Nigerian software engineer, Ikponmwosa Omorisiagbon, has launched CodeLens AI, an open-source platform designed to make navigating complex codebases faster and easier for developers.
The tool, according to him, tackles one of software engineering’s most expensive problems: onboarding.
Companies often lose weeks of productivity as new developers struggle with undocumented or fragmented code, costing businesses thousands of dollars in delays.
“In Africa, this problem is amplified,” Ikponmwosa told TechCabal. “Teams inherit code from contractors or previous developers. I’ve joined projects where it took weeks just to figure out how the login system worked.”
How CodeLens AI Works
CodeLens AI tackles the problem in two stages: structure and meaning.
- Indexing the codebase: The tool uses Tree-sitter AST and the Language Server Protocol (LSP) to parse a project’s structure, identifying how functions connect, where definitions live, and which files depend on one another. This information is stored in a graph database, turning code into a web of relationships.
- Understanding the codebase: Beyond structure, CodeLens AI embeds code blocks into a vector database, enabling semantic search. Developers can ask not just ‘where’ a function is located, but ‘what’ it actually does.
According to him, the result is a tool that reveals hidden architecture patterns, uncovers workflows scattered across files, and allows developers to navigate systems conceptually, even when documentation is outdated.
What You Should Know
Currently, CodeLens AI supports JavaScript, with TypeScript support underway and Python and Java next on the roadmap. Despite being in its early phase, Ikponmwosa says the project is evolving quickly.
“We’re moving fast and iterating based on real developer feedback,” Ikponmwosa said. “New features are being rolled out quickly as we learn what developers actually need.”
By keeping the project open source, he hopes to build a community of contributors who can extend the tool’s functionality. The code is freely available on GitHub, inviting developers worldwide to test, improve, and adopt it.
Why Open Source Matters
In a space where commercial developer productivity tools often carry high price tags, Ikponmwosa’s decision to make CodeLens AI fully open source is deliberate.
“For me, it’s about giving back to the developer community,” he explained. “Every developer has struggled with understanding unfamiliar code. This shouldn’t be a privilege locked behind paywalls — it should be something anyone can use, improve, and build on.”
The onboarding software market is rapidly growing, expected to reach $1.34 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%. By making codebases instantly intelligible, experts say CodeLens AI could accelerate that impact across industries and geographies.
Many cite the platform as more than productivity enhancers, and are levers for economic efficiency. When onboarding time is reduced, organizations save not just developer hours but also reduce long-term retention risks and improve ROI.
With global teams increasingly distributed and every codebase eventually becoming “legacy code,” industry analysts say tools like CodeLens AI could shape the future of how engineers understand systems.
