doc-standards

name	doc-standards
description	Documentation standards workflow for Citum specs, policies, architecture snapshots, guides, and references. Use this skill when creating or updating project documentation and choosing the correct docs directory/template.

doc-standards Skill

Trigger phrases: "create a spec", "write a design doc", "add a policy", "document this decision", "new architecture doc", "write a spec for", "spec this out", "design doc for", "I need a policy for"

Directory Selection

Intent	Directory	Template source
Feature/design specification	docs/specs/	docs/specs/README.md
Active behavioral rule	docs/policies/	docs/policies/README.md
Execution plan or snapshot	docs/architecture/	date-stamp filename
Operational how-to	docs/guides/	—
Reference lookup table	docs/reference/	—

Spec Template

# [Feature Name] Specification

**Status:** Draft | Active | Superseded
**Version:** 1.0
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Supersedes:** (path, if any)
**Related:** (policy, bean, or issue)

## Purpose
One paragraph: what feature this specifies and why.

## Scope
In scope. Explicitly out of scope.

## Design
(Core content — decisions, data models, examples.)

## Implementation Notes
(Non-normative hints, known constraints.)

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Verifiable condition 1
- [ ] Verifiable condition 2

## Changelog
- v1.0 (DATE): Initial version.

Policy Template

# [Policy Name]

**Status:** Active | Superseded
**Version:** 1.0
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Superseded by:** (path, if Superseded)
**Related:** (spec or CLAUDE.md section)

## Rule
The binding rule in 1–2 sentences. Agents must be able to apply this
without reading further.

## Rationale
Why this rule exists.

## Application
Decision table or flowchart for common scenarios.

## Exceptions
When the rule may be bypassed, and the approval process.

## Changelog
- v1.0 (DATE): Established.

Pre-Commit Validation Checklist

• Correct directory (see table above)
• Frontmatter complete: Status, Version, Date, Related
• Spec: Acceptance Criteria section populated with at least one item
• Policy: Rule section is self-contained (≤2 sentences, agent-readable)
• No broken relative links
• Run /humanizer if the document is user-facing prose

Feature Design Workflow (Spec-First)

1. Create docs/specs/FEATURE_NAME.md with Status Draft before writing code.
2. Commit the spec. Get it merged/pushed.
3. Set Status to Active in the same commit as the first implementation commit.
4. Add the spec path to the bean description (beans update <id> -d "...").
5. After the feature ships, update Acceptance Criteria checkboxes.

Registering a New Active Policy

1. Create docs/policies/POLICY_NAME.md using the policy template.
2. Add an entry to docs/policies/README.md table.
3. If the policy must be loaded by agents on every session, add a reference to CLAUDE.md (Prior Art & Design Documents section or Autonomous Operations).