| name | documentation-maintenance |
| title | Documentation Maintenance |
| version | 1 |
| status | active |
| owners | [] |
| triggers | ["documentation","README","broken link","stale docs"] |
| prerequisites | ["repository-orientation","evidence-status-reporting"] |
| related_docs | ["docs/README.md","STATUS.md","ROADMAP.md",".agents/GOVERNANCE.md"] |
| category | Quality, release, and docs |
| conditional_skills | [] |
| implementation_gates | [] |
| related_milestones | ["M0 Reproducible Build","M8 Stable 1.0"] |
| last_verified | {"base_commit":"d21a477","date":"2026-07-16","worktree_dirty":true,"context":"base commit plus uncommitted audit and agent-system worktree"} |
| description | Use when working on documentation, README, broken link; provides the FinnOS-specific documentation maintenance workflow and evidence gates. |
Documentation Maintenance
1. Name
documentation-maintenance (Quality, release, and docs; skill maturity: operational).
2. Purpose
Keep authoritative current/future boundaries, commands, links, terminology, dates, and implementation claims synchronized.
3. When to use this skill
Use for requests mentioning documentation, README, broken link, stale docs, or when a dependency points to this skill. Load only after repository entry and before design or implementation.
4. When not to use this skill
Do not use this skill as a substitute for its adjacent subsystem skills or for evidence that the subsystem works. Do not load it only because a future FinnOS document mentions the subsystem.
5. Prerequisite skills
repository-orientation
evidence-status-reporting
Read the full prerequisite closure in topological dependency order. If one cannot be satisfied, move the task to Blocked or Deferred; do not omit the dependency.
Conditional skills:
Implementation gates are roadmap/runtime conditions, not additional documents to load automatically:
- No additional gate beyond the selected roadmap acceptance criteria.
6. Authoritative repository references
docs/README.md
STATUS.md
ROADMAP.md
.agents/GOVERNANCE.md
Re-read implementation and tests referenced by those documents. The documents establish intent/status boundaries, not runtime proof.
7. Current FinnOS context
Audit docs are current at 3539a35 plus uncommitted changes; legacy and component docs can drift from canonical root/docs architecture.
Registry verification used base commit d21a477 plus the dirty worktree context "base commit plus uncommitted audit and agent-system worktree" on 2026-07-16. This is not an integrated-revision claim. Reverify after HEAD, active PRs, or relevant source changes.
8. Required inputs
- User request or issue with desired outcome and architecture/profile scope.
- Current
git status, recent history, active related issue/PR, and selected roadmap item.
- Relevant implementation, tests, invariants, ADRs, and exact baseline output.
- Toolchain/firmware/hardware versions when behavior crosses those boundaries.
9. Expected outputs
An evidence-backed documentation maintenance result with scoped artifacts, tests, documentation, and handoff. Include acceptance evidence, residual limitations, and next dependency rather than only code.
10. Step-by-step workflow
- Choose canonical document
- Verify behavior/command from source and execution
- Use explicit state classification and scope
- Link rather than duplicate
- Run link/agent validation and update affected skills
- Run the narrow regression, then all required subsystem/repository checks.
- Update canonical docs/status and finish the agent-handoff template.
11. Repository-specific commands
python3 .agents/scripts/check_links.py
python3 .agents/scripts/validate.py --all
Run commands from the repository root. A command listed here is a baseline/gate, not evidence that absent future functionality has a runnable target.
12. Architecture considerations
State shared semantics explicitly; isolate x86-64 and ARM64 mechanisms.
State guest architecture separately from host architecture and emulator model. Maintain a parity row for changed semantics and document intentional differences.
13. Safety constraints
Preserve the boundary described by the current state: Audit docs are current at 3539a35 plus uncommitted changes; legacy and component docs can drift from canonical root/docs architecture. Apply .agents/checklists/pre-change.md; for kernel, driver, security, architecture, or UI work also apply the matching checklist.
14. Testing requirements
Make Run link/agent validation and update affected skills observable with a negative case, then run the narrow and aggregate gates. Do not permanently hard-code test counts; counts belong to dated evidence reports.
15. Documentation requirements
Update the canonical behavior/status document, relevant architecture/reference material, test/build instructions, limitations, and this skill registry if any command, gate, or current-context statement changes.
16. Review checklist
17. Completion criteria
18. Common failure modes
- Starting from an audit statement instead of re-reading changed source and tests.
- Using a successful compile or marker as evidence for a broader subsystem claim.
- Ignoring this skill's current constraint: Audit docs are current at 3539a35 plus uncommitted changes; legacy and component docs can drift from canonical root/docs architecture.
- Changing shared policy while testing only one architecture or one happy path.
- Losing the exact failing artifact/log by rebuilding before capture.
19. Forbidden shortcuts
- Do not weaken, delete, reorder, or broaden validators merely to make a test pass.
- Do not claim ARM64, physical hardware, userspace, Peony, security, or release support without its own acceptance evidence.
- Do not bypass a named prerequisite by embedding a temporary incompatible abstraction.
- Do not commit target/, build/out/, firmware, credentials, local paths, or unreviewed generated output.
- Do not disregard the roadmap/status gate: Do not use this skill as a substitute for its adjacent subsystem skills or for evidence that the subsystem works.
20. Handoff requirements
Use .agents/templates/handoff-template.md. Include objective, starting/final Git state, task state, skills used, files, exact commands/results, evidence classification, docs/status changes, unknowns, blockers, risks, next action, and next skills. Distinguish locally verified worktree changes from integrated behavior.
21. Examples
Request: "Work on documentation." Correct response: begin by choose canonical document, then verify behavior/command from source and execution, and require evidence for run link/agent validation and update affected skills before changing status. Incorrect response: create a plausible subsystem scaffold and mark the roadmap item complete because it compiles.
22. Skill maintenance notes
Canonical source: .agents/scripts/skill_registry.py. Increment version for material policy/workflow/gate changes, update last_verified only after reinspection, run python3 .agents/scripts/render_skills.py, review generated diffs, then run python3 .agents/scripts/validate.py --all. Follow .agents/GOVERNANCE.md; never hand-edit generated skills.