documentation
anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
Write and maintain technical documentation for APIs, READMEs, runbooks, and architecture guides.
What is documentation?
Generates clear, maintainable technical documentation tailored to different audiences and purposes. Use it when you need to create or improve API docs, README files, runbooks, architecture documentation, or onboarding guides.
- Create README files with quick starts, configuration, and contribution guidelines
- Write API documentation with endpoint references, authentication, error codes, and SDK examples
- Generate runbooks with step-by-step procedures, prerequisites, rollback steps, and escalation paths
- Produce architecture documentation with design decisions, data flow, and integration points
- Build onboarding guides covering environment setup, key systems, and common tasks
How to install documentation
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill documentationHow to use documentation
- 1.Trigger the skill with phrases like 'write docs for', 'document this', 'create a README', 'write a runbook', or 'onboarding guide'
- 2.Specify the document type you need (README, API docs, runbook, architecture doc, or onboarding guide)
- 3.Provide context about what you're documenting (code, system, process)
- 4.Review the generated documentation and customize for your specific audience and requirements
Use cases
- Document a new API with endpoints, request/response examples, and authentication details
- Create a README for a GitHub project with quick start and usage instructions
- Write a runbook for incident response or operational procedures
- Document system architecture with diagrams and design trade-offs
- Build an onboarding guide for new team members joining a project
- Software engineers documenting their code and APIs
- DevOps and SRE teams writing runbooks and operational guides
- Technical leads creating architecture documentation
- Project maintainers building README and contributor guides
- Teams onboarding new members
documentation FAQ
README files, API documentation, runbooks, architecture docs, and onboarding guides. Each type has a specific structure optimized for its audience.
Yes. The skill includes code examples and commands as part of API docs and runbooks to show rather than just tell.
The skill asks who the reader is and tailors content accordingly—e.g., API docs for developers, runbooks for operators, onboarding guides for new team members.
The skill can reference diagrams in architecture documentation, but you may need to create visual diagrams separately using tools like Mermaid or draw.io.
The skill emphasizes the principle of keeping docs current. Use it to refresh existing documentation when code or processes change.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins.
name: documentation description: Write and maintain technical documentation. Trigger with "write docs for", "document this", "create a README", "write a runbook", "onboarding guide", or when the user needs help with any form of technical writing — API docs, architecture docs, or operational runbooks.
Technical 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
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