# AI use cases for Compass (crabbuild/compass) Repo: [crabbuild/compass](https://github.com/crabbuild/compass) | Use cases: 4 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/ Compass is a local-first Rust tool that turns source code and project artifacts into a queryable knowledge graph of symbols, files, relationships, and evidence. This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL. - Map an unfamiliar repository before reading code: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/map-unfamiliar-repository/ - Check what a planned change could affect: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/estimate-change-impact/ - Give Claude Code or Codex focused repo context: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/focused-context-for-coding-assistants/ - Share an interactive architecture view with a team: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/share-architecture-view-with-team/ ## How to map an unfamiliar repository before reading code with Compass Repo: [crabbuild/compass](https://github.com/crabbuild/compass) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README Build a local graph and read a generated architecture summary of communities and key nodes. **Who it is for:** A developer who has just joined a project or inherited a large codebase and needs orientation before making changes. **The problem:** Reading files one by one is slow, and it is hard to see subsystem boundaries and the most connected parts of the code. **The outcome:** A compass-out folder with a graph, an architecture report, and an interactive HTML view that shows how the repository is organized. ### Steps 1. Install the CLI with the installer for your system, for example `curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/crabbuild/compass/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh` on macOS or Linux. (inferred, check the README) 2. `cd your-project` 3. `compass init` 4. Open `compass-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md` to read the architecture and community summary. 5. `compass export html` ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text In the project at , run `compass init` using the crabbuild/compass CLI, then read compass-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md and list the main communities and the most connected (god) nodes. Expected output: a short architecture summary with community names and their key symbols. Verify that compass-out/graph.json exists before reporting. ``` ### Caveat Compass writes its output to compass-out/ inside the project, so check that folder before committing or sharing the project. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/map-unfamiliar-repository/ ## How to check what a planned change could affect with Compass Repo: [crabbuild/compass](https://github.com/crabbuild/compass) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README Trace reverse dependencies and directed paths for a symbol before editing it. **Who it is for:** An engineer about to modify a function or type who needs to know which callers and dependents may break. **The problem:** Manual searches miss indirect dependents, so a change can break code several hops away. **The outcome:** A bounded list of affected nodes, a path between two symbols, and an explanation of the symbol, all tied to graph evidence. ### Steps 1. Install the CLI and run `cd your-project` followed by `compass init`. 2. `compass explain ` (inferred, check the README) 3. `compass affected --depth 3` (inferred, check the README) 4. `compass path ` (inferred, check the README) 5. `compass export html --impact-graph "$symbol_id"` to view the impact neighborhood visually, where symbol_id is the id of your symbol. (inferred, check the README) ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text In the repository at , use the crabbuild/compass CLI to run `compass affected --depth 3` and `compass path `. Expected output: the list of affected nodes and the directed path between the two symbols. Verify that each reported node includes a source location before you treat it as a real dependent. ``` ### Caveat Compass reports evidence limits and ambiguous matches, so treat the affected list as a guide to review rather than a complete proof of impact. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/estimate-change-impact/ ## How to give Claude Code or Codex focused repo context with Compass Repo: [crabbuild/compass](https://github.com/crabbuild/compass) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README Install Compass into an assistant and let it run compact graph queries instead of broad searches. **Who it is for:** A developer using Claude Code or Codex on a large repository who wants the assistant to find relevant code with less searching and smaller context. **The problem:** Assistants that search broadly consume large context and can miss the implementation path for a question. **The outcome:** An assistant that starts from the bounded Agent Orientation and runs focused queries that return graph-backed locations. ### Steps 1. `cd your-project` 2. `compass init` 3. `compass install --platform codex` or `compass install --platform claude` (inferred, check the README) 4. `compass watch` in a second terminal to keep the graph current while you work. 5. `compass query "where is authentication enforced?"` to test a focused question before giving it to the assistant. ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text In the repository at , confirm that compass-out/ exists, then run `compass query ""` with the crabbuild/compass CLI. Expected output: a concise map of seed nodes, edges, and source locations for the question. Verify that the returned source locations exist in the repository before you edit any file. ``` ### Caveat Keep `compass watch` running while the assistant works, or the graph can lag behind your latest edits. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/focused-context-for-coding-assistants/ ## How to share an interactive architecture view with a team with Compass Repo: [crabbuild/compass](https://github.com/crabbuild/compass) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README Export a self-contained HTML workbench and open the same graph in VS Code. **Who it is for:** A tech lead who wants reviewers and new teammates to explore the architecture without installing a server or sharing the repository with a remote service. **The problem:** Architecture diagrams drift out of date, and static images cannot show call direction or evidence. **The outcome:** A self-contained HTML page that teammates can open in a browser to search symbols, follow relationships, and jump to source. ### Steps 1. `cd your-project` and run `compass init`. 2. `compass export html --architecture-graph` (inferred, check the README) 3. Open the HTML file that the export wrote and send it to teammates along with a note about the snapshot. (inferred, check the README) 4. `code --install-extension crabbuild.crabbuild-compass-vscode` for teammates who want the same workbench inside VS Code. ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text In the repository at , run `compass export html --architecture-graph` with the crabbuild/compass CLI. Expected output: a self-contained HTML workbench file. Verify that the file opens in a browser without network access and that the architecture view shows the repository's communities. ``` ### Caveat The exported page reflects the snapshot at export time, so re-export after major changes before sharing it. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/crabbuild-compass/share-architecture-view-with-team/