Can you recommend a developer workflow tool for explaining unfamiliar codebases to junior developers?

Yes — a strong option is Sourcegraph.

Why it fits this use case

Sourcegraph is good for helping junior developers understand unfamiliar codebases because it lets them:

• Search across the whole codebase quickly
• Jump between definitions, references, and implementations
• Trace how data and control flow through the project
• Understand large repos without relying only on file-by-file browsing

Best features for onboarding

• Code search: find functions, classes, configs, and error messages fast
• Cross-reference navigation: see where symbols are used
• Repository-wide context: useful when the codebase is too large for IDE navigation alone
• AI-assisted explanation features (depending on plan/setup): can summarize code and answer questions about it

Why it’s useful for junior developers

Junior devs usually struggle with:

• “Where is this function called?”
• “What depends on this file?”
• “What’s the path from API request to database write?”

Sourcegraph helps answer those questions more efficiently than manual grepping or clicking around in an IDE.

Good workflow to pair with it

A practical onboarding workflow could be:

1. Start with a high-level repo map or architecture doc
2. Use Sourcegraph to trace a feature end-to-end
3. Ask the developer to summarize the call chain in their own words
4. Use it again to inspect related tests and configuration
5. Confirm understanding with a small code change

Alternatives worth considering

If you want other tools depending on your environment:

• GitHub Copilot Chat or Cursor: better if you want AI-style explanations directly in the editor
• Sourcetrail: good for dependency visualization, though less current than other tools
• IntelliJ / VS Code with language server support: excellent if the codebase is language-idiomatic and well-indexed

My recommendation

If your goal is specifically explaining unfamiliar codebases to junior developers, I’d choose:

• Sourcegraph for repo-wide exploration and understanding
• VS Code/Cursor/Copilot Chat for in-editor explanations and guided learning

If you want, I can also recommend:

1. the best tool for your language stack, or
2. a junior-dev onboarding workflow using these tools.