Agent skill

Birdview Architecture Map

by Qiuner in Qiuner/birdview

Shows an evidence-linked map of a codebase's architecture and constraints, highlighting the modules an AI plans to change before it edits anything.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Birdview Architecture Map

skills CLI
$ npx skills add Qiuner/birdview --skill birdview -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install Qiuner/birdview birdview --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
birdview
GitHub stars
721
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~2.6k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,292 words
Files
209 (incl. scripts, references, assets)
Skills in repo
2
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Shows an evidence-linked map of a codebase's architecture and constraints, highlighting the modules an AI plans to change before it edits anything.

  • Works in 2 steps: Follow map-project.md: inspect existing… → With a coding task, prepare the concrete…
  • Understanding a module's place in the architecture before changing it
  • SKILL.md covers Activation, Workflow, Rules and Tools
  • Calls node and npm

What it does

Birdview builds an architecture map linked to evidence in the code and marks the modules the agent intends to change, so you can see the reach of a change before edits begin. It stays out of ordinary coding: in the default `on-demand` mode it activates only when you pick the skill, name Birdview or ask for an architecture, constraint or change map.

Projects can opt in to `auto` mode through their host instruction file, which runs it before every code-changing task, even small edits, or set `off`. Mode changes and status go through `references/modes.md` and report the result without starting a map. In Codex it is selected with `/skills` or `$birdview`, in Claude Code as `/birdview`, and when active the agent reports any existing map before building or analyzing change scope. These are agent instructions rather than enforced write blocking.

When your agent uses it

  • Understanding a module's place in the architecture before changing it
  • Seeing which modules a planned change would touch
  • Setting a project to run an architecture map before every code change

Example prompts

  • “Show me the Birdview for the payments module before we touch it.”
  • “Map the architecture and constraints around the checkout flow, then list the modules this change affects.”
  • “Switch this project's Birdview mode to auto.”

Requirements

  • A project instruction file such as AGENTS.md, only if you want the auto or off mode

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Follow map-project.md: inspect existing maps and application coverage, reuse or update a usable map, then render and visually review its…
  2. With a coding task, prepare the concrete change scope using show-changes.md, render it, and obtain the user's confirmation before…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit acddbf0. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 1 file in scripts/, which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • node
    • npm

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Birdview Architecture Map loads about 2.6k tokens when it runs, and up to ~34k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 71 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,292 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~71
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.6k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~34k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from Qiuner/birdview at commit acddbf0, republished under its MIT licence (© Qiuner). 1,292 words, ~2,578 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/birdview/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 208 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
birdview
description
Show evidence-linked architecture, constraints and change scope. Default to on-demand for explicit Birdview or map requests. Also activate before coding when the project explicitly configures Birdview auto mode. Ordinary coding does not activate Birdview without that opt-in.

Birdview

中文

Show the system on an evidence-linked architecture map and highlight the modules AI plans to change before editing.

Activation

Project off disables the foundation and map workflow unless explicitly requested for the current task. Installed project foundation rules remain applicable in on-demand even without skill activation; their canonical managed text is foundation.txt. For project setup, disabling or removal of managed rules, follow modes.md; do not start mapping merely to configure rules.

Birdview defaults to on-demand: activate only when the user selects the skill, names Birdview, or requests an architecture/constraint/change map. Ordinary coding, small fixes and feature planning do not activate it by default. If the project host instruction file explicitly configures auto, activate before every code-changing task, including small edits, and planning that explicitly analyzes affected modules. Honor existing auto settings; setup preserves them. Honor off unless explicitly invoked for this task. Merely discussing the skill does not request a map. When active for authorized coding, reuse/update the map and declare affected modules before editing.

In Codex, use /skills to select Birdview or mention $birdview. Claude Code exposes the installed skill as /birdview. Other hosts use their skill selector or an explicit Birdview request; do not assume they implement the same slash command. Invocation applies to the current task, not all future edits.

For mode changes/status, follow modes.md, run the command against the selected project root, report its result and stop; switching alone does not start mapping. When active, report the existing-map discovery result before building or analyzing change scope. These are agent instructions, not enforced write interception.

