Convex Explain App
ConvexOfficialPublished by Convex
- Skill
- Research and analysis
- Software development
- Apache-2.0
- No issues found
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
convex-explain-app provides a descriptive, read-only analysis of an existing Convex application. By parsing the schema and function specifications, it creates a clear map of the data model, relationships, and API surface. It distinguishes between public and internal functions, outlines the authentication and ownership model, and traces end-to-end data flows. This skill serves as a foundational step for developers needing to understand an unfamiliar codebase before performing audits, optimizations, or modifications.
What it does
- Maps the data model and foreign-key relationships from the schema.
- Categorizes functions into public API surface and internal logic.
- Describes the authentication and ownership enforcement model.
- Identifies installed components, HTTP routes, and cron jobs.
- Traces representative end-to-end request-to-data flows.
- Provides a structured, scannable architectural overview.
When to use it
- When onboarding to an existing Convex project.
- Before initiating a refactoring or optimization task.
- As a prerequisite for running security or architectural audits.
- When you need to verify the current state of an application's API surface.
Advantages
- Provides an accurate, source-of-truth map of the application.
- Saves time compared to manual code review of multiple files.
- Clearly separates public and internal function boundaries.
- Maintains a strictly descriptive, non-evaluative perspective.
- Identifies missing auth foundations explicitly.
Usage examples
- “Explain the architecture of this Convex app.”
- The agent generates a structured report detailing the data model, public/internal function split, auth model, and a trace of a primary data flow.
- “What is the data model and auth setup for this project?”
- The agent provides a summary of the schema tables and relationships, followed by a description of how identity and ownership are handled in the codebase.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/convex/convex-explain-app/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip convex-explain-app.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Convex
<!-- GENERATED from convex-agents content/capabilities/explain-app.json — do not edit by hand. -->
Explain this Convex app
Before you can safely change an app you have to know what it is — and reading 15 function files top-to-bottom is slow and error-prone. This capability produces the map fast and accurately by reading the two sources that can't lie: the schema (the data model) and the function surface (functionSpec / the exported queries/mutations/actions). It is deliberately DESCRIPTIVE — it explains what IS, hands judgment to the audit capabilities and changes to the fixers. It is also the natural first step of an optimize or self-heal session, and the reusable 're-explain the current architecture' that 'change what you built' depends on.
Workflow
DETECT the app: the
convex/directory,schema.ts, and whether a deployment exists (if one does,functionSpec/tablesvia the official MCP give the authoritative live surface; if not, read the source directly). deploy-guard classifies any deployment read as read-only.DATA MODEL: from
schema.ts, list every table with its fields and, crucially, its RELATIONSHIPS — whichv.id("other")fields point where, and which indexes exist (indexes reveal the intended access paths). Draw the foreign-key graph in words: 'tasks belong to projects (projectId) and users (ownerId); messages belong to conversations'.FUNCTION SURFACE: enumerate every exported function, split PUBLIC (query/mutation/action — the attack/API surface) from INTERNAL (internalQuery/... — not client-reachable), and for each give a one-line 'what it does + what it touches'. The public/internal split is the single most important thing a newcomer needs and the thing source-skimming most often gets wrong.
AUTH / OWNERSHIP MODEL: state how identity is established (auth.config.ts provider? a users table keyed by tokenIdentifier?) and how ownership is enforced (is there a requireOwner-style check? which field is the owner?). Say plainly if there is NO auth foundation — that is load-bearing context for anyone about to change the app. (Describe the model; do not audit it for holes — that's convex-authz.)
COMPONENTS + EXTERNAL EDGES: list the
@convex-dev/*components installed (convex.config.ts) and what they provide, the HTTP routes (http.ts) and crons, and any external calls in actions (which APIs, which env vars).FLOW: trace 1-2 representative end-to-end paths ('client calls createTask → validates → inserts into tasks scoped to the caller → listMyTasks reads it back by the by_owner index') so the reader sees the moving parts connected, not just catalogued.
PRESENT as a scannable map (data model → public/internal functions → auth model → components/edges → a flow or two), accurate to the source. End by pointing at the next verbs: convex-reviewer/convex-authz to audit it, launch-readiness to score it, design/convex-expert to extend it. Never invent behavior the source doesn't show; if something is ambiguous, say so rather than guessing.
Rules
Read the schema + function surface (functionSpec/source) as the source of truth — never describe behavior the code doesn't show; flag ambiguity instead of guessing.
Lead with the two things a newcomer most needs and skimming most often gets wrong: the data-model relationship graph and the public-vs-internal function split.
State the auth/ownership model plainly, including 'there is no auth foundation' when that's the case — but DESCRIBE it; auditing it for holes is convex-authz's job.
Descriptive, not evaluative: explain-app maps what IS and hands judgment to the audit capabilities and changes to the fixers.
Read-only: any deployment introspection is read-only (deploy-guard); the app is not modified.
End by pointing at the right next verb (audit → reviewer/authz, score → launch-readiness, extend → design/expert).
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer860 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer10.7 KiB
- SKILL.md4.1 KiB
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Convex
- Publisher
- Convex (Official)
- Source
- convex/agent-skills · skills/convex-explain-app · commit f60629d
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Convex or Convex.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download convex-explain-app.zip