Code Archaeology

About

The Code Archaeology skill equips Claude with specialized frameworks for reading and understanding complex, undocumented legacy code. By treating code as a series of clues rather than just instructions, it helps developers map entry points, trace data flows forward and backward, and excavate original architectural intent from git history and patterns. This skill is indispensable when onboarding to a new project, investigating inherited technical debt, or preparing for significant refactoring where documentation is missing or obsolete.

Key Features

• Multi-phase investigation process covering landscape surveys and data flow mapping
• Pattern recognition for common legacy architectures and technical debt red flags
• Git history excavation to uncover the 'why' behind specific implementation changes
• Automated discovery of system entry points, core abstractions, and domain entities
• Strategic reading modes including Top-Down, Bottom-Up, and Breadth-First analysis
• 2 GitHub stars

Use Cases

• Onboarding to a massive, undocumented codebase without a mentor
• Tracing complex data paths through multiple layers of an inherited system
• Identifying business-critical logic before performing a major architectural refactor