Code/Pilot

Starting work in an unfamiliar codebase is one of the most time-consuming parts of software development. Developers often need to search through repositories, understand unfamiliar folders and files, trace API flows, identify the application entry point, understand authentication and data layers, and figure out how everything connects before they can confidently make their first contribution. Code/Pilot is an AI-powered developer onboarding workspace designed to reduce that initial learning friction. A developer provides a public GitHub repository, and Code/Pilot analyzes the repository structure and selected source files to build a repository-specific onboarding experience. Instead of giving developers only a generic AI chatbot, Code/Pilot combines repository intelligence with an interactive developer workspace. The workspace includes a Repository Overview, Architecture view, Code Explorer, Setup Guide, Ask Codebase, and Onboarding Missions. The Ask Codebase feature allows developers to ask questions about the repository and receive answers grounded in the analyzed project context. The Architecture view helps developers understand major components and relationships, while Code Explorer highlights important files and repository structure. The Setup Guide provides a practical starting point for running and understanding the project. Code/Pilot also introduces interactive onboarding missions. Developers can progress through repository-specific learning tasks such as finding the application entry point, tracing an API request end-to-end, exploring authentication, and understanding the data layer. Each mission is designed to turn passive reading into an active learning process and help a developer gradually build enough context to begin contributing. The application is built as a React and Vite frontend connected to a Node.js and Express backend. GitHub's API and raw repository files provide repository data, while the AI analysis layer generates structured insights from that information. The deployed application uses Vercel for the frontend and Render for the backend. The result is a single workspace that brings repository understanding, AI-assisted questions, architecture exploration, and guided onboarding together. Code/Pilot is focused on a specific developer workflow: helping developers move from 'I don't understand this repository' toward 'I understand how this project works and where I can start.'