Project Documentation Extractor

VerifiedSafe

Analyzes source code and generates structured Markdown docs: architecture, API, database, and flows with Mermaid diagrams.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationIntermediate
2010/19/2026
Claude Code
#documentation-generation#architecture#api-docs#mermaid-diagrams#code-analysis

Recommended for

Our review

This skill analyzes a project's source code to produce a set of structured Markdown documents covering architecture, APIs, database schema, and business flows.

Strengths

  • Produces five distinct documents (README, ARCHITECTURE, API, DATABASE, FLOWS) from a single command
  • Includes Mermaid diagrams for architecture, data flow, and sequence diagrams
  • Emphasizes describing design intent rather than copying source code
  • Handles edge cases such as missing API or database layers by skipping the relevant files

Limitations

  • Customization options are limited to input and output directories
  • For large projects the analysis is partial and requires multiple runs
  • Output quality depends on the agent recognizing the language and framework
When to use it

Reach for it when an existing project lacks documentation and you need a fast overview of its architecture and interfaces.

When not to use it

Avoid it if you need a hand-maintained reference document or if the codebase must stay out of reach of the tool for confidentiality reasons.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score80/100

The skill only instructs the AI agent to read project files and write generated Markdown documentation locally. It does not contain destructive commands, network exfiltration, secret handling, or obfuscated payloads. Allowed tools are standard read/write utilities. No meaningful execution risk.

No concerns found

Examples

Dump current project
/project-dumper
Dump into a custom docs folder
/project-dumper --output ./docs
Analyze another repository
/project-dumper -o ./my-docs -p ./my-project

name: project-dumper version: 1.1.0 description: | Extract project knowledge into structured Markdown documents. Analyzes source code to generate architecture docs, API docs, database design, and flow diagrams. Use when: "dump project", "extract project docs", "generate project knowledge", "项目文档", or when you need to extract project structure and design. allowed-tools:

  • Bash
  • Read
  • Write
  • Glob
  • Grep

project-dumper

Generate structured Markdown documentation from project source code. This skill helps extract project knowledge (architecture, API, database, flows) without copying source code.

Usage

/project-dumper [--output DIR] [--project PATH]

Examples:
/project-dumper                                    # Use current directory
/project-dumper --output ./docs                   # Output to ./docs
/project-dumper --project /path/to/project        # Analyze specific project
/project-dumper -o ./my-docs -p ./my-project    # Full options

Parameters

| Parameter | Short | Description | Default | |-----------|-------|-------------|---------| | --output | -o | Output directory for generated docs | ./project-docs | | --project | -p | Project directory to analyze | Current directory |

Workflow

Follow these phases to analyze the project:

Phase 1: Project Structure Analysis

  1. Scan the project directory to understand:

    • Project type (language, framework)
    • Directory structure
    • Key configuration files (package.json, pom.xml, requirements.txt, etc.)
    • Module/package organization
  2. Identify the main entry points and key modules

Phase 2: API & Database Analysis

For each API layer found (REST controllers, routes, endpoints):

  • List all endpoints with HTTP method, path, and description
  • Document request/response formats

For each database layer found (entities, models, schemas):

  • List all entities/tables with fields and relationships
  • Document primary keys, indexes, and constraints

Phase 3: Architecture & Design Analysis

Analyze and document:

  • Layered architecture (presentation, business, data, etc.)
  • Design patterns used
  • Technology stack and why
  • Key architectural decisions

Phase 4: Core Flows & Diagrams

Document key business flows:

  • User interactions
  • Data processing pipelines
  • External integrations

Generate Mermaid diagrams for:

  • System architecture
  • Data flow
  • Sequence diagrams for key operations

Output Format

Generate these Markdown files in the output directory:

  1. README.md - Project overview, tech stack, quick start
  2. ARCHITECTURE.md - Architecture design, layers, patterns
  3. API.md - API endpoints documentation
  4. DATABASE.md - Database schema and models
  5. FLOWS.md - Business flows with Mermaid diagrams

Guidelines

  • DO NOT copy source code - Only summarize and describe
  • Use Mermaid diagrams for visual representation
  • Include code snippets only as examples, not full files
  • Focus on design intent - Why was it built this way?
  • Be concise - Use bullet points and tables
  • Language: Use the same language as the project comments/docs, default to English
  • Depth: For architecture docs, include specific code examples, configuration, and implementation details that enable reverse engineering

Output Directory

Default: ./project-docs/

Custom output:

# Example 1: Output to current directory's docs folder
/project-dumper -o ./docs

# Example 2: Output to home directory
/project-dumper -o ~/project-docs

# Example 3: Absolute path
/project-dumper -o /Users/name/Documents/my-project-docs

Note: The output directory will be created if it doesn't exist.

Edge Cases

  • If project has no clear API layer: Document what interfaces the project exposes
  • If project has no database: Skip DATABASE.md
  • If project is too large: Prioritize main modules, note that full analysis requires multiple runs
  • If language/framework not recognized: Ask user for clarification
  • If output directory is not writable: Report error with suggested fix
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