Radius Contributing Docs Updater

Contributing docs — assess & route

Audit contributor documentation and decide what work is needed. This skill finds missing or stale docs and assesses whether a code change needs doc updates. It does not write or patch docs — it hands that off (see the table below).

Which doc skill?

This skill covers CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/contributing/, and docs/architecture/.

When to Use

• Gap analysis: find what contributor docs are missing or stale and propose what to create.
• Code-review doc impact: given a code change, decide whether (and which) contributor docs must change.
• Doc review: review proposed doc changes for accuracy and completeness, reporting findings only.

Do not use this skill to author or edit docs (delegate per the table above), or for end-user/product documentation.

Core Principles

1. Code first: Verify commands, paths, and workflows against the repository before judging a doc.
2. Smallest correct scope: Point to the narrowest doc that fully covers the workflow. Do not spread one topic across multiple pages unless navigation requires it.
3. Workflow over inventory: Judge docs by whether they tell contributors what to do, when, and how to verify success.
4. Cross-reference deliberately: Flag entry points and section indexes that need updating only when the doc structure changes.
5. Findings, not edits: Report required doc changes and route them; do not author or patch docs yourself.

Documentation Map

The documentation structure under docs/contributing/ may change over time. Do not assume any specific sub-paths exist. Instead, discover the current layout at the start of every task:

1. List the directory tree under docs/contributing/ to learn the current structure.
2. Read CONTRIBUTING.md and any top-level index files (e.g., README.md files, table-of-contents pages) to understand the navigation hierarchy.
3. Read docs/architecture/ contents when the task involves architecture documentation.
4. Match the topic to the most appropriate existing location. If no existing section fits, propose the smallest new page or subsection and update the nearest parent index.

Always verify the actual directory structure before referencing, creating, or moving any doc.

General Procedure

1. Classify the request: gap analysis, code-review doc impact, or doc review.
2. Discover the current doc structure: follow the Documentation Map procedure before assuming any paths.
3. Verify against the source of truth: read the relevant docs, then inspect the code, scripts, Make targets, configs, or workflows they describe.
4. Produce findings: a prioritized gap list, a yes/no impact verdict with target docs, or review feedback — see the matching mode below.
5. Route the work: hand each "create" to radius-author-doc and each "fix" to radius-update-doc. This skill stops at findings; it does not edit docs.

Modes

To create or fix a doc, stop and delegate: radius-author-doc creates, radius-update-doc fixes. The modes below produce findings only.

Gap Analysis

Use this mode when the user wants to know what contributor docs are missing or stale.

1. Inventory the existing contributor docs and summarize what each section already covers.

2. Scan the repository for contributor-relevant workflows, especially:

   • setup and prerequisites
   • build, test, debug, and generation commands
   • CLI and control plane workflows
   • schema, API, and code generation changes
   • release, PR, triage, and automation processes

3. Cross-reference documented workflows against actual repository capabilities.

4. Report gaps in this format:

   Gap	Suggested Doc	Location	Priority
   Description of what's missing	Proposed title	Proposed path	High/Medium/Low

5. Prioritize using this rubric:

   • High: blocks or misleads new contributors
   • Medium: slows common contributor workflows
   • Low: helpful but not required for contributor success

Expected output:

• Gap table with specific, actionable doc proposals
• Brief note on why each high-priority gap matters

Review Doc Changes

Use this mode when contributor docs changed and the request is for review, not direct editing.

1. Read the changed files and identify what contributor workflow they describe.
2. Verify commands, paths, examples, and prerequisites against the codebase.
3. Check for omissions that would cause a contributor to fail or get stuck.
4. Check consistency with surrounding docs and Writing Guidelines.
5. Check whether links and navigation entries still make sense.
6. Provide review feedback using the repo's code review format.

Review focus:

• incorrect commands or flags
• wrong file paths or stale directory names
• missing prerequisites, environment assumptions, or validation steps
• structural changes that were not reflected in parent indexes

Code Review Doc Impact Assessment

Use this mode during code review when the changed code might require contributor doc updates.

1. Discover the current doc structure by following the Documentation Map procedure.

2. Categorize the change by contributor impact area:

   Change Type	Likely Doc Impact Area
   New CLI command or flag	CLI guides, first-commit walkthroughs
   Build system changes (Makefile, scripts)	Build and local dev guides
   New package or directory	Repo organization guides
   Test framework changes	Test execution guides
   Config file changes	Control plane or runtime config guides
   New prerequisites or tools	Prerequisites and setup guides
   API schema changes	Schema and API change guides
   Debugging workflow changes	Debugging guides
   New dev workflow or script	Contribution pathway index or new guide
   Architecture changes	docs/architecture/
   CI/CD workflow changes	Consider new guide
   TypeSpec/API spec changes	Schema guides, docs/architecture/
   Helm chart or deployment changes	Consider deployment guide
   Dev container changes	Prerequisites and setup guides
   Code generation changes	Code writing or generation guides
   Recipe changes	Consider recipe contribution guide
   Copilot instruction/skill changes	.github/copilot-instructions.md

3. Locate the specific doc that covers the impacted area by searching the discovered structure.

4. Assess whether contributor behavior changes. An update is usually needed if the change:

   • affects setup, build, test, debug, release, or review workflows
   • introduces a new tool, target, flag, config, or contributor-facing file
   • changes or removes behavior already described in existing docs

5. If an update is needed, specify:

   • which doc to update (using the actual path discovered earlier)
   • which section to modify or add
   • what contributor-facing behavior changed

6. If no update is needed, state why not.

Expected output:

• Clear yes or no on doc impact
• Specific target docs and section-level guidance when the answer is yes

Decision Rules

Ask a clarifying question only when one of these is ambiguous:

• the workflow could belong in multiple sections
• the missing workflow appears to need a new page but the right parent section is not obvious

Otherwise, proceed without asking.

Example Prompts

• /radius-contributing-docs-updater Find gaps in the contributor docs for TypeSpec and Swagger workflows.
• /radius-contributing-docs-updater Do these Makefile changes require contributor doc updates?
• /radius-contributing-docs-updater Review the changes in the contributor test docs for accuracy.

To write a missing doc, use /radius.author-doc; to fix a drifted doc, use the radius-update-doc skill.

Quality Checklist

Before delivering findings:

• Current doc structure discovered (no assumed paths)
• Every referenced command, path, and link verified against the codebase
• Gaps and impacts are specific and prioritized, with concrete target docs
• Each recommended change is routed to the right skill (create → radius-author-doc, fix → radius-update-doc)
• Findings cite the source code, scripts, or Make targets that justify them