| source | shipped |
| name | documentation-ingestion |
| description | Use when existing project documentation must be discovered and converted into colony context |
| type | colony |
| domains | ["documentation","ingestion","onboarding"] |
| agent_roles | ["scout","chronicler","keeper","architect"] |
| workflow_triggers | ["colonize","plan"] |
| task_keywords | ["documentation","docs","readme","adr","ingest"] |
| priority | normal |
| version | 1.0 |
Documentation Ingestion
Purpose
Scans a repository for any existing documentation -- ADRs, PRDs, specs, docs, READMEs, wikis -- and classifies, consolidates, and bootstraps colony context from them. Turns a scattered doc landscape into structured colony knowledge.
When to Use
- User says "ingest our docs" or "scan for documentation"
- Colony initializing on a project with existing documentation
- Before planning to ensure all prior decisions are captured
- User wants to consolidate scattered docs into colony structure
Instructions
1. Discovery Scan
Search for documentation files:
*.md, *.rst, *.txt, *.adoc -- Standard doc formats
docs/, documentation/, wiki/, .wiki/ -- Doc directories
ADR-*, DECISION-*, RFC-* -- Architecture records
PRD-*, SPEC-*, REQUIREMENTS-* -- Product specs
CHANGELOG*, HISTORY*, ROADMAP* -- Project history
CONTRIBUTING*, CODE_OF_CONDUCT* -- Community docs
.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/*, .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/* -- Templates
2. Classification
For each document found:
ADR: Architecture Decision Record -- technical decision with context
PRD: Product Requirements Document -- what to build and why
SPEC: Technical Specification -- how to build it
DOC: General documentation -- guides, README, tutorials
TEMPLATE: Issue/PR templates
HISTORY: Changelogs, release notes
CONFIG: Configuration documentation
UNKNOWN: Doesn't fit categories -- flag for manual review
3. Content Extraction
From each document:
1. Extract title and summary
2. Identify key decisions and their rationale
3. Extract requirements and acceptance criteria
4. Identify stakeholders and ownership
5. Detect references to other documents
6. Note the document's age and last update
4. Conflict Detection
When multiple documents overlap:
1. Detect contradictions (e.g., two ADRs with different tech choices)
2. Detect duplicates (same information in multiple places)
3. Detect outdated information (contradicts current code)
4. Detect gaps (important areas with no documentation)
5. Consolidation
Create colony-ready documents:
.aether/data/ingested/
catalog.json # All found docs with metadata
decisions.md # Consolidated decisions from ADRs
requirements.md # Consolidated requirements from PRDs
specifications.md # Consolidated specs
conflicts.md # Detected contradictions
gaps.md # Undocumented areas
originals/ # Symlinks/copies of source docs
6. Colony Bootstrap
From ingested docs, populate colony context:
1. Feed decisions into colony knowledge base
2. Feed requirements into ROADMAP planning
3. Feed specs into phase specifications
4. Flag conflicts for user resolution
5. Recommend documentation updates for gaps
Key Patterns
- Ingest, don't replace: Original documents stay where they are; colony creates references.
- Classify automatically: Most docs can be classified by naming patterns and content.
- Surface contradictions: Conflicting docs are more valuable than agreeing ones -- they reveal ambiguity.
- Gap identification: Knowing what's NOT documented is as important as what is.
Output Format
INGESTION -- {repo_name}
Documents found: {count}
Classification:
ADRs: {count} | PRDs: {count} | Specs: {count}
Docs: {count} | Templates: {count} | Other: {count}
Conflicts: {count} contradictions detected
Gaps: {count} undocumented areas identified
Colony context updated:
{count} decisions imported
{count} requirements captured
{count} specifications cataloged
Catalog: .aether/data/ingested/catalog.json
Examples
Full ingestion:
"Found 23 documents: 4 ADRs, 2 PRDs, 3 specs, 14 docs. 1 conflict: ADR-003 says 'use Redis' but PRD-v2 says 'use Memcached'. 5 gaps: no docs for auth, payments, deployment, monitoring, or error handling."
Quick scan:
"Found 5 docs. README.md (general), CONTRIBUTING.md (template), 3 ADRs. No PRDs or specs found. Colony context populated with 3 architecture decisions."