# Onboarding Helper

> Generate comprehensive onboarding documentation and guides for new developers joining your team o...

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-curiouslearner-devkit-onboarding-helper`
- **Verified:** Pending review
- **Seller:** [CuriousLearner](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/curiouslearner)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [CuriousLearner](https://github.com/CuriousLearner)
- **Source:** https://github.com/CuriousLearner/devkit/tree/main/skills/onboarding-helper

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-curiouslearner-devkit-onboarding-helper
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Onboarding Helper Skill

Generate comprehensive onboarding documentation and guides for new developers joining your team or project.

## Instructions

You are an onboarding and developer experience expert. When invoked:

1. **Assess Onboarding Needs**:
   - Project complexity and technology stack
   - Team size and structure
   - Development workflow and processes
   - Domain knowledge requirements
   - Common onboarding challenges

2. **Create Onboarding Materials**:
   - Welcome documentation
   - Development environment setup guides
   - Codebase architecture overview
   - First-task tutorials
   - Team processes and conventions

3. **Organize Learning Path**:
   - Day 1, Week 1, Month 1 goals
   - Progressive complexity
   - Hands-on exercises
   - Checkpoint milestones
   - Resources and references

4. **Document Team Culture**:
   - Communication channels
   - Meeting schedules
   - Code review practices
   - Decision-making processes
   - Team values and norms

5. **Enable Self-Service**:
   - FAQ sections
   - Troubleshooting guides
   - Links to resources
   - Who to ask for what
   - Common gotchas

## Onboarding Documentation Structure

### Complete Onboarding Guide Template

```markdown
# Welcome to [Project Name]! 👋

Welcome! We're excited to have you on the team. This guide will help you get up to speed quickly and smoothly.

## Table of Contents
1. [Overview](#overview)
2. [Day 1: Getting Started](#day-1-getting-started)
3. [Week 1: Core Concepts](#week-1-core-concepts)
4. [Month 1: Making Impact](#month-1-making-impact)
5. [Team & Processes](#team--processes)
6. [Resources](#resources)
7. [FAQ](#faq)

---

## Overview

### What We're Building
We're building a modern e-commerce platform that helps small businesses sell online. Our platform handles:
- Product catalog management
- Shopping cart and checkout
- Payment processing (Stripe integration)
- Order fulfillment and tracking
- Customer relationship management

**Our Mission**: Make e-commerce accessible to businesses of all sizes.

**Our Users**: Small to medium business owners with 10-1000 products.

### Technology Stack

**Frontend**:
- React 18 with TypeScript
- Redux Toolkit for state management
- Material-UI component library
- React Query for API calls
- Vite for build tooling

**Backend**:
- Node.js with Express
- PostgreSQL database
- Redis for caching
- Stripe for payments
- AWS S3 for file storage

**Infrastructure**:
- Docker for local development
- Kubernetes for production
- GitHub Actions for CI/CD
- AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront)
- DataDog for monitoring

### Project Statistics
- **Started**: January 2023
- **Team Size**: 12 engineers (4 frontend, 5 backend, 3 full-stack)
- **Codebase**: ~150K lines of code
- **Active Users**: 5,000+ businesses
- **Monthly Transactions**: $2M+

---

## Day 1: Getting Started

### Your First Day Checklist

- [ ] Complete HR onboarding
- [ ] Get added to communication channels
- [ ] Set up development environment
- [ ] Clone the repository
- [ ] Run the application locally
- [ ] Deploy to your personal dev environment
- [ ] Introduce yourself to the team
- [ ] Schedule 1:1s with your manager and buddy

### Access & Accounts

**Required Accounts**:
1. **GitHub** - Source code ([github.com/company/project](https://github.com))
   - Request access from @engineering-manager
2. **Slack** - Team communication
   - Channels: #engineering, #frontend, #backend, #general
3. **Jira** - Project management ([company.atlassian.net](https://company.atlassian.net))
4. **Figma** - Design files
5. **AWS Console** - Production access (read-only initially)
6. **DataDog** - Monitoring and logs

**Development Tools**:
- Docker Desktop
- Node.js 18+ (use nvm)
- PostgreSQL client (psql or pgAdmin)
- Postman or Insomnia (API testing)
- VS Code (recommended, see extensions below)

### Environment Setup

#### 1. Install Prerequisites

**macOS**:
```bash
# Install Homebrew
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Node.js via nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Install Docker Desktop
brew install --cask docker

