The Indie Founder Codebase Archaeology Playbook
Understand, document, and modernise any codebase you just inherited
Whether you acquired a micro-SaaS, took over a client project, or returned to code you wrote two years ago, this playbook helps you map, document, and refactor unknown codebases fast. No senior engineer needed — just a set of AI tools that read and explain code better than most humans.
Goal
Turn an unknown, undocumented codebase into something you can confidently ship and extend
Who this is for
Indie hackers who have acquired, inherited, or abandoned a codebase and need to make sense of it quickly
When to use
When you pick up a codebase with zero documentation, mixed tech debt, and no one to ask questions to
When NOT to use
For greenfield projects — start fresh with Cursor and good habits instead of archaeology tools
How to set it up
Generate baseline documentation
Point the codebase docs generator at your repo and run a full documentation pass. Export the output as Markdown files and store them in a /docs folder at the root of the repo.
Visualise the architecture
Feed the generated docs and repo structure into Composer to produce architecture diagrams. Identify the three highest-risk dependency clusters and annotate them for attention.
Generate living product specs
Run Specsight against the codebase to produce feature-level specs. Share these with any stakeholders or contractors so everyone has a shared mental model before you touch anything.
Scan for drift and security gaps
Run VibeDrift on the full codebase to surface architectural drift and security vulnerabilities introduced by previous AI edits or legacy patterns. Export the findings as your refactor priority list.
Refactor and modernise with AI assistance
Use Unlegacy to execute targeted refactoring on the highest-risk modules identified in step 4. Then use Cursor with your generated docs as context to extend and ship new features confidently.
Auto-generate codebase documentation for AI agents and developers
Automatically generates comprehensive docs for any codebase so you understand what every module, function, and integration does without reading every line.
Turn ideas and codebases into architecture diagrams
Turns the codebase into visual architecture diagrams so you can see the whole system at a glance and identify the riskiest dependencies immediately.
Auto-generate living product specs from your codebase for PMs and stakeholders
Generates and maintains living product specs directly from your code so you always have an up-to-date source of truth as you make changes.
Scan AI-generated codebases for architectural drift and security gaps
Scans for architectural drift and security gaps introduced by previous AI-assisted changes, giving you a prioritised list of what to fix before extending the codebase.
AI-powered refactoring and modernization of legacy monolithic applications
Powers the actual refactoring and modernisation work, turning spaghetti logic into clean, documented, shippable code you can maintain solo.
Expected outcome
A fully documented codebase with auto-generated living specs, architecture diagrams, drift analysis, and a modernisation plan you can execute solo
Related playbooks
The Indie Founder Legacy Code Modernisation Playbook
Understand, document, and modernise a legacy codebase as a solo founder
The Indie Founder Spec-to-Shipped Feature Playbook
Automatically convert error signals and discussions into structured specs, written code, and reviewed pull requests
The Indie Founder Architecture-to-Code Clarity Playbook
Transform a solo founder's mental architecture into documented, reviewed, and explainable production code without needing a tech lead or senior engineer.
The AI-Assisted Code Review Playbook
Ship cleaner code faster without a senior engineer looking over your shoulder
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This playbook is a curated starting point, not a definitive recommendation. Pricing and features change — always verify on each tool's official website. Tools marked "affiliate link" may earn this site a commission at no extra cost to you.