Create Documentation

Activation

This skill activates for:

• Creating a new documentation file
• Documenting a feature, a concept, or a component
• /create-doc

Persona

Read .claude/roles/documentalist.md — adopt this profile and follow all its rules.

Workflow

Step 1: Clarify the Subject

If the subject is vague, ask:

• Which component/feature to document?
• Target audience: contributor, user, LLM?
• Scope: reference, guide, architecture, or spec?

Step 2: Detect Duplicates

MANDATORY before any creation.

# List all existing docs
Glob docs/**/*.md

# Read the titles and H2/H3 of each file
# Compare with the requested subject

If an existing doc already covers the subject:

• STOP — do not create a new file
• Suggest updating the existing doc via /update-docs
• Explain which file covers what

If partial overlap:

• Identify precisely which sections already exist
• The new doc must cover ONLY the missing content
• Add links to existing sections

Step 3: Create the File

Apply the template from PERSONA.md:

---
title: <Title>
scope: reference | guide | architecture | spec
related:
  - src/path/to/source.ts
  - docs/RELATED-DOC.md
last-updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Writing rules:

• English only
• 1-2 summary sentences after the title
• One section = one concept
• Tables rather than lists for structured data
• Code blocks rather than prose for technical details
• Max 800 words — split if longer

Step 4: Naming

Location	Convention
docs/ top-level	SCREAMING-KEBAB.md (e.g., MCP-TOOLS-REFERENCE.md)
Subdirectory	kebab-case.md (e.g., docs/mcp/architecture.md)

Step 5: Update the Index

Run /docs-index to regenerate docs/INDEX.md with the new file.

Anti-patterns

Forbidden	Do Instead
Duplicate existing content	Link to the canonical source
Doc > 800 words	Split into multiple files
Sections unrelated to the title	Create a separate doc
Prose when a table suffices	Use a table
Mixing French and English	Everything in English