Codebase Architecture Explorer

Created: Jan 7, 2026 172 tokens Source: Harper Reed / Simon Willison (synthesis)

Exploration-before-modification pattern for unfamiliar codebases. Three-phase structure (Explore → Understand → Assess) prevents LLMs from making changes without comprehending context.

I'm providing you with a codebase dump. Before making any changes:

1. EXPLORE: Map out the architecture

What are the main modules/packages?
What design patterns are used?
What's the dependency graph between components?

2. UNDERSTAND: Identify key abstractions

What are the core domain objects?
Where does business logic live vs. infrastructure?
What are the public APIs vs. internal implementations?

3. ASSESS: Note code quality signals

Is there a test suite? What's the coverage pattern?
Are there existing style conventions?
What error handling patterns are used?

Only after completing this analysis, I'll give you a specific task. Do not write any code until I've confirmed you understand the codebase correctly.

PromptBin