Skip to main content
The onboard-builder module generates a self-contained markdown onboarding document from a KnowledgeGraph. The output is suitable for a README, wiki page, or documentation site and includes a project overview, architectural layers, key concepts, a guided tour, a file map, and complexity hotspots.

​
buildOnboardingGuide

Generates a structured onboarding guide from the knowledge graph. 
export function buildOnboardingGuide(graph: KnowledgeGraph): string
​
graph
KnowledgeGraph
required
The full knowledge graph produced by the analysis pipeline. All fields are used: project, nodes, edges, layers, and tour.

​
Return value

Returns a string containing a complete markdown document. The document is self-contained and does not reference any external files.

​
Output structure

The guide is assembled from up to six sections. Sections are omitted when the relevant data is empty.

​
Project overview

Always present. Contains a summary table: 
# My Project

> A short project description.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Languages** | TypeScript, Python |
| **Frameworks** | React, Express |
| **Components** | 42 nodes, 87 relationships |
| **Last Analyzed** | 2025-01-15T10:30:00Z |

​
Architecture

Present when graph.layers is non-empty. Each layer gets a ### heading with its description and a comma-separated list of key component names.

​
Key Concepts

Present when the graph contains nodes of type "concept". Each concept node gets a ### heading with its summary.

​
Getting Started

Present when graph.tour is non-empty. Renders the guided tour steps in order. Each step shows:
  • Step number and title
  • Description
  • File list with node summaries (node.filePath is required per entry)
  • Optional language tip in a blockquote (step.languageLesson)

​
File Map

Present when nodes of type "file" with a filePath exist. Renders a markdown table: 
| File | Purpose | Complexity |
|------|---------|------------|
| `src/auth.ts` | Handles JWT auth | moderate |

​
Complexity Hotspots

Present when nodes with complexity === "complex" exist. Lists each complex node with its type and summary so new contributors know where to be careful.

​
Usage

import { buildOnboardingGuide, loadGraph } from "@understand-anything/core";
import { writeFileSync } from "node:fs";

// loadGraph takes the project root directory (not a file path)
// Returns null if no graph exists yet — run /understand first
const graph = loadGraph(process.cwd());
if (!graph) throw new Error("No knowledge graph found. Run /understand first.");

const guide = buildOnboardingGuide(graph);

// Write to a file
writeFileSync("ONBOARDING.md", guide, "utf-8");
The document ends with a footer crediting the Understand Anything tool and the graph version: 
---

*Generated by [Understand Anything](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything) from knowledge graph v1.0.0*

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us