| name | recipe-update-doc |
| description | Update existing design documents (Design Doc / PRD / ADR) with review and consistency verification. |
Required Skills [LOAD BEFORE EXECUTION]
- [LOAD IF NOT ACTIVE]
documentation-criteria — document creation rules and templates
- [LOAD IF NOT ACTIVE]
subagents-orchestration-guide — agent coordination and workflow flows
- [LOAD IF NOT ACTIVE]
llm-friendly-context — clear prompts, handoffs, and generated artifacts
Spawn rule: every spawn_agent call uses fork_turns="none" so the subagent receives only the task message and explicitly provided context.
Context: Dedicated to updating existing design documents.
Orchestrator Definition
Core Identity: "I am not a worker. I am an orchestrator." (see subagents-orchestration-guide skill)
First Action: Register Steps 1-6 before any execution.
Execution Protocol:
- Spawn agents for all work -- your role is to invoke sub-agents, pass data between them, and report results
- Execute update flow:
- Identify target -> Clarify changes -> Update document -> Review -> Consistency check
- [STOP — BLOCKING] At every
[Stop: ...] marker -> Present status to user for confirmation. CANNOT proceed until user explicitly confirms.
- Scope: Complete when updated document receives approval
CRITICAL: MUST execute document-reviewer and all stopping points -- each serves as a quality gate for document accuracy.
ENFORCEMENT: Skipping document-reviewer risks propagating inconsistencies to downstream workflows.
Workflow Overview
Target document -> [Stop: Confirm changes]
|
technical-designer / technical-designer-frontend / prd-creator (update mode)
| (Design Doc only)
code-verifier -> document-reviewer -> [Stop: Review approval]
| (Design Doc only)
design-sync -> [Stop: Final approval]
Scope Boundaries
Included in this skill:
- Existing document identification and selection
- Change content clarification with user
- Document update with appropriate agent (update mode)
- Document review with document-reviewer
- Consistency verification with design-sync (Design Doc only)
Out of scope (redirect to appropriate skills):
- New requirement analysis -> $recipe-design
- Work planning or implementation -> $recipe-plan or $recipe-task
Responsibility Boundary: This skill completes with updated document approval.
Target document: $ARGUMENTS
Execution Flow
Step 1: Target Document Identification
Check for existing documents in docs/design/, docs/prd/, docs/adr/.
Decision flow:
| Situation | Action |
|---|
| $ARGUMENTS specifies a path | Use specified document |
| $ARGUMENTS describes a topic | Search documents matching the topic |
| Multiple candidates found | Present options to user |
| No documents found | Report and end (suggest $recipe-design instead) |
Step 2: Document Type and Layer Determination
Determine type from document path, then determine the layer to select the correct update agent:
| Path Pattern | Type | Update Agent | Notes |
|---|
docs/design/*.md | Design Doc | technical-designer or technical-designer-frontend | See layer detection below |
docs/prd/*.md | PRD | prd-creator | - |
docs/adr/*.md | ADR | technical-designer or technical-designer-frontend | See layer detection below |
Layer detection (for Design Doc and ADR):
Read the document and determine its layer from content signals:
- Frontend (-> technical-designer-frontend): Document title/scope mentions React, components, UI, frontend; or file contains component hierarchy, state management, UI interactions
- Backend (-> technical-designer): All other cases (API, data layer, business logic, infrastructure)
ADR Update Guidance:
- Minor changes (clarification, typo fix, small scope adjustment): Update the existing ADR file
- Major changes (decision reversal, significant scope change): Create a new ADR that supersedes the original
Step 3: Change Content Clarification [Stop]
[STOP — BLOCKING] Present change summary to user for confirmation.
CANNOT proceed until user explicitly confirms.
Ask the user to clarify what changes are needed:
- What sections need updating
- Reason for the change (bug fix findings, spec change, review feedback, etc.)
- Expected outcome after the update
Confirm understanding of changes with user before proceeding.
Step 4: Document Update
Spawn [Update Agent from Step 2] agent: "Operation Mode: update. Existing Document: [path from Step 1]. Changes Required: [Changes clarified in Step 3]. Update the document to reflect the specified changes. Add change history entry."
Step 5: Document Review [Stop]
For Design Doc updates, first verify the updated document against code:
Spawn code-verifier agent: "Verify the updated Design Doc against current code. doc_type: design-doc. document_path: [path from Step 1]. verbose: false. Focus especially on literal identifier referential integrity for concrete paths, endpoints, type names, config keys, and other exact identifiers changed in this update."
Store output as: $CODE_VERIFICATION_OUTPUT
For Design Doc updates:
Spawn document-reviewer agent: "Review the following updated document. doc_type: DesignDoc. target: [path from Step 1]. mode: composite. code_verification: $CODE_VERIFICATION_OUTPUT. Focus on: Consistency of updated sections with rest of document, no contradictions introduced by changes, completeness of change history."
For PRD or ADR updates:
Spawn document-reviewer agent: "Review the following updated document. doc_type: [PRD or ADR]. target: [path from Step 1]. mode: composite. Focus on: Consistency of updated sections with rest of document, no contradictions introduced by changes, completeness of change history."
Store output as: $STEP_5_OUTPUT
[STOP — BLOCKING] Present review results to user for approval.
CANNOT proceed until user explicitly confirms.
On review result:
- Approved -> Proceed to Step 6
- Needs revision -> Return to Step 4 with review feedback (max 2 iterations):
Spawn [Update Agent from Step 2] agent: "Operation Mode: update. Existing Document: [path from Step 1]. Review Feedback to Address: $STEP_5_OUTPUT. Address each issue raised in the review feedback."
- After 2 rejections -> Flag for human review, present accumulated feedback to user and end
Present review result to user for approval.
Step 6: Consistency Verification (Design Doc only) [Stop]
[STOP — BLOCKING] Present consistency verification results to user for final approval.
CANNOT proceed until user explicitly confirms.
Skip condition: Document type is PRD or ADR -> Proceed to completion.
For Design Doc, spawn design-sync agent: "Verify consistency of the updated Design Doc with other design documents. Updated document: [path from Step 1]"
On consistency result:
- No conflicts -> Present result to user for final approval
- Conflicts detected -> Present conflicts to user:
- A: Return to Step 4 to resolve conflicts in this document
- B: End and address conflicts separately
Error Handling
| Error | Action |
|---|
| Target document not found | Report and end (suggest $recipe-design instead) |
| Sub-agent update fails | Log failure, present error to user, retry once |
| Review rejects after 2 revisions | Stop loop, flag for human intervention |
| design-sync detects conflicts | Present to user for resolution decision |
Completion Criteria
Output Example
Document update completed.
- Updated document: docs/design/[document-name].md
- Approval status: User approved