Lost track of what an AI-built codebase does
A practical fix and a copyable AI coding prompt. Replace bracketed placeholders with your project details.
1. Check the problem
If you can't navigate your own code, you can't fix bugs or add features without making it worse. Spend an afternoon writing `ARCHITECTURE.md`: folders, state, the client vs server boundary. Let the AI draft it, then audit it.
2. Use the prompt
Generate an ARCHITECTURE.md for this repo. Cover what each top-level folder does, where application state lives, the server vs client boundary, the data flow for the main feature, and any non-obvious conventions. Be concrete with file paths and mark anything you're unsure about so I can verify it.3. Verify the fix
Review the proposed diff, run the relevant checks and exercise the original failing flow before merging.
Continue in the related workflow chapter.