Preserves or recovers the reasoning behind a codebase - architectural decisions, rejected alternatives, workarounds, incident learnings, operational constraints, and historical context the code itself cannot explain. Use when implementing or reviewing a non-trivial change involving a design decision, workaround, incident fix, operational constraint, rejected alternative, or changed assumption; when documenting an existing or legacy codebase; during onboarding or a maintainer handover; or when interviewing a developer before their knowledge is lost (e.g. before they leave or retire); or when the user expresses frustration with, or reports a problem with, this skill itself. Identifies what the code cannot explain, asks focused questions instead of generic ones, and maintains concise, topic-based, version-controlled documentation readable by both humans and AI agents.
Install with
Claude CodeCodexCursorGitHub CopilotGemini CLI
Supported by the Atlas install prompt. Skill-specific requirements vary.
Skill stats
Skills1CategoryGeneralStars0
About this skill
Preserves or recovers the reasoning behind a codebase - architectural decisions, rejected alternatives, workarounds, incident learnings, operational constraints, and historical context the code itself cannot explain. Use when implementing or reviewing a non-trivial change involving a design decision, workaround, incident fix, operational constraint, rejected alternative, or changed assumption; when documenting an existing or legacy codebase; during onboarding or a maintainer handover; or when interviewing a developer before their knowledge is lost (e.g. before they leave or retire); or when the user expresses frustration with, or reports a problem with, this skill itself. Identifies what the code cannot explain, asks focused questions instead of generic ones, and maintains concise, topic-based, version-controlled documentation readable by both humans and AI agents.
Quick start
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Preserves or recovers the reasoning behind a codebase - architectural decisions, rejected alternatives, workarounds, incident learnings, operational constraints, and historical context the code itself cannot explain. Use when implementing or reviewing a non-trivial change involving a design decision, workaround, incident fix, operational constraint, rejected alternative, or changed assumption; when documenting an existing or legacy codebase; during onboarding or a maintainer handover; or when interviewing a developer before their knowledge is lost (e.g. before they leave or retire); or when the user expresses frustration with, or reports a problem with, this skill itself. Identifies what the code cannot explain, asks focused questions instead of generic ones, and maintains concise, topic-based, version-controlled documentation readable by both humans and AI agents.
About this listing
Category
General
Reported license
MIT
Listing language (estimated)
English
Review status
Not individually reviewed
Agent compatibility
Atlas installation supports Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Skill-specific dependencies and features are checked during setup.
Claude Code
Codex
Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Gemini CLI