Describe is a versatile command-line tool designed to simplify the process of documenting codebases. By scanning a specified directory, it efficiently generates a structured Markdown file (codebase.md) that encapsulates the contents of the codebase, making it easier for users to understand and navigate the structure of projects.

Key Features

• Selective Scanning: With support for a .describeignore file (formatted similarly to .gitignore), users can effortlessly exclude unnecessary files and directories. This functionality is particularly beneficial for integrations with chatbots and AI-assisted workflows, ensuring that only relevant content is documented.

• Custom Output Options: Output files can be customized not only by specifying the input directory but also by defining separate output filenames and ignore files. For instance:

  describe <input-directory> -output docs.md
  

• Wildcards Support: The use of wildcards in the .describeignore file allows for flexible pattern matching, making it easy to exclude multiple files or directories with a single rule.

Example of a .describeignore file

The following illustrates how to configure the .describeignore file for optimal performance:

# Ignore all `.log` and `.tmp` files
*.log
*.tmp

# Ignore entire directories
node_modules/
built/

If no .describeignore file exists, the tool will create one automatically, adding .git/ as the default entry to keep unwanted files excluded.

Basic Command Usage

To use Describe, simply run:

describe <input-directory>

This command scans the specified directory, applies the ignore rules, and produces a codebase.md file as output.

For help with usage, the command can be run as follows:

describe --help

Describe streamlines code documentation, making it an ideal solution for developers seeking to enhance codebase readability in a systematic and efficient manner.