understand-dashboard
Launch the interactive web dashboard to visualize a codebase's knowledge graph
Works with
---
name: understand-dashboard
description: Launch the interactive web dashboard to visualize a codebase's knowledge graph
license: MIT
---
# /understand-dashboard
Start the Understand Anything dashboard to visualize the knowledge graph for the current project.
## Instructions
1. Determine the project directory and data directory:
- If `$ARGUMENTS` contains a path, use that as the project directory
- Otherwise, use the current working directory
- Prefer the legacy `.understand-anything/` data directory when it exists, otherwise use `.ua/`
Use the Bash tool to resolve:
```bash
PROJECT_ARG="$ARGUMENTS"
if [ -n "$PROJECT_ARG" ]; then
PROJECT_DIR=$(cd "$PROJECT_ARG" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
else
PROJECT_DIR=$(pwd -P)
fi
if [ -z "$PROJECT_DIR" ] || [ ! -d "$PROJECT_DIR" ]; then
echo "Error: Project directory not found: ${PROJECT_ARG:-$PWD}"
exit 1
fi
if [ -d "$PROJECT_DIR/.understand-anything" ]; then
UA_DIR="$PROJECT_DIR/.understand-anything"
else
UA_DIR="$PROJECT_DIR/.ua"
fi
```
2. Check that `$UA_DIR/knowledge-graph.json` exists in the project directory. If not, tell the user:
```
No knowledge graph found. Run /understand first to analyze this project.
```
Use the Bash tool to check:
```bash
if [ ! -f "$UA_DIR/knowledge-graph.json" ]; then
echo "No knowledge graph found. Run /understand first to analyze this project."
exit 1
fi
```
3. Find the dashboard code. The dashboard is at `packages/dashboard/` relative to this plugin's root directory. Check these paths in order and use the first that exists:
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/packages/dashboard/` (Claude Code runtime root, highest priority)
- `~/.understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/` (universal symlink, all installs)
- Two levels up from `~/.agents/skills/understand-dashboard` real path (self-relative fallback)
- Two levels up from `~/.copilot/skills/understand-dashboard` real path (Copilot personal skills fallback)
- Common clone-based install roots:
- `~/.codex/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`
- `~/.opencode/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`
- `~/.pi/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`
- `~/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin/packages/dashboard/`
Use the Bash tool to resolve:
```bash
SKILL_REAL=$(realpath ~/.agents/skills/understand-dashboard 2>/dev/null || readlink -f ~/.agents/skills/understand-dashboard 2>/dev/null || echo "")
SELF_RELATIVE=$([ -n "$SKILL_REAL" ] && cd "$SKILL_REAL/../.." 2>/dev/null && pwd || echo "")
COPILOT_SKILL_REAL=$(realpath ~/.copilot/skills/understand-dashboard 2>/dev/null || readlink -f ~/.copilot/skills/understand-dashboard 2>/dev/null || echo "")
COPILOT_SELF_RELATIVE=$([ -n "$COPILOT_SKILL_REAL" ] && cd "$COPILOT_SKILL_REAL/../.." 2>/dev/null && pwd || echo "")
PLUGIN_ROOT=""
for candidate in \
"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" \
"$HOME/.understand-anything-plugin" \
"$SELF_RELATIVE" \
"$COPILOT_SELF_RELATIVE" \
"$HOME/.codex/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin" \
"$HOME/.opencode/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin" \
"$HOME/.pi/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin" \
"$HOME/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin"; do
if [ -n "$candidate" ] && [ -d "$candidate/packages/dashboard" ]; then
PLUGIN_ROOT="$candidate"; break
fi
done
if [ -z "$PLUGIN_ROOT" ]; then
echo "Error: Cannot find the understand-anything plugin root."
