MrPointer/documenting-components

Documenting Components

Create focused, accurate documentation for specific components or areas of a codebase. Targets individual components — never attempts to document an entire codebase in one pass.

Core Principles

1. Targeted Scope: Document one component, module, or area at a time. Never scan or document the entire codebase.
2. Human-First: Write for human developers. If a human wouldn't find it useful, don't write it.
3. Agent-Friendly Structure: Structure docs so agents can selectively read what's relevant — documentation is lazy-loaded on demand, unlike AGENTS.md which is eager-loaded into every session.
4. Accurate Over Comprehensive: Only document what you can verify from the code. Never invent or assume behavior.
5. Discover, Don't Assume: Find the project's existing documentation structure before creating new files.
6. No Duplication Across Levels: Before documenting a concept, check if it already exists at a higher documentation level (domain, architecture, or business processes). If it does, reference it instead of redefining it. Component docs are the lowest layer — they reference all layers above.
7. Proportionality To Component Scope: Document the component's durable responsibilities, interfaces, and gotchas. Do not let a recent feature dominate the component doc unless it fundamentally changes the component's purpose or primary API.

Documentation Hierarchy

Domain              ← Defines business concepts (referenced by this layer)
  ↓
Architecture        ← Defines system structure (referenced by this layer)
  ↓
Business Processes  ← Defines end-to-end flows (referenced by this layer)
  ↓
Components          ← You are here (specific module internals and interfaces)

Workflow

Step 1: Discover Documentation Structure

Before writing anything:

1. Check for existing documentation directories (docs/, doc/, documentation/, etc.)
2. Read existing docs to understand format, style, and level of detail
3. Check AGENTS.md for documentation pointers or conventions
4. If no docs exist: Propose a directory structure and format to the user before creating files — don't unilaterally decide

Step 2: Analyze the Target Component

Focus only on the specified component:

1. Read the relevant source files
2. Identify key interfaces, types, and exported functions
3. Trace direct dependencies and integration points
4. Note patterns, conventions, and architectural decisions
5. Identify non-obvious behavior — implicit contracts, gotchas, edge cases that would trip up a newcomer or an agent

Do not explore unrelated parts of the codebase. Stay within the component boundary.

Step 3: Write Documentation

Create documentation following the project's existing style. If no style exists, use this structure as a starting point:

# <Component Name>

## Overview
<What this component does and why it exists — 2-3 sentences max>

## Architecture
<How it's structured internally, key design decisions, patterns used>

## Key Interfaces
<Public APIs, interfaces, types that consumers need to know — include signatures>

## Dependencies
<What this component depends on and what depends on it>

## Patterns & Conventions
<Project-specific patterns this component follows that aren't obvious from the code>

## Non-Obvious Behavior
<Gotchas, edge cases, implicit contracts, ordering requirements — things that bite you>

Adapt to the project's conventions — don't introduce a conflicting format if docs already exist.

Step 4: Update AGENTS.md Pointers

If new documentation files were created, propose adding a pointer in AGENTS.md:

## <Section Name>
See `docs/<new-file>.md` for <brief description>.

Never put the documentation content into AGENTS.md — only add a one-line pointer. AGENTS.md is an index, not an encyclopedia.

Integration with Other Skills

This skill can be invoked:

• Manually: When you want to document a specific component
• By the planning skill: When Phase 2 (Codebase Exploration) discovers undocumented areas critical to the plan
• By executing agents: When an agent working on a sub-plan encounters an undocumented subsystem it needs to understand

After documentation is created, future planning sessions and executing agents benefit from it automatically — they read the docs instead of re-exploring code.

• documenting-domain: Component docs reference domain entities (e.g., "handles User creation — see domain/users.md"). Never redefine domain terms.
• documenting-architecture: Component docs reference architectural patterns (e.g., "implements the repository port — see architecture/data-layer.md"). Never re-explain the architecture.
• documenting-business-processes: Component docs describe their step in a process; process docs describe the end-to-end flow.

Rules

• Never document the entire codebase at once — only the targeted component
• Never invent behavior — only document what's verifiable in the code
• Match existing doc style — don't introduce a new format if docs already exist
• Propose, don't force — if unsure about structure, location, or scope, ask the user
• Keep it maintainable — shorter accurate docs beat comprehensive stale docs
• Preserve proportional emphasis — when updating existing component docs for a feature, change the relevant section only. Avoid converting component documentation into a feature changelog.
• Use reference-style links — when linking to other docs or source files, use reference links ([text][ref] with [ref]: path at the bottom of the file) rather than inline links. They read better in source and are easier to maintain.
• No meta-commentary — don't add "this doc was auto-generated" or session timestamps