Readme Review

README Review & Scaffold

Structural review and generation of READMEs adapted to project type. Complements @forfatter (language quality) with structural guidance (what sections, what order, what depth).

Workflow

Step 0: Detect README scope
Step 1: Route → review or generate
Step 2a: Review existing README
Step 2b: Generate new README
Step 3: Hand off language issues to @forfatter

Step 0: Detect README scope

Before reviewing or generating, determine what kind of README this is. Use file location and nearby manifests:

If scope is unclear, ask the user.

Step 1: Route

• Existing README + user says "review", "check", "improve" → Step 2a
• No README or user says "create", "scaffold", "generate" → Step 2b
• Ambiguous → check if README.md exists in the target directory

Step 2a: Review existing README

2a.1 Check sections against spec

Read the existing README. For each section in the spec for this project type (see section-spec.md):

2a.2 Check for anti-patterns

Scan for structural anti-patterns (see anti-patterns.md). Flag only patterns that are actually present.

2a.3 Output

## README review — {project name}

**Scope:** {service / library / monorepo / naisjob}

### Section check

| Section | Status | Notes |
|---------|--------|-------|
| Title + one-liner | ✅ | — |
| Quick start | ❌ | No runnable commands found |
| ... | ... | ... |

### Anti-patterns found

- **{Pattern name}**: {One-sentence description of what's wrong and how to fix it}

### Top 3 fixes

1. {Most impactful fix}
2. {Second fix}
3. {Third fix}

Surface top 3 fixes ordered by impact. Don't overwhelm with minor issues.

Step 2b: Generate new README

1. Pick template from references/ based on detected scope
2. Fill in what you can detect from the codebase:
   • Project name (from directory or manifest)
   • Tech stack (from go.mod, package.json, build.gradle.kts)
   • Build/test commands (from Makefile, .mise.toml, package.json scripts)
   • Endpoints (from route definitions)
   • Config (from environment variable usage)
3. Mark remaining placeholders with {TODO: description}
4. Output the draft README

Templates: service · library · monorepo · naisjob

Step 3: Language handoff

After structural review or generation, if the text has language issues (AI markers, passive voice, anglicisms), suggest:

For language polish, use @forfatter or the klarsprak skill.

Do not duplicate @forfatter's work. This skill handles structure; @forfatter handles language.

Principles

Cognitive funneling

Structure README from broad to specific. Readers scan top-down and bail when they have enough information:

1. Title + one-liner — what is this? (< 120 characters)
2. Quick start — how do I run it? (copy-paste commands)
3. Details — API, config, architecture
4. Meta — contributing, license, team

"Your documentation is complete when someone can use your module without ever having to look at its code." — Ken Williams

README is the front door

README should orient and get people started. Deep content belongs elsewhere:

Code over prose

# ❌ Prose
You can start the development server by running the development command
using the mise task runner.

# ✅ Code
mise dev

Fewer sections = less drift

Only include sections you will maintain. An empty "## Roadmap" is worse than no roadmap section. README rots faster than code.

Boundaries

✅ Always

• Detect project scope before suggesting sections
• Check for missing quick start (most common gap)
• Use Missing/Weak/OK status, not numeric scores
• Surface top 3 fixes, not an exhaustive list

⚠️ Ask first

• Rewriting large sections of an existing README
• Removing sections that may have historical context
• Changing README language (Norwegian ↔ English)

🚫 Never

• Duplicate content from AGENTS.md into README
• Dump full runbooks, security policies, or ADRs into README
• Add numeric scores or gamified ratings
• Rewrite prose style (that's @forfatter's job)

Related

Sources

• Art of README — cognitive funneling
• Standard Readme — section ordering spec
• Make a README — practical guide
• Diátaxis — documentation framework (tutorials/how-to/reference/explanation)
• Readme Driven Development — write README first