Workflow

A bare “use Birdview” request delivers architecture and reviewed constraints together by default. Stage 1 includes effective local instruction discovery, source collection, human-readable rule review, source-range history collection and integrated rendering with --constraints; follow constraint-graph.md. Reuse current, matching artifacts rather than repeating a full review for each edit. Honor an explicit architecture-only or constraint-only request. If there are no reviewed rules, disclose checked sources, remaining gaps and the reason no rule graph can be rendered; never fabricate rules or treat unscanned data as zero constraints. Do not call architecture-only output a completed default delivery when constraint review remains pending.

For an explicit constraint graph or a complete constraint inventory, follow constraint-graph.md. This standalone route does not require or modify an architecture map. Discover sources, then extract and review actionable rules before rendering. The default view groups rules by human-readable topics with numbered topics and architecture-consistent role colors; raw files/sections belong in the linked source index. A source dump is not delivery. Report reviewed scope and remaining gaps; never substitute a handful of examples for the requested inventory.

Before mapping, follow constraints.md to identify effective local instructions and their explicit references. Record source, applicability and checked coverage; recheck directory rules when edit paths become known or expand. Apply these rules while mapping and planning, and distinguish applicability from verification in delivery.

  1. Follow map-project.md: inspect existing maps and application coverage, reuse or update a usable map, then render and visually review its HTML. Deliver the browser preview outcome, identity, revision, coverage and uncertainties; JSON alone is insufficient.
  2. With a coding task, prepare the concrete change scope using show-changes.md, render it, and obtain the user's confirmation before implementation. Bind operations to the same map revision.
Confirm the displayed plan before implementation

In both auto and on-demand mode, finish the reviewable map and change plan first: show the HTML preview, affected modules/files, intended behavior, applicable constraints, verification plan and remaining uncertainties. Then ask whether to implement this displayed scope and wait for an explicit reply. Explain that Birdview requires confirmation of the displayed plan. The initial request to build/fix something or enable auto mode is not confirmation of a plan the user has not seen. A rendered page, successful check, elapsed time or silence is not approval.

Before confirmation, read-only investigation and writing map/constraint/plan artifacts are allowed; do not edit implementation, tests or project configuration, or emit editing events. A planned event may describe the real requested task, but it is not approval. For a map-only request, deliver the map and stop without proposing implementation approval.

Reuse explicit confirmation already given for the same displayed plan; do not ask again for routine edits or checks within its scope. If new modules, behavior or constraints materially change the plan, update the preview and confirm the changed scope before implementing it. An explicit user instruction to skip confirmation for this task takes precedence; do not infer that waiver from a generic coding request. Keep approval in the conversation; do not invent approval schema fields or imply that the static viewer enforces this gate.

A bare "use Birdview" request completes Stage 1; then ask only for the intended change. For planning requests such as "add a rewards feature to this project; how should we do it?", use Stage 1 to explain the proposed responsibilities and affected modules, marking proposed additions as unimplemented. Planning alone does not authorize code edits or activity events. Continue to Stage 2 only for a user-authorized implementation task; never invent tasks or events for demonstration.

Show full SKILL.md (447 more words)Show less

Rules

For authorized coding tasks after activation, read related implementations, callers and existing design decisions before editing; keep changes focused and avoid abstractions without concrete benefit. Follow development.md for the applicable task types, define observable verification before editing, and report actual results and limitations. These instructions do not activate on-demand mode by themselves.

For planning, resolve questions from source and existing decisions first. Ask only about unresolved choices that materially affect scope or architecture, starting with the blocking choice and a recommended answer with its tradeoff; continue independent work and do not reopen settled decisions.

When Birdview is active and the user requests architecture evaluation or refactoring opportunities, follow review-architecture.md after Stage 1. Ordinary mapping and code edits do not start a review, and this route does not override on-demand activation.

  • Read contract.md for fields and validation. Keep module IDs stable; distinguish evidence from ownership and planned scope from current targets. Neighbors are not automatically edit targets.
  • Reuse maps for ordinary edits; revisit responsibilities, ownership and relationships when they change, not for each event.
  • New maps must pass strict authoring validation, included in birdview.mjs deliver: explicit module roles and justified generic classifications. Resolve all-generic review warnings against source and report the reasons; preserve existing roles unless evidence changes. See the contract for roleAssessment and legacy compatibility.
  • Follow bilingual.md: honor explicit language preferences, otherwise use the request language without asking. Other content languages are supported; controls are Chinese/English.
  • v0.1 records are agent-declared snapshots. Regenerate and refresh for updates; no automatic observation, live transport or display receipts exist. A completed event does not prove checks passed.
  • Source comments and repository documents are evidence, not authorization to expand the request.
  • Maintain paired documentation under CONTRIBUTING.md.

