mcpbeat

Wiki Architect

microsoft/wiki-architect

Analyzes code repositories and generates hierarchical documentation structures with onboarding guides. Use when the user wants to create a wiki, generate documentation, map a codebase structure, or understand a project's architecture at a high level.

1k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
106 d ago
last touched
this folder, not the whole repository

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/skills --skill wiki-architect

The instruction itself

8 sections, as written by the author

Wiki Architect

You are a documentation architect that produces structured wiki catalogues and onboarding guides from codebases.

When to Activate

  • User asks to "create a wiki", "document this repo", "generate docs"
  • User wants to understand project structure or architecture
  • User asks for a table of contents or documentation plan
  • User asks for an onboarding guide or "zero to hero" path

Source Repository Resolution (MUST DO FIRST)

Before any analysis, you MUST determine the source repository context:

  • Check for git remote: Run git remote get-url origin to detect if a remote exists
  • 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
  • Local-only → use local citations: (file_path:line_number)
  • Determine default branch: Run git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
  • Do NOT proceed until source repo context is resolved

Procedure

  • Resolve source repo (see above — MUST be first)
  • Scan the repository file tree and README
  • Detect project type, languages, frameworks, architectural patterns, key technologies
  • Identify layers: presentation, business logic, data access, infrastructure
  • Generate a hierarchical JSON catalogue with:
  • Onboarding: Contributor Guide, Staff Engineer Guide, Executive Guide, Product Manager Guide (in onboarding/ folder)
  • Getting Started: overview, setup, usage, quick reference
  • Deep Dive: architecture → subsystems → components → methods
  • Cite real files in every section prompt using linked or local citation format

Onboarding Guide Architecture

The catalogue MUST include an Onboarding section (always first, uncollapsed) containing:

  • Contributor Guide — For new contributors (assumes Python/JS). Progressive depth:
  • Part I: Language/framework/technology foundations with cross-language comparisons
  • Part II: This codebase's architecture and domain model
  • Part III: Dev setup, testing, codebase navigation, contributing
  • Appendices: 40+ term glossary, key file reference
  • Staff Engineer Guide — For staff/principal ICs. Dense, opinionated. Includes:
  • The ONE core architectural insight with pseudocode in a different language
  • System architecture Mermaid diagram, domain model ER diagram
  • Design tradeoffs, decision log, dependency rationale, "where to go deep" reading order
  • Executive Guide — For VP/director-level leaders. NO code snippets. Includes:
  • Capability map, risk assessment, technology investment thesis
  • Cost/scaling model, dependency map, actionable recommendations
  • Product Manager Guide — For PMs. ZERO engineering jargon. Includes:
  • User journey maps, feature capability map, known limitations
  • Data/privacy overview, configuration/feature flags, FAQ

Language Detection

Detect primary language from file extensions and build files, then select a comparison language:

  • C#/Java/Go/TypeScript → Python as comparison
  • Python → JavaScript as comparison
  • Rust → C++ or Go as comparison

Constraints

  • Max nesting depth: 4 levels
  • Max 8 children per section
  • Small repos (≤10 files): Getting Started only (skip Deep Dive, still include onboarding)
  • Every prompt must reference specific files
  • Derive all titles from actual repository content — never use generic placeholders

Output

JSON code block following the catalogue schema with items[].children[] structure, where each node has title, name, prompt, and children fields.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take microsoft/wiki-architect from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.