| name | canonicalize-doc |
| description | Create or sync a canonical English / Japanese translation pair for a specified README, SKILL, or similar Markdown document. Detects the existing file (canonical, translation, or both), confirms the source file and direction with the user via AskUserQuestion, and produces the missing side or syncs both sides while preserving repo conventions (frontmatter rules for SKILL files, sync-note headers for translations, cross-reference links). |
Canonicalize Doc
This skill produces or synchronizes a paired English (canonical) / Japanese (translation) Markdown document set, following the conventions used in this repository.
A Japanese reference translation of this skill is available at SKILL.ja.md in the same directory (not loaded as a skill; for human reference only).
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- A Japanese-only Markdown doc exists and you need to produce the English canonical version (the typical case in this repo, where English is canonical).
- An English-only Markdown doc exists and you need to produce its Japanese translation.
- Both versions exist but have drifted apart and need to be synchronized.
Supported document types:
- Claude Code skill files:
SKILL.md / SKILL.ja.md (under .claude/skills/<name>/)
- READMEs:
README.md / README.ja.md (co-located in the same directory, e.g. docker/server/)
- Generic Markdown docs with the
*.ja.md suffix convention (co-located).
docs/** documents using the parallel directory convention (docs/**/foo.md and docs/ja/**/foo.ja.md).
First Step: Confirm Input
This skill MUST call AskUserQuestion immediately after invocation to confirm:
- Source file path — the file the user is pointing at (canonical or translation).
- Direction — what to produce:
canonical-from-translation: translate the Japanese into English and create the canonical file.translation-from-canonical: translate the English into Japanese and create the translation file.sync-both: both files exist; reconcile differences and rewrite the side that should be updated.
Procedure:
- If the user supplied a file path in skill arguments or the most recent message, include it as a candidate.
- Inspect the surrounding directory to detect the counterpart file (if any) and the convention being used (co-located
*.ja.md vs docs/ja/** parallel tree).
- Call
AskUserQuestion with:
- Question 1: "Confirm the source file path." (include the detected candidate)
- Question 2: "Which direction? (canonical-from-translation / translation-from-canonical / sync-both)" — include the recommended option based on what files already exist.
- If
sync-both, also ask: "Which side is the source of truth for this sync?"
Do NOT read or write any files for translation until the source path and direction are confirmed.
Repo Conventions
Apply these rules when producing each side of the pair.
Language
- English is canonical. The English file is the source of truth.
- Japanese is a translation. It must be kept in sync with the canonical English version.
SKILL files (.claude/skills/<name>/)
SKILL.md (canonical, English):
- MUST include YAML frontmatter with
name and description fields.
description should be in English and written to maximize skill-selection accuracy.- Include a one-line pointer near the top:
A Japanese reference translation of this skill is available at SKILL.ja.md in the same directory (not loaded as a skill; for human reference only).
SKILL.ja.md (translation, Japanese):
- MUST NOT include YAML frontmatter (frontmatter would risk being misinterpreted by tooling; only
SKILL.md is loaded as a skill, but keeping it absent removes any ambiguity).
- MUST begin with a blockquote header in Japanese stating that it is a translation, that direct edits are forbidden, and that updates flow from
SKILL.md.
README and generic docs
README.md / README.ja.md (co-located in the same directory):
- No frontmatter requirements.
- The translation file should begin with a short note that it is a translation of the canonical file.
- The canonical file may optionally link to the translation (
See [README.ja.md](README.ja.md) for the Japanese version.).
docs/** parallel-tree docs
- Canonical:
docs/<path>/<name>.md
- Translation:
docs/ja/<path>/<name>.ja.md
- Keep section structure, headings, and link targets 1:1 between the two files.
AI Modification Scope
Per the "Exception: Skill Execution" clause in AGENTS.md, the normal AI Modification Scope restrictions are relaxed during this skill's execution, scoped to the specific document pair the user confirmed in the first step.
Paths that may be modified:
- The confirmed source file.
- Its counterpart file (created or rewritten).
- Nothing else.
The following remain protected even during skill execution:
AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md- Generated files (
**/*.gen.go, *.sql.go, *_mock.go, **/openapi.gen.yaml, generated content under docs/)
- Any path listed under
permissions.deny in .claude/settings.json
Execution Steps
1. Read the source
Read the confirmed source file in full. If the direction is sync-both, read both files.
2. Determine the output path
canonical-from-translation:
foo.ja.md → foo.md in the same directory.docs/ja/<path>/<name>.ja.md → docs/<path>/<name>.md.
translation-from-canonical:
foo.md → foo.ja.md in the same directory.docs/<path>/<name>.md → docs/ja/<path>/<name>.ja.md.
sync-both:
- Rewrite the non-source-of-truth side.
3. Translate (or sync)
- Preserve heading structure, list nesting, code blocks, and link targets exactly.
- Translate prose, comments within code blocks (only if originally translated), and inline text.
- Do NOT translate: identifiers, file paths, command invocations, code samples (unless they contain natural-language strings that were originally translated).
- For SKILL files, also apply the frontmatter and sync-note rules described in "Repo Conventions" above.
4. Write the output
- Write the produced file to its target path.
- If both files exist and the user chose
sync-both, write only to the non-source-of-truth side.
5. Add cross-references
- If creating a
SKILL.md, ensure it contains the one-line pointer to SKILL.ja.md.
- If creating a
SKILL.ja.md, ensure the leading blockquote sync note is present.
- For README pairs, add the link from canonical to translation only if requested.
6. Verify
- Diff section counts and heading text between the two files; they should match 1:1.
- Confirm code blocks are byte-identical (except where prose was translated inside them).
- Report any sections that could not be cleanly mapped and ask the user how to resolve them.
7. Verify with Markdown Lint
After writing the produced file (and the synced side in sync-both mode), run:
make md-fix
make md-lint
make md-fix runs markdownlint-cli2 --fix on the entire repository to auto-fix common issues (blank-line placement around headings / lists / code blocks, trailing whitespace, file-final newline, etc.). make md-lint then verifies that the result is clean against .markdownlint.yaml.
If make md-lint reports remaining errors:
- Read the lint output.
- Fix the violations manually (rules that auto-fix cannot resolve, e.g., heading hierarchy, duplicate headings, bare URLs).
- Re-run
make md-fix then make md-lint until clean.
Do NOT report the skill as complete until make md-lint exits cleanly.
make md-fix operates on the entire repository, so it may modify Markdown files unrelated to the confirmed pair. List any such files when reporting completion so the user can review the broader change set.
Checklist
Confirm the following before reporting completion:
Notes
- Do NOT modify files outside the confirmed document pair.
- Do NOT translate identifiers, file paths, commands, or other technical tokens.
- When translating to Japanese, follow AGENTS.md's "Output Language" rule (Japanese for human-visible prose); when translating to English, prefer concise, declarative wording suitable for AI skill descriptions.
- If the user asks for a doc type not listed in "Supported document types", confirm the intended naming convention before proceeding.