# Install PostgreSQL client
brew install postgresql@14
```

**Windows**:
```bash
# Install using Chocolatey
choco install nodejs-lts docker-desktop postgresql14
```

#### 2. Clone Repository

```bash
# Clone the repo
git clone git@github.com:company/ecommerce-platform.git
cd ecommerce-platform

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local
```

#### 3. Configure Environment Variables

Edit `.env.local`:
```bash
# Database (local Docker)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/ecommerce_dev

# Redis
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# Stripe (use test keys)
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_... # Get from @backend-lead
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

# AWS S3 (dev bucket)
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... # Get from @devops
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_S3_BUCKET=ecommerce-dev-uploads

# Session
SESSION_SECRET=your-random-secret-here
```

**Where to get credentials**:
- Stripe test keys: 1Password vault "Development Secrets"
- AWS credentials: Request from @devops in #engineering
- Session secret: Generate with `openssl rand -base64 32`

#### 4. Start Development Environment

```bash
# Start Docker services (PostgreSQL, Redis)
docker-compose up -d

# Run database migrations
npm run db:migrate

# Seed database with sample data
npm run db:seed

# Start development server
npm run dev
```

**Expected output**:
```
✔ Database migrated successfully
✔ Seeded 100 products, 50 users
✔ Server running on http://localhost:3000
✔ API available at http://localhost:3000/api
```

#### 5. Verify Installation

Open your browser to http://localhost:3000

You should see the application home page with sample products.

**Test credentials**:
- Email: `test@example.com`
- Password: `password123`

**Troubleshooting**:
- **Port 3000 in use**: Kill the process with `lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9`
- **Database connection failed**: Check Docker is running with `docker ps`
- **Module not found**: Delete `node_modules` and run `npm install` again

See [Troubleshooting Guide](docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) for more help.

### VS Code Setup

**Recommended Extensions**:
```json
{
  "recommendations": [
    "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss",
    "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
    "eamodio.gitlens",
    "orta.vscode-jest",
    "prisma.prisma"
  ]
}
```

**Settings** (`.vscode/settings.json`):
```json
{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": true
  },
  "typescript.tsdk": "node_modules/typescript/lib"
}
```

### Your First Commit

Let's make a simple change to verify your setup:

1. **Create a branch**:
   ```bash
   git checkout -b test/your-name-setup
   ```

2. **Add your name to the team page**:
   Edit `src/pages/About.tsx`:
   ```typescript
   const teamMembers = [
     // ... existing members
     { name: 'Your Name', role: 'Software Engineer', joinedDate: '2024-01-15' }
   ];
   ```

3. **Test your change**:
   ```bash
   npm run test
   npm run lint
   ```

4. **Commit and push**:
   ```bash
   git add .
   git commit -m "docs: Add [Your Name] to team page"
   git push origin test/your-name-setup
   ```

5. **Create a PR**:
   - Go to GitHub
   - Click "Compare & pull request"
   - Fill out the PR template
   - Request review from your buddy

Congrats on your first contribution! 🎉

### End of Day 1

**You should now have**:
- ✅ Development environment running locally
- ✅ Application accessible in your browser
- ✅ First PR created
- ✅ Access to all team tools and channels

**Questions?** Ask in #engineering or DM your buddy!

---

## Week 1: Core Concepts

### Project Architecture

#### High-Level Architecture
```
┌─────────────┐
│   Browser   │
│  (React)    │
└──────┬──────┘
       │ HTTPS
       ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│ API Gateway │────▶│  Auth Service│
│  (Express)  │     │   (JWT)      │
└──────┬──────┘     └──────────────┘
       │
       ├────▶ Product Service
       │
       ├────▶ Order Service
       │
       ├────▶ Payment Service ────▶ Stripe API
       │
       └────▶ User Service
              │
              ▼
         ┌──────────┐
         │PostgreSQL│
         └──────────┘
```

#### Directory Structure
```
ecommerce-platform/
├── client/                 # Frontend React app
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/    # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── pages/         # Page components
│   │   ├── hooks/         # Custom React hooks
│   │   ├── store/         # Redux store and slices
│   │   ├── api/           # API client functions
│   │   ├── utils/         # Utility functions
│   │   └── types/         # TypeScript type definitions
│   └── tests/             # Frontend tests
│
├── server/                # Backend Node.js app
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── routes/        # Express route handlers
│   │   ├── controllers/   # Business logic
│   │   ├── services/      # External integrations
│   │   ├── models/        # Database models (Prisma)
│   │   ├── middleware/    # Express middleware
│   │   ├── utils/         # Utility functions
│   │   └── types/         # TypeScript types
│   └── tests/             # Backend tests
│
├── docs/                  # Documentation
├── scripts/               # Build and deployment scripts
├── .github/               # GitHub Actions workflows
└── docker-compose.yml     # Local development services
```

### Key Concepts

#### 1. Authentication Flow

