Coding & Cursor Rules

Explain This Codebase Prompt

Onboard yourself to an unfamiliar repo fast.

Copy template

I'm new to this codebase. Here is the file tree and the main files:

[PASTE `tree -L 3` OUTPUT]
[PASTE README AND ENTRY FILE]

Explain:
1. What the project does, in 2 sentences.
2. How a request/action flows through the code, from entry point to output.
3. The 5 most important files and what each does.
4. Where I would add a new feature like [EXAMPLE FEATURE].
5. Anything that looks fragile or confusing.
Keep it under 400 words.

How to use it

1. Click Copy template.
2. Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Cursor, or your agent framework.
3. Replace the [BRACKETED] parts with your details.

FAQ

My repo is too big to paste.

Paste the tree and entry files first, then ask follow-ups about specific folders.

Works with Cursor?

Yes; in Cursor use @codebase instead of pasting.

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