Learn codebase: prime your agent by reading every source file in full
A "prime the codebase" routine: systematically read EVERY source file in full before working, paging large files — front-loads a cognitive cache to cut later development cost
- What
- A "prime the codebase" routine: systematically read EVERY source file in full before working, paging large files — front-loads a cognitive cache to cut later development cost
- Cost
- Free
- Needs
- nothing to install — the skill is a single "prime the codebase" instruction; expect high upfront token cost on large codebases
- Install
- Copy the installer prompt below into your Muse — your agent does the rest.
Curated by Skill Harbor — @thedotmack's learn-codebase skill from the claude-mem plugin: a deliberately simple "prime the codebase" routine for starting work on a new or unfamiliar project (or when the user asks to "learn the codebase", "read the codebase" or "get up to speed"). The instruction is one non-negotiable rule: systematically read EVERY SOURCE FILE IN FULL, no matter how many there are, paging large files with offset/limit chunks. A reviewer note frames the token cost honestly: it front-loads a cognitive cache to make development cheaper over the life of the project. Honest caveats: **this is an extremely lightweight skill — a single instruction page with no helper scripts, references or templates**; on large codebases it can burn a lot of tokens up front, and it won't skip generated or vendored code on its own. Apache-2.0. Skill Harbor never reviews the code, review it yourself before use. Discovered via skills.sh.
Version:
Install
Prerequisites: nothing to install — the skill is a single "prime the codebase" instruction; expect high upfront token cost on large codebases Install "Learn codebase: prime your agent by reading every source file in full" for me. It gives my agent @thedotmack's learn-codebase routine from the claude-mem plugin: when starting work on a new or unfamiliar project, systematically read EVERY SOURCE FILE IN FULL, no matter how many there are, paging large files in offset/limit chunks — front-loading a cognitive cache to make later development cheaper. Extremely lightweight: one instruction page, no scripts or templates. Apache-2.0. Repository: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/blob/main/plugin/skills/learn-codebase/SKILL.md 1. Fetch the SKILL.md file (and any helper files) from the repository path into a temporary folder and summarize what it does in one or two sentences. 2. Safety check: review the SKILL.md and scripts for anything suspicious (unexpected network calls, shell commands, credential harvesting). This repo should contain zero secrets in code, credentials only via the secure vault, allowed hosts declared in the SKILL.md. Verify that holds here; STOP on any red flag and tell me. 3. Install it as a skill: copy SKILL.md and its helper files into the agent's skills directory, in a folder named "learn-codebase". 4. Verify with no network calls: frontmatter valid, files in place. 5. Report what was installed, where, and what I still need to do myself (e.g. nothing — just say "learn the codebase" when starting on an unfamiliar project, and expect significant token use on large codebases). GitHub is optional: if I have a GitHub account or the gh CLI, you may use it; otherwise public access is fine. Never require it unless it's in the prerequisites above. Rules: don't touch anything outside the temp folder and the install target. If anything looks off, stop and ask me.
Questions
How do I install a build?
Every product page includes a copy-paste install prompt. Paste it into your Muse and it sets the build up for you — no manual configuration.
Where does my money go?
Straight to the seller. Skill Harbor never processes payments: checkout happens on the seller’s own page, usually Stripe.
What does the ✓ next to a creator’s name mean?
It means we confirmed the identity of the person behind the listing. It says nothing about the code itself — always check a build before installing it.