debrief 0.8.5

Dynamically generated BRIEF.md summaries for your Python projects, to make them accessible to new contributors or coding agents.

debrief: Project Summarizer

debrief generates a comprehensive BRIEF.md file designed to provide new contributors or coding agents with a high-density overview of a Python project.

Installation

pip install debrief

Usage

debrief [run|lint] [path] [--output BRIEF.md]

Arguments

Argument	Description	Default
mode	run generates BRIEF.md, lint only runs checks.	run
path	Project root path.	.
-o, --output	Output filename.	BRIEF.md
--tree-budget	Max lines for Directory Tree (auto-depth).	60
--max-tree-siblings	Max items at same level in tree.	tree_budget/3
--max-readme	Max lines to include from README.	20
--max-deps	Max lines for dependencies list.	15
--max-imports	Max lines for Import Tree.	50
--max-definitions	Max lines for Module Definitions.	200
--max-class-methods	Max public methods shown per class.	max_definitions/3
--max-module-defs	Max top-level defs shown per module.	max_definitions/3
--include-docstrings	Include docstrings in the output.	False
--exclude	Additional patterns to exclude.	None

Lint Mode

debrief lint [path]

Runs all quality checks without generating BRIEF.md:

Check	Threshold	Condition
README non-empty lines	≥ 2	Always
Description length	≥ 16 non-ws chars	Always
Docstring length	≥ 16 non-ws chars	Only with --include-docstrings

Features

• Project Metadata: Extracts description and dependencies from pyproject.toml (with requirements.txt fallback).
• Directory Tree: Adaptive depth tree that fits within a line budget, respecting .gitignore.
• Import Analysis: Generates an import dependency tree to visualize project structure.
• Code Definitions: Extracts class and function signatures with docstrings for all Python files.
• Optimized Output:
  • Truncation: Automatically truncates long lines (>300 chars) and large sections.
  • "Read more": Links to local files for truncated content.
  • Markdown: Formatted for optimal readability.

Example Output (BRIEF.md)

The BRIEF.md file in this repository serves as a real example of the output of debrief.