thermiteau/skills/do-docs

Depends on: do-tech-docs, mav-scope-boundaries

Documentation Workflow

Create, restructure, or update technical documentation. Operates in three modes depending on the current state of the project's documentation.

Preflight (mandatory)

Run this first. If it exits non-zero, halt and report the stderr output to the user verbatim. Do not proceed.

uv run maverick preflight do-docs

The check verifies the project is initialised and uv is on PATH.

Task Detection

If `` specifies a mode (greenfield, refactor, or update), use it. Otherwise auto-detect:

digraph detect {
    "Check docs/ exists" [shape=diamond];
    "Greenfield" [shape=box];
    "Audit compliance" [shape=diamond];
    "Refactor" [shape=box];
    "Update" [shape=box];

    "Check docs/ exists" -> "Greenfield" [label="no docs/"];
    "Check docs/ exists" -> "Audit compliance" [label="docs/ exists"];
    "Audit compliance" -> "Refactor" [label="non-compliant or gaps"];
    "Audit compliance" -> "Update" [label="compliant"];
}

1. If docs/ does not exist or contains no technical documentation -> Greenfield
2. If docs/ exists, audit against do-tech-docs standards. If documents are non-compliant or significant gaps exist -> Refactor
3. If documentation is compliant and the task is scoped to recent changes -> Update

Greenfield Mode

Start from scratch for an undocumented project.

0. Detect Repository Type

Determine whether the project is a mono-repo or single-repo per the do-tech-docs skill (mono-repo indicators: workspaces in package.json, pnpm-workspace.yaml, lerna.json, Cargo.toml with [workspace], go.work, multiple pyproject.toml files, nx.json, rush.json). This controls documentation placement.

1. Explore the Codebase

• Use Glob, Grep, Read, and subagents to map the project structure
• Examine dependency files to understand the technology stack
• Review configuration and infrastructure files for deployment context
• Read test files to understand expected behaviours and edge cases

2. Identify Documentable Areas

Enumerate all components, services, subsystems, and cross-cutting concerns. Prioritise:

1. Architecture overview (always first)
2. Core services and data flows
3. Integration points and external dependencies
4. Design decisions and technology choices
5. Package-specific internals (mono-repo only)

3. Write Documentation

For each identified area, write documentation following the do-tech-docs skill standards (document structure, writing style, token budget, Mermaid diagrams).

4. Create Index

Create docs/technical/index.md listing all documents with one-line descriptions. For mono-repos, also create <package>/docs/index.md for each documented package.

5. Validate

Run the do-tech-docs validation checklist against every document produced.

6. Record the Milestone

Once docs have been written and validated, record that tech-docs scaffolding has run on this project:

uv run maverick integration set tech_docs_scaffolded true

This commits the milestone into .maverick/config.json. Skip this step in update mode (which is incremental and does not represent a scaffolding milestone) — only greenfield and refactor modes flip this flag.

Refactor Mode

Bring existing non-compliant documentation up to standard.

0. Detect Repository Type

Same as Greenfield step 0.

1. Explore the Codebase

Same as Greenfield step 1.

2. Audit Existing Documentation

Check all documentation locations based on repository type:

• Single-repo: docs/technical/ and docs/product/
• Mono-repo: Root docs/technical/, root docs/product/, and <package>/docs/ for every package

Read every existing document. For mono-repos, flag product/business docs found inside <package>/docs/ — these should move to root docs/product/.

Classify each document:

| Status | Action | | --- | --- | | Compliant and accurate | Leave unchanged | | Accurate but non-compliant | Rewrite to match do-tech-docs structure and standards | | Outdated or inaccurate | Update with verified information from current codebase | | Redundant or overlapping | Consolidate into a single document |

Identify gaps — areas of the codebase with no documentation coverage.

3. Execute Changes

• Rewrite non-compliant documents to match do-tech-docs standards
• Update outdated documents with verified information
• Consolidate redundant documents
• Write new documents for identified gaps

4. Update Index

Update or create docs/technical/index.md (and package-level indexes for mono-repos).

5. Validate

Run the do-tech-docs validation checklist against every document changed or created.

6. Record the Milestone

Refactor mode produces a compliant docs scaffold, so set the flag:

uv run maverick integration set tech_docs_scaffolded true

Update Mode

Incrementally update documentation after code changes. This is the narrowest mode — only touch what the diff affects.

1. Identify Scope

Accept a diff or changed file list. Determine which existing documents are affected by the changes:

• Changed or added public APIs, components, services, or configuration
• Altered data flows, integration points, or architectural patterns
• Modified feature behaviour described in existing docs

2. Update Affected Documents

• Update only the sections affected by the changes
• Create new documents only for entirely new components or subsystems that have no existing coverage
• Do not rewrite unrelated sections

3. Update Index

Update docs/technical/index.md only if new documents were created.

4. Validate

Run the do-tech-docs validation checklist against every document changed or created.

Rules

• Defer to the do-tech-docs skill for all documentation standards (structure, writing style, file organisation, diagrams, validation)
• Follow the mav-scope-boundaries skill at all times
• In update mode, scope narrowly to the diff — do not refactor surrounding documentation
• Verify every factual claim against the source code before writing it

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