Project Onboarding

Scenario: A new developer joins the team and needs to understand a project quickly.

The Problem

Onboarding typically involves reading scattered documentation, asking teammates for context, and slowly piecing together how the codebase works. This takes days or weeks, and much of the tribal knowledge never makes it into docs.

The Workflow

With Graph Memory connected to your AI assistant, onboarding becomes a conversation.

1. Explore the Documentation

Start by understanding what documentation exists:

docs_list_files()

This returns all indexed markdown files with their titles and section counts. Get an overview of the project's documentation landscape.

Search for specific topics:

docs_search({ query: "getting started" })
docs_search({ query: "architecture overview" })

2. Understand the Code Structure

List code graph source files (TypeScript/JavaScript) to see how the codebase is organized:

code_list_files()

For a full project structure overview including all file types, use files_list() instead.

Explore symbols in key files:

code_get_file_symbols({ fileId: "src/index.ts" })
code_get_file_symbols({ fileId: "src/api/routes.ts" })

Search for specific concepts in the code:

code_search({ query: "authentication middleware" })
code_search({ query: "database connection" })

3. Read Existing Knowledge

Check for team notes and decisions:

notes_list()
notes_search({ query: "architecture decisions" })

These notes often contain the "why" behind design choices — exactly what onboarding docs miss.

4. Review Current Tasks

See what the team is working on:

tasks_list({ status: "in_progress" })
tasks_list({ status: "todo" })

This gives context on active development areas and priorities.

5. Find Procedures

Check for existing skills and procedures:

skills_list()
skills_recall({ context: "development setup" })
skills_recall({ context: "deployment process" })

Key Tools

Tool	Purpose in onboarding
docs_list_files	See all available documentation
docs_search	Find relevant doc sections by topic
code_list_files	List code graph source files (TS/JS)
files_list	Browse full project file tree
code_get_file_symbols	Explore what a source file exports
code_search	Find code by concept, not just name
notes_list	Read team knowledge and decisions
notes_search	Find notes on specific topics
tasks_list	See current work items
skills_recall	Find documented procedures

Tip: Use the Prompt Builder

The Web UI's Prompt Builder has an Onboarding scenario that generates a system prompt optimized for exploration and discovery. Copy it into your AI assistant configuration to get the best onboarding experience.