCE"' --lang ts
ast-grep --pattern 'require("$SOURCE")' --lang js

For Python:

ast-grep --pattern 'from $MODULE import $_' --lang python
ast-grep --pattern 'import $MODULE' --lang python

For Go:

ast-grep --pattern 'import "$PKG"' --lang go

Entry Point Detection

| File Pattern | Type | |--------------|------| | main.go, main.py, main.ts | Application entry | | index.ts, index.js | Module entry | | cli.py, cli.ts, cmd/ | CLI entry | | server.ts, app.py, api/ | Server entry | | *_test.go, *.test.ts, test_*.py | Test entry |

Terraform Resource Parsing

Extract from *.tf:

  • resource blocks → managed infrastructure
  • module blocks → dependencies
  • provider blocks → cloud targets
  • data blocks → external references

If .terraform/ exists and terraform init has been run, can use:

terraform graph | # convert DOT to mermaid

Note: terraform graph requires initialized state. Skip if .terraform/ missing or init incomplete.

Output Template

# Codemap

> Auto-generated navigation map. Last updated: {date}
> For design decisions, see ARCHITECTURE.md (if exists)

## Tech Stack

- **Languages**: {detected languages}
- **Frameworks**: {detected frameworks}
- **Infrastructure**: {detected IaC tools}

## Directory Structure

\`\`\`
{annotated tree}
\`\`\`

## Code Architecture

\`\`\`mermaid
{component diagram}
\`\`\`

## Infrastructure Topology

\`\`\`mermaid
{infra diagram}
\`\`\`

## Entry Points

| Entry | Purpose | Command |
|-------|---------|---------|
| {file} | {purpose} | {how to run} |

## Key Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| {path} | {description} |

Edge Cases

  • Monorepos: Detect workspace patterns (lerna, nx, turborepo, go workspaces), generate per-package maps
  • No clear structure: Generate minimal map with warnings about organization
  • Vendored code: Always exclude from analysis (node_modules, vendor, .terraform, pycache)
  • Generated code: Detect and label (protobuf, OpenAPI, etc.)
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