Documentation Quality Standards
Use this skill when documentation should be judged against explicit standards instead of subjective preference.
- Leverage native parallel subagent dispatch and 200k+ context windows where available.
Activation Conditions
Use symptom -> action triggers: when one matches, apply this skill and verify with the protocol below.
- Reviewing docs before merge
- Creating or updating a style guide
- Defining expectations for examples, structure, and terminology
- Auditing a docs set for consistency and readability
Core Standards
- Clear audience and scope
- Stable heading hierarchy
- Runnable or honest examples
- Consistent terminology
- Explicit edge cases, constraints, and failure modes
Documentation Stack Reference
Inherit the shared stack from documentation-patterns: source-of-truth discovery, audience framing, structure selection, verification, and freshness checks. Keep this skill focused on quality gates instead of restating the full stack.
Cross-Client Portability
This skill is written to stay usable across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex.
- GitHub Copilot: keep the folder in a Copilot-visible skill path or wrap the
workflow in project instructions when folder discovery is unavailable.
- Claude Code: keep the folder in a local skills directory or a compatible plugin source.
- Codex: install or sync the folder into
$CODEX_HOME/skills/documentation-quality and restart Codex after major changes.
MCP Availability And Fallback
Preferred MCP Server: None required
- Fallback prompt: "Use the Documentation Quality Standards skill without MCP. Rely on its local instructions, bundled resources, standard shell or editor tools, and direct verification. Show the evidence used before concluding."
- Do not claim an MCP operation was used when the active host does not expose it.
- Treat local files, tests, rendered outputs, logs, or screenshots as the fallback evidence path.
Anti-Patterns
- Writing for the author instead of the reader: It bakes in unstated context and leaves the actual audience unsure what to do next.
- Skipping concrete examples or commands: Abstract guidance is easy to approve and hard to apply correctly.
- Letting links, screenshots, or versions drift: Polished formatting does not help if the instructions are no longer true.
Verification Protocol
Before claiming "skill applied successfully":
- Pass/fail: The Documentation Quality output identifies audience, purpose, source of truth, and freshness requirements.
- Pass/fail: Shared documentation-stack guidance is referenced instead of duplicating another documentation skill.
- Pass/fail: Claims, links, commands, examples, and screenshots are verified or explicitly marked unverified.
- Pressure-test scenario: Apply the skill to a doc request with a stale command, missing owner, and conflicting audience.
- Success metric: Zero undocumented assumptions; every reader-facing claim is sourced or scoped.
Quality Checklist
Cross-Skill Workflow
- Use documentation-authoring when the content itself still needs to be drafted or clarified.
- Use documentation-patterns when the review shows that the problem is document shape rather than wording.
- Use this skill as the final standards check before publish or merge.
Agent Prompt Template
Use the documentation-quality skill to review this document against explicit standards.
Artifact: [file or pasted draft].
Audience: [who will read it].
Check for clarity, completeness, accurate examples, terminology consistency, and stale references.
Report concrete findings first, then suggest the smallest high-value fixes.
References & Resources
Documentation
Scripts
- Doc Style Audit - Check Markdown files for heading jumps, long lines, tabs, and trailing whitespace
Related Skills
- documentation-authoring: Use it when the workflow also needs drafting structured technical or product documents.
- documentation-patterns: Use it when the workflow also needs reusable documentation structures and templates.
- documentation-verification: Use it when the workflow also needs final documentation validation before publishing.
- notion-docs: Use it when the workflow also needs Notion page and database publishing workflows.
1---2name: documentation-quality3description: Documentation quality standards and writing principles. Use when establishing formatting rules, reviewing doc quality metrics, creating writing guidelines, or enforcing consistent documentation style across a project.4---5# Documentation Quality Standards
6
7Use this skill when documentation should be judged against explicit standards instead of subjective preference.
8
9- Leverage native parallel subagent dispatch and 200k+ context windows where available.
10
11
12## Activation Conditions
13
14Use symptom -> action triggers: when one matches, apply this skill and verify with the protocol below.
