Summarize non-obvious methods file by file in a paper project

A commenter had Claude Code write file-by-file summaries of non-obvious methods in a research project, then reviewed them to keep track of the work.

What They Did

A commenter used Claude Code while rewriting personal projects from their own earlier, messier versions and making later incremental upgrades. They had Claude produce a brief file-by-file summary plus notes on any non-obvious methods, then reread those notes multiple times and edited explanations they felt could be clearer to keep the project understandable and useful for later model runs.

How It Went

They said it helped them keep a mental map of the codebase and understand how it worked overall. It was not complete: they still lost track of some parts.

Worth Knowing

The source says this was done over the last two weeks, and it worked best because the project began as their own code with most logic preserved.