Compass

Inspiration

Developers have issues when entering a new repository, this agent helps them understand the codebase.

What it does

Helps onboard new developers as well as helps normal developers have a better experience in large codebases

How we built it

Used the agent builder and web IDE to build skills

Challenges we ran into

Getting orbit and skills to work well

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Created an agent

What we learned

Learned how to integrate skills into an agent

What's next for Compass

Working on the flow for compass as well I guess

The pain point

First-time contributors to large open-source repositories spend most of their early effort just locating where to start. They open an issue, stare at a sprawling codebase, and have no reliable way to find the right files, understand why the existing code looks the way it does, or know what their change might break. Maintainers feel this too — every new contributor needs a round of hand-holding that takes time away from actual review.

How Compass fixes it

Compass sits in GitLab Duo as an onboarding mentor for that exact moment. Point it at an issue and it pulls the relevant files, dependencies, and implementation path straight from Orbit's dependency graph, so the answer is grounded in the actual repository rather than a guess. Ask about a function or service and it explains both what the code does and why it was built that way, using real commit history where Orbit exposes it. Before a change goes in, it walks through the blast radius and flags the risk level with a clear justification. Once the contributor has something working, Compass generates a test that matches the repository's existing patterns, commits it directly, and posts a readiness assessment as a comment on the merge request, so the maintainer opens a request that already has tests and a documented risk profile attached.

What changes for the developer

A new contributor goes from staring at an unfamiliar repository to making a grounded, tested, review-ready change without needing a maintainer to walk them through it personally. The maintainer opens the merge request to a test file already committed and a readiness comment already posted, instead of a blank diff and a string of clarifying questions. Onboarding stops being something a senior contributor has to repeat by hand for every new person who shows up.

Built With

• gitlab