credfeto-readme-documentation

name	credfeto-readme-documentation
description	Write and maintain README.md with the required section order, reference-style badge links, and the all-contributors section. Use whenever creating or updating README.md, adding a config option that needs documenting, or adding/removing a badge.

README Maintenance

• Keep README.md accurate and up to date; rewrite template placeholder content before starting work.
• Update the configuration section in the same commit whenever a config option (appsettings.json, options class, or env var) is added, removed, or renamed — include type, default, and description.

Required Sections (in this order)

1. Title and one-line description — state what the project does, not just what it is named.
2. Badges — see Badge Guidelines below.
3. Overview — 2–3 sentences explaining the purpose and key features.
4. Quick Start / Simple Example — the minimal copy-paste snippet that gets something working; no preamble.
5. Installation — e.g. dotnet add package <Name> or the NuGet Package Manager command.
6. Usage / Examples — one or two brief, self-contained examples; link to docs/ for more complex ones.
7. Documentation — link to the docs/ folder and any generated API documentation (e.g. DocFX, Doxygen, GitHub Pages).
8. Changelog — link to CHANGELOG.md.
9. Contributing — link to CONTRIBUTING.md.
10. Security — link to SECURITY.md.
11. Licence — link to LICENSE.
12. Contributors — all-contributors section; see Contributors below for when to include it.
13. Reference links — all image and URL references used by badges and links, collected at the very bottom of the file, sorted alphabetically by label.

Omit any section that does not apply (e.g. no Installation section for a library with no NuGet package), but never invent placeholder sections.

Badge Guidelines

Place all badges near the top of the file, after the title but before the overview prose.

Link Format (MANDATORY)

All badges and hyperlinks must use reference-style markdown — never inline URLs. Use descriptive named labels; never use bare numbers ([1], [2]). Collect all reference definitions at the very bottom of the file, sorted alphabetically by label.

[![Alt text][image-ref]][link-ref]

<!-- bottom of file -->
[image-ref]: https://example.com/badge.svg
[link-ref]: https://example.com/

CI / Build Status

Use a table to separate main/pre-release from release builds:

| Branch  | Status                                            |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------|
| main    | [![Build: Pre-Release][pre-release-img]][pre-release] |
| release | [![Build: Release][release-img]][release]         |

<!-- bottom of file -->
[pre-release-img]: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/build-and-publish-pre-release.yml/badge.svg
[pre-release]: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/build-and-publish-pre-release.yml
[release-img]: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/build-and-publish-release.yml/badge.svg
[release]: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/build-and-publish-release.yml

NuGet (when the project publishes a package)

[![NuGet][nuget-img]][nuget]
[![NuGet Downloads][nuget-downloads-img]][nuget]

<!-- bottom of file -->
[nuget-img]: https://img.shields.io/nuget/v/PACKAGE_NAME.svg
[nuget-downloads-img]: https://img.shields.io/nuget/dt/PACKAGE_NAME.svg
[nuget]: https://www.nuget.org/packages/PACKAGE_NAME

Code Coverage

[![codecov][codecov-img]][codecov]

<!-- bottom of file -->
[codecov-img]: https://codecov.io/gh/OWNER/REPO/branch/main/graph/badge.svg
[codecov]: https://codecov.io/gh/OWNER/REPO

Licence

[![Licence][licence-img]][licence]

<!-- bottom of file -->
[licence-img]: https://img.shields.io/github/license/OWNER/REPO
[licence]: LICENSE

Open Issues / Bugs

[![Bugs][bugs-img]][bugs]

<!-- bottom of file -->
[bugs-img]: https://img.shields.io/github/issues/OWNER/REPO/bug
[bugs]: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3Abug

Only include badges that are actively maintained and reflect real state. Remove any badge whose target service is unavailable or whose data is stale.

Additional Documentation

• All non-template repos must have a docs/ folder; template repos must not.
• Place all docs and architecture diagrams (except README.md/CHANGELOG.md) in docs/; keep them current.
• Architecture diagrams: show folder structure only — omit individual files and package versions; prefer SVG over raster formats.

Contributors

• Include a ## Contributors section in README.md using the all-contributors spec only when the repository has more than one known human contributor. Omit the section entirely when there is only one.
• When the condition is met, preserve the auto-generated comment markers exactly — do not reformat, reorder, or remove them:

## Contributors

<!-- ALL-CONTRIBUTORS-LIST:START - Do not remove or modify this section -->
<!-- prettier-ignore-start -->
<!-- markdownlint-disable -->

<!-- markdownlint-restore -->
<!-- prettier-ignore-end -->

<!-- ALL-CONTRIBUTORS-LIST:END -->

• Never manually edit the content between the START and END markers — the all-contributors bot manages that block.