When to Use
Load this skill when creating or editing documentation that people need to understand quickly, retain, or use during review.
Use it especially for:
- PR descriptions and review notes.
- Contributor or maintainer guides.
- Architecture, workflow, or onboarding docs.
- Any doc that currently feels long, dense, or hard to scan.
Critical Patterns
| Pattern |
Rule |
| Lead with the answer |
Put the decision, action, or outcome first. Context comes after. |
| Progressive disclosure |
Start with the happy path, then add details, edge cases, and references. |
| Chunking |
Group related information into small sections. Keep flat lists short. |
| Signposting |
Use headings, labels, callouts, and summaries so readers know where they are. |
| Recognition over recall |
Prefer tables, checklists, examples, and templates over prose that must be remembered. |
| Review empathy |
Design docs so reviewers can verify intent without reconstructing the whole story. |
Documentation Shape
Use this default structure unless the repo already provides a stronger template:
# <Outcome-oriented title>
<One paragraph: what changed, who it helps, and why it matters.>
## Quick path
1. <First action>
2. <Second action>
3. <Verification or expected result>
## Details
| Topic | Decision |
|-------|----------|
| <area> | <concise explanation> |
## Checklist
- [ ] <Reader can confirm this>
- [ ] <Reader can confirm that>
## Next step
<Link or action that continues the workflow.>
PR and Review Docs
When documenting a PR, reduce reviewer burnout by making the review path explicit:
- State what to review first.
- State what is intentionally out of scope.
- Link the previous and next PR when work is chained.
- Keep each section focused on one decision or unit of work.
- Use checklists for acceptance criteria and verification.
Commands
# Check markdown files changed in the current branch
git diff --name-only -- '*.md'
# Inspect PR changed-line count for cognitive load
gh pr view <PR_NUMBER> --json additions,deletions,changedFiles
1---2name: gentle-ai-cognitive-doc-design3description: Design docs that reduce cognitive load. Trigger: writing guides, READMEs, RFCs, onboarding, architecture, or review-facing docs.4license: Apache-2.05---67## When to Use89Load this skill when creating or editing documentation that people need to understand quickly, retain, or use during review.1011Use it especially for:1213- PR descriptions and review notes.14- Contributor or maintainer guides.15- Architecture, workflow, or onboarding docs.16- Any doc that currently feels long, dense, or hard to scan.1718## Critical Patterns1920| Pattern | Rule |21|---------|------|22| Lead with the answer | Put the decision, action, or outcome first. Context comes after. |23| Progressive disclosure | Start with the happy path, then add details, edge cases, and references. |24| Chunking | Group related information into small sections. Keep flat lists short. |25| Signposting | Use headings, labels, callouts, and summaries so readers know where they are. |26| Recognition over recall | Prefer tables, checklists, examples, and templates over prose that must be remembered. |27| Review empathy | Design docs so reviewers can verify intent without reconstructing the whole story. |2829## Documentation Shape3031Use this default structure unless the repo already provides a stronger template:3233```markdown34# <Outcome-oriented title>3536<One paragraph: what changed, who it helps, and why it matters.>3738## Quick path39401. <First action>412. <Second action>423. <Verification or expected result>4344## Details4546| Topic | Decision |47|-------|----------|48| <area> | <concise explanation> |4950## Checklist5152- [ ] <Reader can confirm this>53- [ ] <Reader can confirm that>5455## Next step5657<Link or action that continues the workflow.>58```5960## PR and Review Docs6162When documenting a PR, reduce reviewer burnout by making the review path explicit:6364- State what to review first.65- State what is intentionally out of scope.66- Link the previous and next PR when work is chained.67- Keep each section focused on one decision or unit of work.68- Use checklists for acceptance criteria and verification.6970## Commands7172```bash73# Check markdown files changed in the current branch74git diff --name-only -- '*.md'7576# Inspect PR changed-line count for cognitive load77gh pr view <PR_NUMBER> --json additions,deletions,changedFiles78```
Gentleman-Programming