15
16- Reviewing docs before merge
17- Creating or updating a style guide
18- Defining expectations for examples, structure, and terminology
19- Auditing a docs set for consistency and readability
20
21## Core Standards
22
23- Clear audience and scope
24- Stable heading hierarchy
25- Runnable or honest examples
26- Consistent terminology
27- Explicit edge cases, constraints, and failure modes
28
29## Documentation Stack Reference
30
31Inherit the shared stack from [documentation-patterns](../documentation-patterns/SKILL.md#shared-documentation-stack): source-of-truth discovery, audience framing, structure selection, verification, and freshness checks. Keep this skill focused on quality gates instead of restating the full stack.
32
33<!-- MCP:START -->
34
35<!-- PORTABILITY:START -->
36## Cross-Client Portability
37
38This skill is written to stay usable across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex.
39
40- GitHub Copilot: keep the folder in a Copilot-visible skill path or wrap the
41 workflow in project instructions when folder discovery is unavailable.
42- Claude Code: keep the folder in a local skills directory or a compatible plugin source.
43- Codex: install or sync the folder into
44 `$CODEX_HOME/skills/documentation-quality` and restart Codex after major changes.
45
46<!-- PORTABILITY:END -->
47
48## MCP Availability And Fallback
49
50Preferred MCP Server: None required
51
52- Fallback prompt: "Use the Documentation Quality Standards skill without MCP. Rely on its local instructions, bundled resources, standard shell or editor tools, and direct verification. Show the evidence used before concluding."
53- Do not claim an MCP operation was used when the active host does not expose it.
54- Treat local files, tests, rendered outputs, logs, or screenshots as the fallback evidence path.
55
56<!-- MCP:END -->
57
58## Anti-Patterns
59
60- Writing for the author instead of the reader: It bakes in unstated context and leaves the actual audience unsure what to do next.
61- Skipping concrete examples or commands: Abstract guidance is easy to approve and hard to apply correctly.
62- Letting links, screenshots, or versions drift: Polished formatting does not help if the instructions are no longer true.
63
64## Verification Protocol
65
66Before claiming "skill applied successfully":
67
681. Pass/fail: The Documentation Quality output identifies audience, purpose, source of truth, and freshness requirements.
692. Pass/fail: Shared documentation-stack guidance is referenced instead of duplicating another documentation skill.
703. Pass/fail: Claims, links, commands, examples, and screenshots are verified or explicitly marked unverified.
714. Pressure-test scenario: Apply the skill to a doc request with a stale command, missing owner, and conflicting audience.
725. Success metric: Zero undocumented assumptions; every reader-facing claim is sourced or scoped.
73
74## Quality Checklist
75
76- [ ] Title and purpose are clear
77- [ ] Heading levels do not jump unexpectedly
78- [ ] Code examples have language tags and realistic inputs
79- [ ] Commands match current tooling
80- [ ] Links and file paths are accurate
81
82## Cross-Skill Workflow
83
84- Use [documentation-authoring](../documentation-authoring/SKILL.md) when the content itself still needs to be drafted or clarified.
85- Use [documentation-patterns](../documentation-patterns/SKILL.md) when the review shows that the problem is document shape rather than wording.
86- Use this skill as the final standards check before publish or merge.
87
88## Agent Prompt Template
89
90```text
91Use the documentation-quality skill to review this document against explicit standards.
92Artifact: [file or pasted draft].
93Audience: [who will read it].
94Check for clarity, completeness, accurate examples, terminology consistency, and stale references.
95Report concrete findings first, then suggest the smallest high-value fixes.
96```
97
98## References & Resources
99
100### Documentation
101- [Writing Standards](./references/writing-standards.md) - Clarity, example quality, terminology, and formatting guidance
102
103### Scripts
104- [Doc Style Audit](./scripts/doc-style-audit.py) - Check Markdown files for heading jumps, long lines, tabs, and trailing whitespace
105
106## Related Skills
107
108- [documentation-authoring](../documentation-authoring/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs drafting structured technical or product documents.
109- [documentation-patterns](../documentation-patterns/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs reusable documentation structures and templates.
110- [documentation-verification](../documentation-verification/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs final documentation validation before publishing.
111- [notion-docs](../notion-docs/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs Notion page and database publishing workflows.
practicalswan