readme-generator

name	readme-generator
description	Generate complete README.md files: badges, install, usage, API reference, contributing guide, from code or description

README Generator Skill

When to activate

• New project needs a README written from scratch
• Existing README is outdated or incomplete
• Open-sourcing a project and need professional documentation
• README exists but lacks install instructions, usage examples, or API reference

When NOT to use

• Internal tools not meant for public consumption
• Projects with an existing documentation site (Docusaurus, MkDocs, etc.) — the README should just link there
• When you need deep API reference docs — use a proper doc generator (TypeDoc, Sphinx)

Instructions

Standard README structure

# Project Name

> One-sentence description of what the project does and who it's for.

[![npm](badge)] [![license](badge)] [![ci](badge)]

## Features (optional — skip for simple tools)
- Key capability 1
- Key capability 2

## Install
\`\`\`bash
# Primary install method
npm install your-package

# or
pip install your-package
\`\`\`

## Quick Start
\`\`\`language
// Minimal working example — copy-paste ready
\`\`\`

## Usage
[More detailed examples, covering the main use cases]

## API Reference (if library/SDK)
### `functionName(param, options)`
Description.
**Parameters:** ...
**Returns:** ...
**Example:** ...

## Configuration
[Table of env vars or config options]

## Contributing
[One paragraph + link to CONTRIBUTING.md]

## License
MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE)

Invoking the skill

From scratch:

/readme-generator

Project: {name}
What it does: {one paragraph}
Tech stack: {list}
Install method: {npm/pip/brew/binary/etc}
Key commands: {list}
Target audience: {developers / end-users / both}

From existing code:

/readme-generator

Read the codebase and generate a complete README.md.
Focus on: install, quick start, and API reference for exported functions.

Update existing:

/readme-generator

Update README.md — the install instructions are outdated (now uses pnpm),
and the API reference is missing the new `createSession()` function.

Badge generation

Claude will suggest relevant badges from shields.io:

[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/package-name)](https://npmjs.com/package/package-name)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-black.svg)](LICENSE)
[![CI](https://github.com/org/repo/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/org/repo/actions)
[![Downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/package-name)](https://npmjs.com/package/package-name)

Writing principles

First 3 lines are everything. GitHub shows a preview — make the description and quick-start visible without scrolling.

Working examples over description. A code block that runs is worth 10 paragraphs of prose.

Installation must be copy-paste ready. Every step should work verbatim on a fresh machine.

API reference format:

### `createUser(email, options?)`

Creates a new user account.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `email` | `string` | Yes | User's email address |
| `options.role` | `'admin' \| 'user'` | No | Default: `'user'` |

**Returns:** `Promise<User>`

\`\`\`typescript
const user = await createUser('[e-mail]', { role: 'admin' })
\`\`\`

Calibrating depth

Project type	README depth
CLI tool	Install + usage + all flags/commands
npm library	Full API reference for every export
SaaS / web app	Features + deploy guide + env vars
GitHub template	What to replace + how to customise
Internal tool	Install + key commands + how to contribute

Example

Input:

Project: claudient
What it does: npm package with Claude Code skills, agents, hooks, and workflows
Install: npx claudient add all
Key commands: add, remove, list, search, init
Target audience: developers using Claude Code

Expected output: Complete README with hero description, npm/license/language badges, install section (npx claudient add all), CLI reference table for all subcommands, category list, contributing section, MIT license footer.

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