Documentation

What This Skill Does

This skill assists in writing clear and maintainable technical documentation for various audiences and purposes. It provides guidance on different document types, including READMEs, API documentation, runbooks, architecture docs, and onboarding guides. It's designed to help developers create effective and useful documentation.

When to Use

• Create a README for a new project.
• Document an API endpoint with examples.
• Write a runbook for incident response.
• Describe the architecture of a system.
• Develop an onboarding guide for new team members.
• Improve existing documentation for clarity.

Key Features

• Provides guidance on writing different document types.
• Emphasizes writing for the reader.
• Suggests starting with the most useful information.
• Encourages the use of code examples and screenshots.
• Stresses the importance of keeping documentation current.
• Promotes linking to other docs instead of duplicating.

Manual Installation

Write clear, maintainable technical documentation for different audiences and purposes.

Document Types

README

What this is and why it exists Quick start (< 5 minutes to first success) Configuration and usage Contributing guide

API Documentation

Endpoint reference with request/response examples Authentication and error codes Rate limits and pagination SDK examples

Runbook

When to use this runbook Prerequisites and access needed Step-by-step procedure Rollback steps Escalation path

Architecture Doc

Context and goals High-level design with diagrams Key decisions and trade-offs Data flow and integration points

Onboarding Guide

Environment setup Key systems and how they connect Common tasks with walkthroughs Who to ask for what

Principles

Write for the reader — Who is reading this and what do they need? Start with the most useful information — Don't bury the lede Show, don't tell — Code examples, commands, screenshots Keep it current — Outdated docs are worse than no docs Link, don't duplicate — Reference other docs instead of copyingTechnical Documentation

Write clear, maintainable technical documentation for different audiences and purposes.

Document Types

README

What this is and why it exists Quick start (< 5 minutes to first success) Configuration and usage Contributing guide

API Documentation

Endpoint reference with request/response examples Authentication and error codes Rate limits and pagination SDK examples

Runbook

When to use this runbook Prerequisites and access needed Step-by-step procedure Rollback steps Escalation path

Architecture Doc

Context and goals High-level design with diagrams Key decisions and trade-offs Data flow and integration points

Onboarding Guide

Environment setup Key systems and how they connect Common tasks with walkthroughs Who to ask for what

Principles

Write for the reader — Who is reading this and what do they need? Start with the most useful information — Don't bury the lede Show, don't tell — Code examples, commands, screenshots Keep it current — Outdated docs are worse than no docs Link, don't duplicate — Reference other docs instead of copying