documentation

name	documentation
description	Technical documentation generation and maintenance. Creates API docs, code comments, READMEs, and changelogs. Use when documenting code, APIs, or creating project documentation.

Documentation

Technical documentation including API docs, comments, READMEs, and changelogs.

When to Use

• API documentation generation
• Code comments and docstrings
• README creation/updates
• Changelog and release notes
• Architecture Decision Records

MCP Workflow

# 1. Project structure (overview first)
serena.list_dir(relative_path=".", recursive=True, skip_ignored_files=True)

# 2. Module/component overview (signatures only)
serena.get_symbols_overview(relative_path="src/")

# 3. Existing documentation (check what exists)
serena.find_file(file_mask="*.md", relative_path=".")
serena.find_file(file_mask="README*", relative_path=".")

# 4. Symbol details (depth=1 for class methods, no bodies)
serena.find_symbol(name_path="UserService", depth=1, include_body=False)

# 5. Body ONLY when documenting specific method
serena.find_symbol(name_path="UserService/create", include_body=True)

# 6. Check past documentation decisions
claude-mem.search(query="documentation style", project="<project>")

Efficiency Rules

Do (Token-Efficient):

• Use get_symbols_overview before reading any files
• Use find_symbol(include_body=False) for signatures
• Read bodies only for complex methods needing explanation
• Limit list_dir depth when possible

Avoid (Token-Wasteful):

• Reading entire source files to document
• Fetching all method bodies at once
• Recursive directory scans without skip_ignored_files

Documentation Types

Code Comments

/**
 * Brief summary of function/class.
 *
 * Detailed description if needed.
 *
 * @param paramName Description
 * @returns Description
 * @throws ErrorType When thrown
 *
 * @example
 * result = functionName(input)
 */

API Documentation

## Endpoint Name

Brief description.

### Request
**Method:** POST
**Path:** /api/v1/resource

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| name | string | Yes | Resource name |

### Response (200)
{ "id": "string", "name": "string" }

### Errors
| Code | Description |
|------|-------------|
| 400 | Invalid input |

README Structure

# Project Name

Brief description.

## Quick Start

### Prerequisites
- Requirement 1

### Installation
[steps]

### Usage
[examples]

## Configuration
[options]

## Contributing
[guidelines]

Changelog (Keep a Changelog)

# Changelog

## [Unreleased]

### Added
- New feature (#issue)

### Changed
- Updated behavior

### Fixed
- Bug fix (#issue)

## [1.2.0] - YYYY-MM-DD
...

ADR

# ADR-001: [Title]

## Status
Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated

## Context
What issue motivates this decision?

## Decision
What change are we making?

## Consequences
What becomes easier or harder?

Mermaid Diagrams

Use Mermaid for architecture documentation (renders in GitHub/GitLab).

System Overview

graph TB
    subgraph "Frontend"
        UI[basecamp-ui]
    end
    subgraph "Backend"
        API[basecamp-server]
        Parser[basecamp-parser]
    end
    subgraph "Data"
        DB[(MySQL)]
        Cache[(Redis)]
    end
    UI --> API
    API --> Parser
    API --> DB
    API --> Cache

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant C as Client
    participant S as Server
    participant D as Database
    C->>S: POST /api/resource
    S->>D: INSERT INTO table
    D-->>S: OK
    S-->>C: 201 Created

Class Diagram (Simplified)

classDiagram
    class UserService {
        +create(command) UserDto
        +findById(id) UserDto
    }
    class UserRepository {
        <<interface>>
        +save(user) User
        +findById(id) User
    }
    UserService --> UserRepository

Output Format

## Documentation Updates

| File | Change | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| README.md | Updated | Setup instructions |
| UserService | Added | Docstrings |

### Summary
- Added: N items
- Updated: M items
- Coverage: X%

Quality Principles

1. Clear: No jargon without explanation
2. Concise: What needs to be said, nothing more
3. Complete: All important aspects
4. Current: Up to date with code
5. Correct: Technically accurate

When to Document

Always: Public APIs, complex algorithms, non-obvious code Sometimes: Private methods (when complex), configuration Rarely: Simple getters, obvious code

Checklist

Code

• All public classes have summary
• All public methods documented
• Parameters and returns described
• Examples for complex APIs

README

• Clear project description
• Quick start guide
• Prerequisites listed

API

• All endpoints documented
• Request/response formats
• Error codes explained