Good for heavy edits:

• Convert files between languages while preserving functionality
• Update code to use new APIs or libraries
• Implement consistent patterns across your codebase
• Reorganize file structure for better maintainability

It keeps patterns consistent as you evolve the code.

Strong at cross-file work:

• Rename functions, classes, or variables across the entire codebase
• Update API endpoints and their corresponding client code
• Modify shared types and update all their usages
• Add new features that require changes in multiple parts of the application

Useful for boilerplate:

• Create new API endpoints with proper logging and error handling
• Generate TypeScript types from existing code
• Add test cases for new functionality
• Create documentation files in markdown format

It can run commands while working:

• Install new dependencies with the correct package manager
• Run type checks and tests after making changes
• Search through code using grep or other tools
• Move, rename, or delete files as part of refactoring

Codebuff reads knowledge.md files to keep your context handy:

• Project-specific patterns and conventions
• Architecture decisions and their rationale
• Best practices for different parts of the codebase

Update them anytime; Codebuff loads them on start.

Ask for feedback:

# Review current changes
codebuff "Please review my current changes"

# Review branch
codebuff "Review the differences between this branch and main"

# Review specific files
codebuff "Review the changes in src/components/auth/*"

Git helpers:

# Create commit message
codebuff "Generate a commit message for these changes"

# Clean up commits
codebuff "Help me squash the last 3 commits into one"

Understand the repo:

# Architecture questions
codebuff "Explain how our authentication system works"

# Find examples
codebuff "Show me examples of error handling in our codebase"

Generate scripts:

# Data processing
codebuff "Write a script to calculate our churn this month"

# Build automation
codebuff "Create a script to automate our release process"

Generate docs:

# API docs
codebuff "Document this new API endpoint"

# Component docs
codebuff "Add JSDoc comments to this React component"

# README updates
codebuff "Update the README with the new environment variables"

Configuration help:

# Tool setup
codebuff "Help me configure ESLint for this project"

# Build config
codebuff "Update webpack to handle .mdx files"

Database help:

# Query writing
codebuff "Help me write a query to find users who haven't logged in for 30 days"

# Query optimization
codebuff "How can I make this query faster?"

# Index suggestions
codebuff "What indexes should I add for this query?"

# Schema changes
codebuff "Help me write a migration to add a status column"

1. Name the files or components you're working with
2. Say what you're trying to achieve
3. If the first attempt misses, clarify
4. Use knowledge.md to teach Codebuff your patterns