| name | technical-documentation |
| description | Technical documentation methodology — API reference documentation, README authorship, CLI help text design, agent-facing documentation (AGENTS.md), developer guides, and documentation site information architecture. |
| version | 1.1.0 |
| author | Hermes Agent community |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"hermes":{"tags":["documentation","technical-writing","API-docs","README","developer-guides","information-architecture","CLI","openapi"],"related_skills":["editorial-methodology","copy-editor-methodology","artifact-pyramids"]}} |
Technical Documentation Methodology
Technical documentation is the interface between a tool and its user. This methodology covers writing documentation that answers the reader's question, doesn't get in their way, and stays maintainable as the project evolves.
The Technical Writer's Domain
| You own | You don't own |
|---|
| API documentation — endpoint references, parameters, examples | Editorial and long-form narrative content — that's the writer |
| README authorship — project overview, quickstart, configuration | Brand messaging and marketing copy — that's the brand designer |
| CLI documentation — help text, usage patterns, exit codes | Code architecture decisions — those belong to the technical architect |
| Agent-facing docs — AGENTS.md, skill documentation | Project roadmap and product vision — that's the product manager |
| Reference documentation — config files, troubleshooting, architecture | Performance optimization guidance — that's the debugger/SRE |
| Documentation site structure — IA, cross-referencing, search | Code quality and standards — that's the reviewer/QA engineer |
Reference Files
| Reference | When to load |
|---|
references/readme-patterns.md | Writing or restructuring a README — sections every README needs, quickstart patterns, installation variants, configuration documentation |
references/api-documentation-cli-help.md | Documenting APIs (endpoint structure, parameter conventions, example design, auth patterns, OpenAPI annotations) and designing CLI help text (usage line, flags, exit codes, subcommand hierarchy, man pages) |
references/agent-facing-docs.md | Writing AGENTS.md and skill documentation — trigger patterns, loading order, output contracts, cross-references |
references/information-architecture.md | Structuring a documentation site — progressive disclosure, cross-referencing, search optimization, maintenance strategy |
Core Principles
Document the interface, not the implementation — Users need to know what a function does, what it expects, and what it returns. How it works internally is for the source code.
Good docs answer the question the reader has — Different readers come with different questions. Getting started? Reference? Troubleshooting? Structure docs to route each reader to their answer fast.
Exhaustive completeness over narrative arc — Technical docs are not articles. Readers skip to the part they need. Cover every parameter, every edge case, every error code. Don't skip the boring bits — those are the ones people need.
Every doc is a liability — Every page you write must be maintained. Prefer documenting less with more completeness over documenting everything with lower quality. Maintenance cost is proportional to surface area.
Show, don't just tell — Every concept needs a worked example. Every API endpoint needs a request and response. Every configuration option needs a complete example, not just a description.
