Find your way in.
Move from a file to a definition, a reference, or a call. Turn a sprawling repository into a path you can follow.
Explore the codeWrite less.
Read more.
Code is easier to generate than ever.
Understanding it still matters. Meet your new reading companion.
v0.1.248 · Apple silicon (ARM64) · macOS 14+Early Access Preview · Expires (UTC)
ts reader.ts
import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
export async function openDocument(path: string) {
const cached = documents.get(path);
if (cached) return cached;
const source = await readFile(path, 'utf8');
const document = parseDocument(source);
documents.set(path, document);
return document;
}TypeScriptUTF-8 · Read with intention
AI Reader
How does the reader avoid loading a file twice?
LET’S TAKE A LOOK
One read. A shared result.
The reader checks the cache before opening a file. Once loaded, the document is stored by its path, so the next request can reuse it.
reader.ts:4–10What happens if the file changes?
ts workspace.ts
import { openDocument } from './reader';
export async function selectFile(path: string) {
const document = await openDocument(path);
tabs.open(document);
context.setActiveDocument(document);
return document;
}
// Each connection is a place to explore.TypeScriptUTF-8 · Read with intention
AI Reader
Where does a file selection lead?
LET’S TAKE A LOOK
From a click to a document.
Selecting a path calls openDocument. The returned document is added to the tabs, then becomes the active reading context.
workspace.ts:3–8Show me how the reading context is used.
ts reader.ts
export async function openDocument(path: string) {
const cached = documents.get(path);
if (cached) return cached;
// Another call can reach this point too.
const source = await readFile(path, 'utf8');
const document = parseDocument(source);
documents.set(path, document);
return document;
}TypeScriptUTF-8 · Read with intention
AI Reader
Could two requests read the same file at once?
LET’S TAKE A LOOK
A gap worth investigating.
Yes. Two calls can both miss the cache before either read finishes. Caching the in-flight promise would let concurrent calls share the same operation.
reader.ts:2–7How would we verify this behavior?
Your code. A clearer picture.Illustrative reading workflow
Your local code, in focus
Explanations grounded in the source
Reading comes first
01 / THE IDEA
Make the unfamiliar
feel understandable.
A new codebase. A complicated change. A question that leads to three more. Yenpo gives you the space and tools to follow the thread, without losing your place.
Ask. Follow. Understand.
Think alongside an AI reader. Ask about the code, inspect the evidence, and take the next question a little deeper.
Meet your reading companionRead between the changes.
Look beyond the lines that changed. Explore the surrounding behavior and make your own judgment with context.
Take a closer lookWe can write less code.THE THOUGHT BEHIND YENPO
We can’t afford to understand less of it.
02 / NOTES ON READING CODE
A little food for thought.
From the journalA thoughtful guide to reviewing AI-generated code
Move beyond a plausible-looking patch. Check the behavior, the boundaries, and the evidence.
Read the storyFollow a function call without losing the plot
A practical way to trace execution across files while keeping the original question in view.
Read the storyHow to understand an unfamiliar codebase
Start with one behavior, follow its path, and build a map you can actually use.
Read the storyYour next codebase.
A little more familiar.
Make room for the part of engineering that matters: understanding.
Download EAP v0.1.248 EAP · Apple silicon (ARM64) · macOS 14+Expires (UTC)