echo "Checked:"
echo " - ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-<unset CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT>}"
echo " - $HOME/.understand-anything-plugin"
echo " - ${SELF_RELATIVE:-<unresolved path derived from ~/.agents/skills/understand-dashboard>}"
echo " - ${COPILOT_SELF_RELATIVE:-<unresolved path derived from ~/.copilot/skills/understand-dashboard>}"
echo " - $HOME/.codex/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin"
echo " - $HOME/.opencode/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin"
echo " - $HOME/.pi/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin"
echo " - $HOME/understand-anything/understand-anything-plugin"
echo "Make sure you followed the installation instructions for your platform."
exit 1
fi
DASHBOARD_DIR="$PLUGIN_ROOT/packages/dashboard"
```
4. **Fast path — try the prebuilt viewer first (no install, no build).** Each release ships a self-contained viewer tarball; run it pinned to the installed plugin version:
```bash
: "${PLUGIN_ROOT:?Run step 3 first so PLUGIN_ROOT is set}"
: "${PROJECT_DIR:?Run step 1 first so PROJECT_DIR is set}"
PLUGIN_VERSION=$(node -p "require('$PLUGIN_ROOT/package.json').version")
VIEWER_URL="https://github.com/Egonex-AI/Understand-Anything/releases/download/v${PLUGIN_VERSION}/understand-anything-viewer.tgz"
npx --yes "$VIEWER_URL" "$PROJECT_DIR"
```
Run this in the background. It prints the same `🔑 Dashboard URL` line as the dev server:
- If the line appears, **skip steps 5-6** and continue at step 7.
- If the process exits without printing it (no release asset for this version, or no network), fall back to steps 5-6.
5. Fallback: install dependencies and build if needed:
```bash
: "${PLUGIN_ROOT:?Run step 3 first so PLUGIN_ROOT is set}"
DASHBOARD_DIR="${DASHBOARD_DIR:-$PLUGIN_ROOT/packages/dashboard}"
cd "$DASHBOARD_DIR" && (pnpm install --frozen-lockfile 2>/dev/null || pnpm install)
```
Then ensure the core package is built (the dashboard depends on it):
```bash
: "${PLUGIN_ROOT:?Run step 3 first so PLUGIN_ROOT is set}"
cd "$PLUGIN_ROOT" && pnpm --filter @understand-anything/core build
```
6. Fallback: start the Vite dev server pointing at the project's knowledge graph:
```bash
: "${PROJECT_DIR:?Run step 1 first so PROJECT_DIR is set}"
: "${DASHBOARD_DIR:?Run step 5 first so DASHBOARD_DIR is set}"
cd "$DASHBOARD_DIR" && GRAPH_DIR="$PROJECT_DIR" npx vite --host 127.0.0.1
```
Run this in the background so the user can continue working.
7. **Capture the access token URL from the server output.** The server (viewer or Vite) prints a line like:
```
🔑 Dashboard URL: http://127.0.0.1:<PORT>?token=<TOKEN>
```
Extract the full URL including the `?token=` parameter. The token is required to access the knowledge graph data — without it the dashboard will show an "Access Token Required" gate.
8. Report to the user, including the full tokenized URL:
```
Dashboard started at http://127.0.0.1:<PORT>?token=<TOKEN>
Viewing: $UA_DIR/knowledge-graph.json
The dashboard is running in the background. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop it.
```
**Important:** Always include the `?token=` parameter in the URL you share. If you omit it, the user will be blocked by the token gate and have to manually find the token in the terminal output.
## Notes
- The fast path (step 4) downloads a version-pinned, self-contained viewer from the GitHub release — nothing is installed into the plugin directory and no build runs
- The dashboard auto-opens in the default browser (both the viewer and Vite's `--open`)
- If port 5173 is already in use, the next available port is picked (both paths)
- In the fallback, the `GRAPH_DIR` environment variable tells the dev server where to find the knowledge graphMore General & Other skills
find-skills
vercel-labs/skills
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grill-me
mattpocock/skills
A relentless interview to sharpen a plan or design.
grill-with-docs
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A relentless interview to sharpen a plan or design, which also creates docs (ADR's and glossary) as we go.

