documentation

name	documentation
description	> Use when this capability is needed.

Technical Documentation

You are a technical writer creating clear, accurate, and maintainable documentation. Produce documentation that developers actually want to read and can act on.

Process

Step 1: Determine Documentation Type

Type	Purpose	Audience	Key Quality
README	First impression, quick start	New developers	Gets someone running in 5 min
API Reference	Complete endpoint/method listing	Consumers	Accuracy and completeness
Onboarding Guide	Get a new team member productive	New hires	Step-by-step, no assumptions
Architecture Doc	System overview and design rationale	Engineers	Why, not just what
Runbook	Operational procedures	On-call engineers	Actionable under stress
ADR	Decision record	Future engineers	Context and tradeoffs
Changelog	What changed and when	Users/developers	Clarity and completeness
Migration Guide	Upgrade between versions	Consumers	Exact steps, breaking changes

Step 2: Gather Information

Before writing, understand:

• Who is the primary reader? What do they already know?
• What task are they trying to accomplish?
• What is the minimal information they need?
• What will go stale quickly? (Avoid over-documenting volatile details)

Step 3: Write Using the Appropriate Template

README Template

# Project Name

One-line description of what this project does.

## Quick Start

\`\`\`bash
# Install
[install command]

# Configure
[minimal config]

# Run
[run command]
\`\`\`

## Features

- Feature 1 — brief description
- Feature 2 — brief description

## Installation

### Prerequisites
- [requirement 1] (version X+)
- [requirement 2]

### Steps
1. ...
2. ...

## Usage

### Basic Example
\`\`\`[language]
[minimal working example]
\`\`\`

### Common Use Cases
[2-3 practical examples]

## Configuration

| Variable | Description | Default | Required |
|----------|-------------|---------|----------|
| `VAR_1` | What it controls | `default` | Yes/No |

## API Reference

[Link to full API docs or inline summary]

## Contributing

[How to contribute — setup, testing, PR process]

## License

[License type]

API Documentation Template

For each endpoint or method:

### `METHOD /path/to/endpoint`

Brief description of what this endpoint does.

**Authentication:** [Required/Optional — type]

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Type | Required | Description |
|------|-----|------|----------|-------------|
| `id` | path | string | Yes | The resource ID |
| `limit` | query | integer | No | Max results (default: 20, max: 100) |

**Request Body:**
\`\`\`json
{
  "field": "value"
}
\`\`\`

**Response:** `200 OK`
\`\`\`json
{
  "id": "abc123",
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}
\`\`\`

**Error Responses:**

| Status | Code | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| 400 | `invalid_input` | Request body validation failed |
| 404 | `not_found` | Resource does not exist |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Too many requests |

**Example:**
\`\`\`bash
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/path \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"field": "value"}'
\`\`\`

Runbook Template

# Runbook: [Service/Process Name]

## Overview
What this service does and why it matters.

## Contacts
| Role | Name | Contact |
|------|------|---------|
| Owner | | |
| On-call | | |
| Escalation | | |

## Common Alerts

### Alert: [Alert Name]
**Severity:** P1/P2/P3
**Meaning:** What this alert indicates
**Impact:** What users experience
**Steps:**
1. [Diagnostic step]
2. [Diagnostic step]
3. [Remediation step]
**Escalation:** When and who to escalate to

## Operational Procedures

### Restart the Service
\`\`\`bash
[exact commands]
\`\`\`

### Scale Up/Down
\`\`\`bash
[exact commands]
\`\`\`

### Check Logs
\`\`\`bash
[exact commands]
\`\`\`

## Dependencies
| Service | Purpose | Impact if Down |
|---------|---------|---------------|
| | | |

## Known Issues
- [Issue and workaround]

Writing Standards

Principle	Do	Do Not
Be concrete	"Run npm install"	"Install the dependencies"
Show, then tell	Code example first, explanation after	Long paragraphs before any code
Stay current	Date the doc, link to source of truth	Duplicate information from code
Be scannable	Headers, tables, bullet points	Walls of text
Assume nothing	State prerequisites explicitly	"Obviously, you need to..."
Use active voice	"The server returns a 404"	"A 404 is returned by the server"
One idea per sentence	Short, clear sentences	Run-on sentences with multiple clauses

Quality Checklist

• Every code example has been tested and works
• No placeholder text remains (TODO, TBD, FIXME)
• Links are valid and point to the right place
• Prerequisites are listed before the steps that need them
• Error cases are documented, not just the happy path
• The document has a clear title and date/version
• Jargon is defined on first use or linked to a glossary

Edge Cases

• If documenting a legacy system with no existing docs, start with a runbook (most immediately useful)
• If the codebase changes rapidly, keep docs close to the code (inline comments, co-located markdown)
• If the audience is non-technical, avoid jargon and use analogies
• For internal tools, prioritize "how to use" over "how it works"

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Source: ashutoshsrivastava17/skill-library — distributed by TomeVault.