repowise-dev/repowise: README-based editorial guide

repowise-dev/repowise describes itself in the README as "Codebase intelligence for AI and humans: code health scores, auto-generated docs, git analytics, dead code detection, and architectural decisions via MCP.". This article keeps to facts that can be checked in the repository. Stars, forks, and promotional badges are signals of attention, not proof of quality. Under "up to −96% tokens to load context  ·  −89% file reads  ·  −70% tool calls", the README says: Free and self-hosted, runs on your machine, and the first index needs no API key.. That establishes the project's stated boundary, not a production test.

The README's "Know what's dangerous before you merge" section gives a useful starting point for deciding whether the project fits: Bug history. Which files and symbols actually get bug-fixed, and how recently.. If that problem is not yours, popularity is a poor reason to adopt it. Project names, commands, and component names are kept as written so a reader can return to the primary source without guessing at terminology. Another checkable README item is: Change risk. Score any commit or base..HEAD range 0-10 from the shape of. It can shape a first test, but it does not replace testing in the intended environment.

The operating model is spread across sections such as "up to −96% tokens to load context  ·  −89% file reads  ·  −70% tool calls". The source evidence includes: repowise computes those answers once and keeps them current on every commit. Your agent reads the answer instead of the codebase, and the same index gives your team a defect-validated health score, change-risk scoring on every PR, and a. This article does not turn missing architecture, performance, or security details into claims. A real deployment still needs a look at the repository layout, configuration files, and release history.

Start installation from the README's documented entry point. A command that can be checked in the source is: repowise distill pytest # 61% fewer tokens, all 11 failure lines kept repowise distill git log -50 # 89% fewer tokens repowise saved # what distillation saved you, in tokens and dollars When the README contains no runnable command, this article does not invent one. Open its "up to −96% tokens to load context  ·  −89% file reads  ·  −70% tool calls" section and confirm system dependencies, default ports, and first-run initialization before using a public server.