# How to Contribute to the Understand Anything Project: A Complete Guide

> Learn how to contribute to the Understand Anything project. Fork the repo, set up the monorepo, and submit pull requests to get involved.

- Repository: [Yuxiang Lin/Understand-Anything](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-06-05

---

**Yes—you can contribute to the Understand Anything project by forking the repository, setting up the pnpm monorepo workspace, and submitting pull requests following the guidelines in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).**

Understand Anything is an open-source knowledge-graph visualization tool maintained by Lum1104 that welcomes community contributions. Whether you want to add language support, improve the React dashboard, or enhance the core analysis engine, the project provides a structured workflow for contributors. This guide walks you through the repository architecture, contribution workflow, and essential code patterns needed to submit successful pull requests.

## Repository Architecture and Tech Stack

The project is organized as a **pnpm monorepo** with three distinct architectural layers. Understanding this structure helps you locate the correct files for your contributions.

### Core Engine

The **core engine** (`understand-anything-plugin/packages/core/`) handles static analysis, graph construction, and schema validation. It exports **browser-safe sub-path modules** (e.g., `./search`, `./types`, `./schema`) to ensure the dashboard never pulls Node-only dependencies into the browser bundle.

### Dashboard UI

The **dashboard** (`understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`) is built with React and TypeScript. This package consumes the core engine's browser-safe exports to visualize the knowledge graph interactively.

### Skills and Agents

The **skills & agents** layer (`understand-anything-plugin/src/` and `understand-anything-plugin/agents/`) contains LLM-driven skill definitions and agent prompts. Skills like `/understand` and `/understand-dashboard` define how the system parses and interprets different programming languages.

## Step-by-Step Contribution Workflow

Follow these six steps to contribute to the Understand Anything project:

1. **Fork and clone** the repository from `Lum1104/Understand-Anything`.
2. **Install dependencies** using `pnpm install` at the workspace root.
3. **Build the core package** with `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build`.
4. **Run the test suite** using `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core test` and `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/skill test`.
5. **Create a feature branch**, implement your changes, and ensure code style consistency (ESLint and TypeScript strict mode are enforced).
6. **Submit a pull request** following the checklist outlined in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).

The [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) file specifies branch naming conventions, commit message formats, and a detailed PR checklist that reviewers use to evaluate submissions.

## Extending Skills: A Practical Example

When adding new functionality, you will often work with the `KnowledgeGraph` type from the core package. Below is the pattern used in [`understand-anything-plugin/src/understand-chat.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/src/understand-chat.ts) for building chat prompts:

```typescript
import type { KnowledgeGraph } from "@understand-anything/core";
import { buildChatContext, formatContextForPrompt } from "./context-builder.js";

/**
 * Build a complete chat prompt by combining knowledge‑graph context
 * with a user query.
 */
export function buildChatPrompt(
  graph: KnowledgeGraph,
  query: string,
): string {
  const context = buildChatContext(graph, query);
  const formattedContext = formatContextForPrompt(context);

  return [
    "You are a knowledgeable assistant that answers questions about a software codebase.",
    "Use the following knowledge graph context to inform your answer.",
    "Reference specific files, functions, classes, and relationships from the graph.",
    "",
    "---",
    "",
    formattedContext,
    "---",
    "",
    `**User question:** ${query}`,
  ].join("\n");
}

```

To add support for a new programming language:

- Create a markdown file under `understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/languages/` (e.g., [`rust.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/rust.md) or [`go.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/go.md)).
- Register the language in the skill's manifest ([`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/SKILL.md)).
- Write corresponding unit tests in the `tests/skill/` directory.

## Key Files Every Contributor Should Know

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) | Complete workflow guide, branch naming rules, and PR checklist. |
| [`understand-anything-plugin/package.json`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/package.json) | Declares skill package versions and dependencies on `@understand-anything/core`. |
| [`understand-anything-plugin/src/index.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/src/index.ts) | Entry point that wires all skill modules together. |
| [`understand-anything-plugin/src/understand-chat.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/src/understand-chat.ts) | Reference implementation for skill development. |
| `understand-anything-plugin/agents/*.md` | AI agent prompt definitions driving the analysis pipeline. |
| `understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/**/*.md` | Language-specific skill definitions. |
| `understand-anything-plugin/packages/core/**` | Core analysis engine and knowledge-graph generation logic. |
| `understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/**` | React components and layout for the interactive dashboard. |

## Summary

- **Understand Anything** is a pnpm monorepo with separate packages for the core engine, dashboard UI, and LLM skills.
- Contributions require `pnpm` for dependency management and building, with strict TypeScript and ESLint enforcement.
- The core engine uses browser-safe sub-path exports (`./types`, `./schema`, `./search`) to separate Node.js analysis from frontend code.
- New language support is added via markdown files in the skills directory, registered through [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/SKILL.md).
- All changes must include tests and follow the PR checklist in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) to be accepted.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What programming languages can I add support for?

You can add support for any programming language by creating a new skill definition. Create a markdown file in `understand-anything-plugin/skills/understand/languages/`, register it in the skill's [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/SKILL.md) manifest, and write unit tests in `tests/skill/`. The system uses these definitions to construct knowledge graphs from source code.

### Do I need to build the entire monorepo to test my changes?

No—you can build specific packages using pnpm filters. Run `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build` to build just the core engine, or `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/skill test` to run skill-specific tests. This modular approach speeds up development when you are only touching one component.

### Are there specific requirements for the React dashboard code?

Yes—the dashboard (`understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`) must only import browser-safe modules from the core package. The core exports specific sub-paths (`./types`, `./search`, `./schema`) that exclude Node.js-specific code. Ensure your dashboard changes use these exports rather than importing directly from the core's internal Node.js modules.

### Where should I look for beginner-friendly issues?

Check the GitHub Issues tab for labels like **"good first issue"** or **"help wanted"**. Documentation improvements, adding new language skill definitions, and minor UI enhancements in the dashboard are typically excellent starting points for first-time contributors to the Understand Anything project.