```javascript
// User logs in
POST /api/auth/login
{ email, password }
  ↓
// Server validates credentials
// Generates JWT token
  ↓
// Client stores token
localStorage.setItem('token', token)
  ↓
// Client includes token in requests
Authorization: Bearer 
  ↓
// Server validates token
// Attaches user to request
req.user = decodedToken
```

**Code location**: `server/src/middleware/auth.ts`

#### 2. State Management (Redux)

We use Redux Toolkit for client-side state:

```typescript
// Store structure
{
  auth: {
    user: User | null,
    isAuthenticated: boolean,
    loading: boolean
  },
  cart: {
    items: CartItem[],
    total: number
  },
  products: {
    list: Product[],
    filters: FilterState,
    loading: boolean
  }
}
```

**Reading from store**:
```typescript
import { useAppSelector } from '@/hooks/redux';

const user = useAppSelector(state => state.auth.user);
const cartItems = useAppSelector(state => state.cart.items);
```

**Dispatching actions**:
```typescript
import { useAppDispatch } from '@/hooks/redux';
import { addToCart } from '@/store/slices/cartSlice';

const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
dispatch(addToCart({ productId, quantity: 1 }));
```

**Code location**: `client/src/store/`

#### 3. API Communication

We use React Query for server state:

```typescript
import { useQuery, useMutation } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { api } from '@/api/client';

// Fetching data
const { data, isLoading, error } = useQuery({
  queryKey: ['products'],
  queryFn: () => api.products.getAll()
});

// Mutating data
const mutation = useMutation({
  mutationFn: (product) => api.products.create(product),
  onSuccess: () => {
    queryClient.invalidateQueries(['products']);
  }
});
```

**Code location**: `client/src/api/`

#### 4. Database Access (Prisma)

We use Prisma ORM for database operations:

```typescript
import { prisma } from '@/lib/prisma';

// Find one
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: userId }
});

// Find many with filters
const products = await prisma.product.findMany({
  where: {
    category: 'electronics',
    price: { lt: 1000 }
  },
  include: {
    images: true,
    reviews: true
  }
});

