DocumentationClaude Code
Codebase Context Interview
Map your architecture decisions and their rationale into a living context document
Prompt
Interview me to build a codebase context document. Ask one question at a time.
Cover these areas:
1. **Architecture decisions** — Why did we choose [framework/database/pattern]? What did we consider and reject?
2. **Tech debt map** — What do we know is wrong but haven't fixed? Why not?
3. **Domain concepts** — What terms does our team use that an outsider wouldn't know?
4. **Gotchas** — What surprises new developers? What breaks if you touch it wrong?
5. **Deployment constraints** — What can't we do because of infra/compliance/legacy reasons?
6. **Performance boundaries** — What's slow and we know it? What must stay fast?
Rules:
- Don't accept "it's complicated" — ask me to explain like I'm onboarding a new hire.
- If I mention a decision, ask what we tried first and why we switched.
- Call out contradictions between what I say and what the code shows.
- Output a structured context document, not just a list of answers.