acquire-codebase-knowledge SKILL.md skillB
acquire-codebase-knowledge from github/awesome-copilot is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add github/awesome-copilot/acquire-codebase-knowledge@v1.3Pins v1.3 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- B, 16 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- github/awesome-copilot
- Path
skills/acquire-codebase-knowledge/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 2
- Latest version
- v1.3, committed Sep 16, 2026
- First version recorded
- Apr 14, 2026
- Size
- 9,123 bytes
- Repository stars
- 40,629
- License
- MIT
Use this skill when the user explicitly asks to map, document, or onboard into an existing codebase. Trigger for prompts like "map this codebase", "document this architecture", "onboard me to this repo", or "create codebase docs". Do not trigger for routine feature implementation, bug fixes, or narrow code edits unless the user asks for repository-level discovery.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Acquire Codebase Knowledge Produces seven populated documents in `docs/codebase/` covering everything needed to work effectively on the project. Only document what is verifiable from files or terminal output — never infer or assume. ## Output Contract (Required) Before finishing, all of the following must be true: 1. Exactly these files exist in `docs/codebase/`: `STACK.md`, `STRUCTURE.md`, `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `CONVENTIONS.md`, `INTEGRATIONS.md`, `TESTING.md`, `CONCERNS.md`. 2. Every claim is traceable to source files, config, or terminal output. 3. Unknowns are marked as `[TODO]`; intent-dependent decisions are marked `[ASK USER]`. 4. Every document includes a short "evidence" list with concrete file paths. 5. Final response includes numbered `[ASK USER]` questions and intent-vs-reality divergences. ## Workflow Copy and track this checklist: ``` - [ ] Phase 1: Run scan, read intent documents - [ ] Phase 2: Investigate each documentation area - [ ] Phase 3: Populate all seven docs in docs/codebase/ - [ ] Phase 4: Validate docs, present findings, resolve all [ASK USER] items ``` ## Focus Area Mode …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add github/awesome-copilot/acquire-codebase-knowledge@sha256:a86527533d2ee4dfThe line at the top of this page pins the label v1.3, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_ocs2qthwb7yzgqyv)
3 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 2 versions of this file, between Apr 14, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026, about one every 155 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1.3 latest | 2026-09-16 | 9ce8148 | 9,123 B | B | view · diff |
| v1.3 | 2026-04-14 | b8f3822 | 9,124 B | B | view |
Audit of the latest version
- fail: No instruction to read or print local credentials (matched: Read `.env.example`, `.env.template`, or `.env)
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (9123 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Starting a new one? Use a template for SKILL.md on mdpantry, which passes every one of these checks and says what to change in it.
Source
github/awesome-copilot · 40,629 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-30 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_ocs2qthwb7yzgqyv GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=github/awesome-copilot/acquire-codebase-knowledge GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/a86527533d2ee4df27063af24402b9e1a345c33bba3cf423c96da7cdb3864a60
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.
More from github/awesome-copilot
Every file in github/awesome-copilot