How to Run Egonex AI Analysis on a Specific Subdirectory in Monorepos

Change into the target subdirectory and execute the understand command; the skill automatically discovers the repository root via Git and writes the knowledge graph to .understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json in the root, or set UNDERSTAND_ROOT to keep output local to the subdirectory.

The understand-anything tool from the Egonex-AI/Understand-Anything repository analyzes codebases by inspecting the project root (PROJECT_ROOT) from the directory where it is launched. In monorepo architectures containing multiple packages or services, you can scope analysis to individual subdirectories by leveraging the tool's Git-based root detection and environment variable overrides.

How Project Root Detection Works

According to the implementation in understand-anything-plugin/src/index.ts, the entry point resolves PROJECT_ROOT by invoking git rev-parse --show-toplevel. This Git command identifies the top-level directory of the current repository, ensuring the tool maintains full monorepo context for dependency resolution while allowing execution from nested subdirectories.

The scanner pipeline, documented in understand-anything-plugin/agents/project-scanner.md, uses this root detection to index files relative to the repository base. When you run the skill from a subdirectory, it discovers the repository root automatically but limits the analysis scope to the current working directory's contents.

Running Analysis on a Subdirectory

Basic Workflow

To analyze a single package within a monorepo, navigate to the subdirectory and invoke the skill:

cd packages/api
understand

The command generates the knowledge graph for packages/api while storing the output in <repo-root>/.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json.

Local Output Configuration

To write the knowledge graph alongside the subdirectory rather than the repository root, export UNDERSTAND_ROOT before execution:

cd packages/web
UNDERSTAND_ROOT=$(pwd) understand

This overrides the default output location defined in understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/SKILL.md.

Command Examples for Monorepo Workflows

1. Analyze a single package
   Change to the package directory and run the skill. The tool detects the repository root via Git but scopes analysis to the current directory:

   cd packages/api
   understand

2. Keep output local to the subdirectory
   Set the UNDERSTAND_ROOT environment variable to the current working directory:

   cd packages/web
   UNDERSTAND_ROOT=$(pwd) understand

3. CI pipeline targeting with disabled auto-update
   Run analysis in continuous integration environments without auto-updating the graph on commit:

   PROJECT_ROOT=packages/lib pnpm exec understand -- --no-auto-update

Key Implementation Details

Entry Point and Root Resolution

The file understand-anything-plugin/src/index.ts contains the main entry point that resolves PROJECT_ROOT and launches the scanner pipeline. It handles the Git-based root detection and initializes the environment variables that control output behavior.

Skill Configuration

understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/SKILL.md documents the CLI flags and environment variables, including UNDERSTAND_ROOT and the --no-auto-update flag for CI environments.

Scanner Logic

understand-anything-plugin/agents/project-scanner.md explains how the scanner discovers the repository root and selects files for analysis based on the current working directory relative to the Git top-level.

Output Schema

understand-anything-plugin/packages/core/src/schema.ts defines the JSON structure of the generated knowledge graph, which is consumed by the dashboard at /understand-dashboard. The dashboard reads the graph from the repository-wide .understand-anything folder regardless of where you launch it.

Summary

• The understand command analyzes code from the current working directory while resolving the repository root via git rev-parse --show-toplevel
• Run cd <subdirectory> && understand to scope analysis to a specific monorepo package
• Set UNDERSTAND_ROOT=$(pwd) to store the knowledge graph locally instead of the repository root
• The tool requires Node.js version 22 or higher and pnpm version 10 or higher according to the repository README
• Generated graphs follow the schema defined in schema.ts and can be visualized with the dashboard

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Egonex AI detect the repository root?

The tool executes git rev-parse --show-toplevel via the entry point in understand-anything-plugin/src/index.ts to identify the repository root, allowing it to maintain monorepo context regardless of which subdirectory you run the command from.

Can I run analysis on multiple subdirectories separately?

Yes. Run the understand command from each subdirectory independently. Each execution generates a knowledge graph; use UNDERSTAND_ROOT to organize outputs in separate locations if you want to avoid overwriting the default file in the repository root.

Where is the knowledge graph stored by default?

By default, the graph writes to <repo-root>/.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json. This location is determined by the Git root detection and is documented in understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/SKILL.md.

What are the prerequisites for running the analysis?

According to the repository README, you need Node.js version 22 or higher and pnpm version 10 or higher. Install dependencies with pnpm install and build the core engine with pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build before running the skill.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}