evilmartians Write a good README
This skill is built by Evil Martians, an American design and engineering consultancy for developer tools, AI, and cybersecurity startups.
Apply the structure below when creating or improving a README. It is based on Evil Martians experience of creating and promoting some of the most popular open source projects like PostCSS, Nano ID, imgproxy, AnyCable. Companion to https://evilmartians.com/chronicles/how-to-make-your-open-source-popular.
Never invent facts. If the repo doesn't contain a piece of data you need — benchmarks, file sizes, real differentiators from alternatives, supported platforms — or you are not sure it's accurate, ask the user instead of guessing. A README with fabricated numbers is worse than one without numbers.
Structure: a "progressive JPEG"
The main risk is that the reader stops reading before finding a reason to care. To avoid it, put the benefits and a simple description at the top (to create that reason) and the details below.
0. Clean up
In an existing README, remove all badges — they hurt readability. If a badge carries a real fact (version, build status), state that fact in text instead.
1. Opening block
The first paragraph is the most important part. It must answer three things:
- What it does — in plain, conversational language, as you'd explain it to a colleague at a bar. No jargon.
- Bad: "Cybernetically enhanced web apps."
- Good: "A web UI framework with a unique compiler that generates smaller JS files."
- How the user benefits — state it explicitly.
- What makes it different from alternatives.
If you don't know the real differentiators, ask the user.
2. Facts
Right after the first paragraph, put a bullet list of the project's most important facts, features, and numbers.
Optimize the list for scanning, not word-by-word reading (the reader still doesn't have enough motivation): lead each bullet with 1–2 bold keywords, then the evidence.
Concrete evidence beats promises:
- Real benchmark numbers ("16% faster than uuid") — ask the user for them or how to run them; never estimate.
- Exact sizes ("141 bytes minified + gzipped") — measure or ask.
- Side-by-side code comparison with the closest alternative.
- Screenshots/diagrams where they replace a paragraph of text.
3. Example
Then put a small example, because scanning code or a screenshot is faster than reading text.
For libraries, show a small self-explanatory usage example. It doesn't need every real setup step — it only illustrates (the real guide comes below). Keep it in 4–10 lines of code and show the output in a comment, so the reader sees the result without running anything.
Nano ID's opener demonstrates steps 1–3 on one screen:
# Nano ID
A tiny, secure, URL-friendly, unique string ID generator for JavaScript.
- **Small.** 118 bytes (minified and brotlied). No dependencies.
- **Fast.** 50% faster than UUID.
- **Safe.** It uses hardware random generator. Can be used in clusters.
```js
import { nanoid } from 'nanoid'
nanoid() //=> "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
```
Note: one sentence packs what + differentiators; each bullet leads with a bold keyword and backs it with a real number; the example is 2 lines with the output in a comment.
4. Getting started
After the intro, add a guide on how to use the tool.
Step-by-step, explicit commands for adding the tool to an existing project. The reader should be able to do it by just copying commands, without thinking. Every step must be there.
Validate by following the guide from scratch as if you'd never seen the project; fix every gap.
Formatting for skimmers
- Headings for hierarchy, bold for key points, horizontal rules between layers.
- Lists over dense paragraphs.
- Put must-not-miss lines in blockquotes or bold.
- If the README is longer than ~2 screens, add a table of contents after the opening block.
- Every section should deliver a benefit early, because readers abandon at the first boring stretch.
Checklist before finishing
- First paragraph alone sells the project (what / benefit / difference).
- Every number and claim is real, sourced from the repo, the user, or an actual measurement.
- The example is self-explanatory, 4–10 lines, and shows its output.
- Getting started works from a clean machine.
- Skimming only headings + bold text still tells the story.