# How to Contribute to the Lum1104/Understand-Anything Project and Run Tests Locally

> Learn how to contribute to the Lum1104/Understand-Anything project. Fork the repo, install dependencies, build the core engine, and run all tests locally with simple pnpm commands.

- Repository: [Yuxiang Lin/Understand-Anything](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-05-22

---

**To contribute to Understand-Anything, fork the repository, install dependencies with `pnpm install`, build the core engine with `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build`, and run tests using `pnpm test` or workspace-specific filters.**

The **Understand-Anything** project is an open-source monorepo that helps developers visualize and understand complex codebases through AI-powered knowledge graphs. Whether you want to fix bugs, add new skills, or improve the React dashboard, this guide walks you through the complete setup process to contribute to the Lum1104/Understand-Anything project and validate your changes with the local test suite.

## Project Structure Overview

Understand-Anything uses **pnpm workspaces** to organize a monorepo architecture. The source code lives under `understand-anything-plugin/` and is logically separated into four distinct layers.

### Core Engine

The **core engine** resides in `understand-anything-plugin/packages/core`. This package parses source files, builds the knowledge graph, and exposes type-safe APIs through sub-path exports like `./search`, `./types`, and `./schema`. The dashboard consumes these browser-safe exports to render the graph visualization.

### Dashboard UI

The **dashboard** package at `understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard` is a React + Vite application featuring React Flow for graph visualization, Zustand for state management, and Tailwind v4 for styling. It loads the generated graph from [`.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json) and displays it in a dark-luxury theme.

### Plugin & Skills Layer

The **plugin layer** in `understand-anything-plugin/src` contains the glue code that exposes commands such as `/understand`, `/understand-dashboard`, and `/understand-chat` to various AI coding platforms. Key entry points include [`understand-chat.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-chat.ts) and [`onboard-builder.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/onboard-builder.ts).

### AI Agents

The **agents** are defined in `understand-anything-plugin/agents/*.md` as prompt files. These drive the multi-agent pipeline including the project-scanner, file-analyzer, and architecture-analyzer agents.

## Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Before contributing, ensure your environment meets the version requirements specified in the root [`package.json`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/package.json).

### System Requirements

- **Node.js** ≥ 22
- **pnpm** ≥ 10 (pinned via the `packageManager` field)

### Fork and Clone

Follow the detailed steps in the [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#setup) guide, then clone your fork:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Understand-Anything.git
cd Understand-Anything

```

### Install Dependencies

Run the following command to resolve all workspace packages:

```bash
pnpm install

```

This installs dependencies for the core, dashboard, and plugin packages simultaneously.

## Building the Workspace

You must build the core engine before running tests or launching the dashboard, as the dashboard depends on the compiled browser-safe exports.

```bash
pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build

```

This command compiles the TypeScript sources in `understand-anything-plugin/packages/core/src` and generates the distribution files required by the dashboard.

## How to Run Tests Locally

The project uses **Vitest** for testing. Tests are co-located with source code in `__tests__/` directories and use the standard `describe`, `it`, and `expect` API.

### Running Core Tests

To execute only the core engine tests:

```bash
pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core test

```

### Running Skill Tests

To test the plugin and skills layer:

```bash
pnpm --filter @understand-anything/skill test

```

### Running the Full Test Suite

For a complete validation across all workspaces:

```bash
pnpm test

```

This executes the entire test suite as defined in the root workspace configuration.

### Test File Locations and Structure

Test files live in `__tests__/` directories adjacent to the code they cover. For example, [`understand-anything-plugin/src/__tests__/context-builder.test.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/src/__tests__/context-builder.test.ts) contains tests for the context builder utility.

Here is a minimal test example from the source:

```typescript
import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
import { buildContext } from '../context-builder';

describe('Context Builder', () => {
  it('produces a valid graph node for a simple file', async () => {
    const ctx = await buildContext(['src/example.ts']);
    expect(ctx.nodes).toContainEqual(
      expect.objectContaining({ type: 'function', name: 'myFunction' })
    );
  });
});

```

## Development Workflow for Contributors

Follow these steps to ensure your contribution meets the project standards.

### Branch Naming and Commits

Create a descriptive branch for your changes:

```bash
git checkout -b feat/add-search-component

```

Follow the **conventional commit** format using prefixes like `feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`, and `refactor:`.

### Code Style Guidelines

Maintain consistency with the existing codebase:

- Use **2-space indentation**
- Follow **ESLint** rules enforced in the workspace
- Avoid `any` types; adhere to the TypeScript strict guidelines detailed in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)

### Submitting Your Pull Request

Before submitting:

1. Add tests covering new behavior and edge cases
2. Run the full test suite with `pnpm test`
3. Verify linting with `pnpm lint`
4. Confirm builds pass with `pnpm build`
5. Fill out the PR checklist regarding code style, tests, and documentation

The GitHub Actions workflow in [`.github/workflows/ci.yml`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/.github/workflows/ci.yml) runs these same checks when you open a PR.

## Local Dashboard Development (Optional)

To view your changes in the interactive UI after building the core:

```bash
pnpm dev:dashboard

```

This starts the Vite development server for the dashboard package, loading the knowledge graph from your local [`.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/.understand-anything/knowledge-graph.json) file.

## Summary

- **Understand-Anything** is a pnpm workspace monorepo with core, dashboard, and plugin packages.
- Prerequisites are **Node.js ≥ 22** and **pnpm ≥ 10**.
- Build the core with `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build` before testing.
- Run tests using `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core test`, `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/skill test`, or `pnpm test` for the full suite.
- Tests are located in `__tests__/` directories using the **Vitest** framework.
- Follow conventional commits and avoid `any` types to pass CI checks.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What Node.js version is required to contribute to Understand-Anything?

The project requires **Node.js version 22 or higher**, as specified in the root [`package.json`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/package.json) and [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) files. Using older versions may cause compatibility issues with the pnpm workspace structure.

### How do I run only the dashboard tests?

Currently, the dashboard package focuses on UI development, while core logic tests reside in the core and skill packages. Run `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core test` for engine tests and `pnpm --filter @understand-anything/skill test` for plugin logic. The dashboard itself is validated through the build process and manual testing via `pnpm dev:dashboard`.

### Where are the test files located in the Understand-Anything repository?

Test files follow a co-location pattern, residing in `__tests__/` directories next to their source files. For example, tests for the context builder are found at [`understand-anything-plugin/src/__tests__/context-builder.test.ts`](https://github.com/Lum1104/Understand-Anything/blob/main/understand-anything-plugin/src/__tests__/context-builder.test.ts), while core engine tests live in `understand-anything-plugin/packages/core/src/__tests__/`.

### What commit convention does the project follow?

Contributors must use **conventional commits** with prefixes like `feat:` for features, `fix:` for bug fixes, `docs:` for documentation, and `refactor:` for code restructuring. This standard is enforced to maintain a clean git history and enable automated changelog generation.