git-audit is a lightweight skill for inspecting a repository's git history before reading implementation files.
It packages a simple five-command workflow inspired by Ally Piechowski's article, "The Git Commands I Run Before Reading Any Code", and turns it into a reusable skill for AI agents and humans doing first-pass codebase triage.
git-audit helps answer a few high-value questions quickly:
- Which files change the most?
- Who has historically carried the codebase?
- Where do bug-fix commits cluster?
- Is delivery steady, slowing down, or bursty?
- How often does the team appear to be firefighting?
The goal is not to replace reading code. The goal is to decide where to read first and what risks to expect.
npx skills add https://github.com/jescalan/git-audit --skill git-auditThe publishable skill lives at:
skills/git-audit/SKILL.md
Use git-audit when:
- entering an unfamiliar repository
- doing lightweight codebase triage
- deciding which files or subsystems to inspect first
- estimating maintenance risk before making changes
- performing an initial engineering audit
- "Run a git audit on this repo before we read the code."
- "Use git-audit and tell me which files I should inspect first."
- "Audit this repository's history for hotspots, ownership concentration, and firefighting signals."
The skill currently stays close to the original article and includes:
- the five core git commands
- guidance for interpreting each command's output
- caveats around squash merges, weak commit messages, monorepos, and noisy history
- a synthesis pattern for turning raw command output into a short triage summary
- Keep the workflow transparent and easy to audit.
- Prefer plain git commands over premature automation.
- Treat repository history as signal, not proof.
- Preserve clear attribution to the original source idea.
- Optimize for general-purpose use across many repositories.
MIT