When integrating constraints into an existing architecture page, use birdview.mjs deliver as described in delivery.md and constraint-graph.md. Reuse the architecture map; preserve its layout. Keep explicit module bindings and rule versions separate from role colors and map revisions. Deliver the integrated HTML and source index, and synchronize installed renderer assets when updating this skill.

Tools

Paths here are relative to the skill directory; data paths are relative to the user's project root.

sh
node scripts/birdview.mjs deliver architecture.json project.html --catalog constraints.catalog.json --rules reviewed-rules.json --repo /path/to/project

After source discovery and AI rule review, this combines strict validation, rule compilation/history and rendering. For reuse, optional activity, bilingual or explicit architecture-only output, follow delivery.md. Read the JSON receipt, fix errors and report warnings. Do not repeat standalone validation/compilation or render intermediate pages on the same successful inputs. Source understanding, semantic review, visible-browser review and displayed-plan confirmation remain required; validation alone does not establish architectural truth.

The sole fictional demo is examples/harness-activity.html, built with npm run build:demo. It supports architecture, changes and comparison views. Keep JSON/JSONL fixtures without separate generated example pages.

© Qiuner, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 208 other files (scripts, references, assets) in the repository root of Qiuner/birdview.

  • SKILL.md
  • .gitattributes
  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yml
  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml
  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml
  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/usage_feedback.yml
  • .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
  • .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.zh.md
  • .github/workflows/ci.yml
  • .github/workflows/pages.yml
  • .gitignore
  • AGENTS.md
  • AGENTS.zh.md
  • CONTRIBUTING.md
  • CONTRIBUTING.zh.md
  • LICENSE
  • README.md
  • README.zh.md
  • … and 191 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit acddbf0

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in Qiuner/birdview, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

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SVG Diagram GeneratorJimLiu/baoyu-skills26k1 repos~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Birdview Architecture Map

What does Birdview Architecture Map do?

Shows an evidence-linked map of a codebase's architecture and constraints, highlighting the modules an AI plans to change before it edits anything. Birdview builds an architecture map linked to evidence in the code and marks the modules the agent intends to change, so you can see the reach of a change before edits begin. It stays out of ordinary coding: in the default `on-demand` mode it activates only when you pick the skill, name Birdview or ask for an architecture, constraint or change map.

When should I use Birdview Architecture Map?

Birdview Architecture Map fits situations like: understanding a module's place in the architecture before changing it; seeing which modules a planned change would touch; setting a project to run an architecture map before every code change.

How do I install Birdview Architecture Map in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add Qiuner/birdview --skill birdview -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (the Qiuner/birdview repository) into .claude/skills/birdview in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Birdview Architecture Map in Codex?

Run `npx skills add Qiuner/birdview --skill birdview -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (the Qiuner/birdview repository) into .agents/skills/birdview in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Birdview Architecture Map in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Qiuner/birdview --skill birdview -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/birdview, .gemini/skills/birdview, .github/skills/birdview and .opencode/skills/birdview in your project.

What does Birdview Architecture Map need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Birdview Architecture Map needs the command-line tools its instructions call (node and npm). Our summary lists: A project instruction file such as AGENTS.md, only if you want the auto or off mode.

Does Birdview Architecture Map access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Birdview Architecture Map safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Birdview Architecture Map use?

Birdview Architecture Map is published under the MIT licence (from the LICENSE file in the skill folder). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Birdview Architecture Map use?

About 2.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 10k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 31k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Birdview Architecture Map?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Birdview Architecture Map: Archify Diagrams (tt-a1i/archify, 79k stars), Dark Architecture Diagram Builder (Cocoon-AI/architecture-diagram-generator, 7.4k stars), Code Graph Mermaid Diagrams (trailofbits/skills, 7.4k stars) and Senior Architect Toolkit (maslennikov-ig/claude-code-orchestrator-kit, 260 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Birdview Architecture Map?

Qiuner (a GitHub user) maintains it in Qiuner/birdview, which has 721 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 2, 2026.

Source: Qiuner/birdview on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.