# wiki-onboarding

Writes four onboarding guides for a codebase, each aimed at a different reader: contributor, staff engineer, executive, product manager.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, GitHub Copilot · 5 installs · ★ 3149
- Author: Microsoft
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/HEAD/.github/plugins/deep-wiki/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/wiki-onboarding

## What it does

The skill inspects a repository and produces an `onboarding/` folder holding `contributor-guide.md`, `staff-engineer-guide.md`, `executive-guide.md` and `product-manager-guide.md`. An `index.md` hub ties them together with a table listing each guide's audience, what it covers and how long it takes to read.

Repository context comes first, and the skill will not start without it. It runs `git remote get-url origin` to see whether a remote exists, asks whether the project is local-only or has a source URL on GitHub or Azure DevOps, and reads the current branch with `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`. A remote URL switches citations to linked form pointing at lines in the repo; otherwise they stay as plain paths with line numbers.

Code examples follow the project's own language, picked from build files: `package.json` or `tsconfig.json` for TypeScript, `Cargo.toml` for Rust, `go.mod` for Go, `pyproject.toml` for Python. The contributor guide assumes a Python or JavaScript background and opens with a syntax comparison when the repo uses something else. The staff engineer guide leans on architecture and a decision log. The executive and product manager versions stay short and skip the code.

## Requirements
- Works with: Azure

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill wiki-onboarding -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/wiki-onboarding/

### Codex

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install microsoft/skills wiki-onboarding
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/skills --path .github/plugins/deep-wiki/skills/wiki-onboarding
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/HEAD/.github/plugins/deep-wiki/skills/wiki-onboarding/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- document an unfamiliar repository for newcomers
- explain system architecture to a staff engineer
- describe features and constraints to a product manager
- build one entry page linking all onboarding guides
- match code samples to the project's language

## Example prompts
- Generate onboarding guides for this repository
- Write getting-started docs for new contributors
- Run `/deep-wiki:onboard`

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 743921095e7b3abd.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 743921095e7b3abd
````text
---
name: wiki-onboarding
description: Generates four audience-tailored onboarding guides in an onboarding/ folder — Contributor, Staff Engineer, Executive, and Product Manager. Use when the user wants onboarding documentation for a codebase.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Microsoft
  version: "1.0.0"
---

# Wiki Onboarding Guide Generator

Generate four audience-tailored onboarding documents in an `onboarding/` folder, each giving a different stakeholder exactly the understanding they need.

## Source Repository Resolution (MUST DO FIRST)

Before generating any guides, you MUST determine the source repository context:

1. **Check for git remote**: Run `git remote get-url origin` to detect if a remote exists
2. **Ask the user**: _"Is this a local-only repository, or do you have a source repository URL (e.g., GitHub, Azure DevOps)?"_
   - Remote URL provided → store as `REPO_URL`, use **linked citations**: `[file:line](REPO_URL/blob/BRANCH/file#Lline)`
   - Local-only → use **local citations**: `(file_path:line_number)`
3. **Determine default branch**: Run `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`
4. **Do NOT proceed** until source repo context is resolved

## When to Activate

- User asks for onboarding docs or getting-started guides
- User runs `/deep-wiki:onboard` command
- User wants to help new team members understand a codebase

## Output Structure

Generate an `onboarding/` folder with these files:

```
onboarding/
├── index.md                    # Onboarding hub — links to all 4 guides with audience descriptions
├── contributor-guide.md        # For new contributors (assumes Python or JS background)
├── staff-engineer-guide.md     # For staff/principal engineers
├── executive-guide.md          # For VP/director-level engineering leaders
└── product-manager-guide.md    # For product managers and non-engineering stakeholders
```

### `index.md` — Onboarding Hub

A landing page with:
- **One-paragraph project summary**
- **Guide selector table**:

| Guide | Audience | What You'll Learn | Time |
|-------|----------|-------------------|------|
| [Contributor Guide](./contributor-guide.md) | New contributors with Python/JS experience | Setup, first PR, codebase patterns | ~30 min |
| [Staff Engineer Guide](./staff-engineer-guide.md) | Staff/principal engineers | Architecture, design decisions, system boundaries | ~45 min |
| [Executive Guide](./executive-guide.md) | VP/directors of engineering | Capabilities, risks, team topology, investment thesis | ~20 min |
| [Product Manager Guide](./product-manager-guide.md) | Product managers | Features, user journeys, constraints, data model | ~20 min |

## Language Detection

Scan the repository for build files to determine the primary language for code examples:
- `package.json` / `tsconfig.json` → TypeScript/JavaScript
- `*.csproj` / `*.sln` → C# / .NET
- `Cargo.toml` → Rust
- `pyproject.toml` / `setup.py` / `requirements.txt` → Python
- `go.mod` → Go
- `pom.xml` / `build.gradle` → Java

---
````
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