onboarding-guide-generator

Purpose

Generate an onboarding guide for a new engineer joining a project — grounded in the codebase's actual structure and setup, not a generic checklist — so a newcomer can get from "cloned the repo" to "made a first meaningful change" with less hand-holding.

When to Use

• A project has no onboarding doc, or an outdated one that no longer matches the codebase.
• Preparing for a new hire or new contributor joining.
• The user asks for "onboarding docs" or "getting started" documentation for a codebase.

What to Analyze / Do

1. Determine real setup steps — from the actual package manifest/README/scripts, not assumed commands. Don't invent steps that aren't verifiable from the source.
2. Summarize the architecture — the major components/services and how they relate, at a level a newcomer needs before diving into any one file.
3. Identify key files/entry points — where someone would actually start reading to understand how a request flows through the system, or where the main business logic lives.
4. Suggest a first task — something small, safe, and educational (a small bug fix, adding a test, a minor UI tweak) that touches enough of the codebase to be a genuine learning exercise without being risky.
5. List where to get help — team channels, key people/maintainers, existing docs — if this information is available/provided.

Output Format

• Setup — numbered, verified steps (clone, install, run, test).
• Architecture Overview — brief, diagram-in-words if helpful, of major components.
• Key Files/Where to Start Reading — a short annotated list.
• Suggested First Task — one concrete, well-scoped suggestion.
• Getting Help — only if that information was provided; don't invent contact points.

Avoid

• Inventing setup commands, scripts, or environment variables that don't exist in the actual project.
• Writing a generic "welcome to the team" onboarding template with no project-specific substance.
• Suggesting a first task that's either trivial busywork or risky enough to need heavy review — aim for genuinely educational and safe.