I built a CLI that orients you in an unfamiliar repo: feedback wanted
A new command-line interface tool called codeglance has been developed to help users quickly orient themselves in unfamiliar code repositories. It provides a concise overview of the codebase, including how to run it and what tools are used, without requiring installation or configuration. This tool is particularly useful for onboarding new team members, evaluating dependencies, and re-familiarizing oneself with old projects.
- ▪Codeglance runs on any directory and works best with repositories that have common manifest files.
- ▪It generates a structured context brief that answers key questions about the codebase.
- ▪The tool does not perform code counting or AI generation, focusing instead on providing an orientation layer for users.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
codeglance The 10-second codebase tour. Open a repo. Run one command. Know where to start. npx codeglance No install. No config. No API keys. Try it now npx codeglance # tour of current directory npx codeglance --for-ai # compact LLM context brief npx codeglance --markdown --output docs/codebase-tour.md # save as Markdown No install required. Runs on any directory. Works best on repos with common manifest files. When should I use this? Joining a new codebase — Skip the 15-minute ritual of reading README, exploring directories, and parsing package.json manually Evaluating a dependency — Understand what a library actually uses before you adopt it Returning to an old project — Re-orient yourself after months away Before using Claude, Cursor, or Copilot — Run codeglance --for-ai to generate a…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at GitHub.