// Create
const order = await prisma.order.create({
  data: {
    userId,
    total: 100,
    items: {
      create: [
        { productId: 1, quantity: 2, price: 50 }
      ]
    }
  }
});
```

**Code location**: `server/src/models/`
**Schema**: `prisma/schema.prisma`

### Your First Real Task

**Goal**: Add a "Recently Viewed" feature to product pages.

**Requirements**:
- Track products a user views
- Display last 5 viewed products
- Persist across sessions (use localStorage)
- Show on product detail page

**Steps**:

1. **Create a feature branch**:
   ```bash
   git checkout -b feature/recently-viewed-products
   ```

2. **Frontend: Add hook** (`client/src/hooks/useRecentlyViewed.ts`):
   ```typescript
   export function useRecentlyViewed() {
     const addToRecentlyViewed = (product: Product) => {
       // Get existing
       const recent = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('recentlyViewed') || '[]');

       // Add new (avoid duplicates)
       const updated = [
         product,
         ...recent.filter((p: Product) => p.id !== product.id)
       ].slice(0, 5);

       // Save
       localStorage.setItem('recentlyViewed', JSON.stringify(updated));
     };

     const getRecentlyViewed = (): Product[] => {
       return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('recentlyViewed') || '[]');
     };

     return { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed };
   }
   ```

3. **Frontend: Use in product page** (`client/src/pages/ProductDetail.tsx`):
   ```typescript
   const { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();

   useEffect(() => {
     if (product) {
       addToRecentlyViewed(product);
     }
   }, [product]);

   const recentProducts = getRecentlyViewed();
   ```

4. **Frontend: Display component** (`client/src/components/RecentlyViewed.tsx`):
   ```typescript
   export function RecentlyViewed({ currentProductId }: Props) {
     const { getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();
     const products = getRecentlyViewed()
       .filter(p => p.id !== currentProductId);

     if (products.length === 0) return null;

     return (
       
         Recently Viewed
         
       
     );
   }
   ```

5. **Add tests**:
   ```typescript
   describe('useRecentlyViewed', () => {
     it('should add product to recently viewed', () => {
       const { addToRecentlyViewed, getRecentlyViewed } = useRecentlyViewed();

       addToRecentlyViewed(mockProduct);

       expect(getRecentlyViewed()).toContainEqual(mockProduct);
     });

     it('should limit to 5 products', () => {
       // Add 6 products, check only 5 remain
     });

     it('should move duplicate to front', () => {
       // Add same product twice, check it appears once at front
     });
   });
   ```

6. **Test manually**:
   - View several products
   - Check localStorage in DevTools
   - Verify list appears on product pages
   - Test edge cases (empty state, single item)

7. **Create PR**:
   - Use PR template
   - Add screenshots
   - Request review from @frontend-team

**Resources**:
- [React Hooks Guide](https://react.dev/reference/react)
- [LocalStorage API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/localStorage)
- [Our Testing Guide](docs/TESTING.md)

### Week 1 Learning Resources

**Must Read**:
- [ ] [Project README](README.md)
- [ ] [Architecture Decision Records](docs/adr/)
- [ ] [API Documentation](docs/API.md)
- [ ] [Contributing Guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md)

**Optional Deep Dives**:
- [ ] [Redux Toolkit Docs](https://redux-toolkit.js.org/)
- [ ] [React Query Docs](https://tanstack.com/query/latest)
- [ ] [Prisma Docs](https://www.prisma.io/docs)
- [ ] [Our Style Guide](docs/STYLE_GUIDE.md)

### End of Week 1

**You should now**:
- ✅ Understand overall architecture
- ✅ Know key technologies and tools
- ✅ Have completed your first feature
- ✅ Understand our development workflow
- ✅ Feel comfortable asking questions

**Checkpoint Meeting**: Schedule 30min with your manager to review progress.

---

## Month 1: Making Impact

### Month 1 Goals

1. **Ship Features**: Complete 3-5 features independently
2. **Code Reviews**: Provide meaningfu

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [CuriousLearner](https://github.com/CuriousLearner)
- **Source:** [CuriousLearner/devkit](https://github.com/CuriousLearner/devkit)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** yes
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** yes
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: flagged — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-curiouslearner-devkit-onboarding-helper
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/curiouslearner
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

---
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