doc-audit

name	doc-audit
description	8-phase documentation drift audit across all docs, agent instructions, and config files. Use when checking for documentation drift, stale paths/counts, or inconsistencies between code and docs.

Documentation Audit

Comprehensive audit to ensure zero documentation drift across ALL docs, agent instructions, and config files.

Principle: Use existing scripts instead of ad-hoc grep commands. Never create temporary audit scripts — all checks are covered by the repo's tooling and test suite.

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Complete Documentation Inventory

Layer 1: Primary Docs

File	Drift-sensitive fields
docs/README.md	File tree, asset paths, tech stack
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md	File paths, component structure
docs/CHANGELOG.md	Missing entries for recent changes
[FILL: docs/CONFIG-REFERENCE.md]	[FILL: Schema tables, field descriptions]
docs/decisions/	ADR accuracy vs. current implementation

Layer 2: Agent Instructions

File	Drift-sensitive fields
AGENTS.md	File structure (paths), coding rules
CLAUDE.md	File map (paths), key patterns
.github/copilot-instructions.md	Key files table (paths), always/never rules
.agent/rules/coding-standards.md	Rules, path conventions
[FILL: Additional agent instruction files]	[FILL: Drift-sensitive fields]

Layer 3: Root-Level Files

File	Drift-sensitive fields
README.md	File paths, quickstart instructions
[FILL: Add project-specific root-level files]	[FILL: Drift-sensitive fields]

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Phase 0 — File Tree Completeness (Structural Drift)

Why this is Phase 0: Missing files in file maps is the #1 drift source. Check this first.

Compare the actual file tree against every file-map section in agent instruction files and docs:

1. List actual files: ls src/, ls config/, ls docs/
2. Cross-check against file maps in:

File	Section name
AGENTS.md	## File Structure
CLAUDE.md	## File Map
[FILL: docs/README.md]	[FILL: Section name for file tree]

1. Every real file/directory must appear in all file maps. Flag any missing entries.

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Phase 1 — Identify What Changed

git diff --stat
git log --oneline -10

Classify the change type:

• Config change → schema, examples, stats references may be stale
• UI/layout change → styling guide, layout constraints may be stale
• New feature → user flow, architecture, changelog, roadmap may be stale
• File added/removed/renamed → file trees, path references may be stale
• Agent rule change → must propagate to ALL agent instruction files

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Phase 2 — Run Automated Drift Checks

Do not use ad-hoc grep commands or create temporary scripts for checks that existing tooling already covers.

# Run all automated tests
npm test

# [FILL: Add any project-specific drift/stats scripts here]

Verify policy alignment:

• Agent docs do not hardcode mutable totals as static source-of-truth values
• If a snapshot number is documented, it is clearly labeled with snapshot context/date

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Phase 3 — Verify Path Conventions

# Find references to potentially stale paths
grep -rn "[FILL: old-path-prefix]" docs/ .agent/ .claude/ .github/ AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md --include="*.md"

Current correct conventions:

• [FILL: Path convention 1 — e.g. "No leading / or ./ in asset paths"]
• [FILL: Path convention 2 — e.g. "Assets at assets/{name}.ext"]

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Phase 4 — Verify Config ↔ Code Consistency

Use existing tooling — do not write ad-hoc scripts for these checks.

All automated checks from Phase 2 cover config consistency. If they all pass, this phase is done.

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Phase 5 — Cross-Check Agent Files

5a. File map sync (structural)

Verify all files/directories in the repo are listed in the agent file maps (see Phase 0).

5b. Fact consistency

All agent instruction files must agree on:

Fact	Must match across
Coding rules	AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md, coding-standards.md
Security requirements	AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md, coding-standards.md
[FILL: Project-specific fact]	[FILL: Which files must agree]

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Phase 6 — Workflow & Skill Consistency

• .agent/workflows/doc-audit.md — This workflow is itself still accurate? (meta-audit)
• .claude/skills/doc-audit/SKILL.md — Same as above?
• .github/pull_request_template.md — Contains explicit docs/ADR/policy alignment gates?
• [FILL: Any project-specific workflows to check]

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Phase 7 — Update CHANGELOG

If any doc fixes were made:

### Fixed
- Documentation drift: updated [specific counts/paths/conventions] across [N] files

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Change → Doc Impact Matrix

If you changed…	Update these docs
File added/removed/renamed	AGENTS.md (file structure), CLAUDE.md (file map), docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
Architecture decision	docs/decisions/ (add new ADR file)
New feature / bug fix	docs/CHANGELOG.md
Coding rule changed	AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md, coding-standards.md
[FILL: Project-specific change]	[FILL: Affected docs]

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Drift Severity

Level	Description	Action
🔴 Critical	Wrong paths, wrong schema, contradictory policy rules	Fix immediately
🟠 High	Missing files in agent file maps, outdated conventions	Fix before next AI-assisted change
🟡 Medium	Missing changelog entry, outdated roadmap	Fix in next doc pass
🟢 Low	Stylistic inconsistency	Fix when convenient