Slikon Ensure the current project has a README that earns its length: short, on-topic, every instruction someone needs to use the project, and no fluff.
Steps
1. Find or start the README
Look for README.md at the repo root (resolve root with git rev-parse --show-toplevel, else the current directory). If none exists, create one.
2. Learn what the project actually needs
Read enough of the repo to know what it is, how to install/set it up, how to run it, and how to use it. Draw from package manifests, entry points, scripts, config, and existing docs — don't guess.
3. Write the README against these bars
A reader should be able to install, run, and use the project from the README alone. Cover only what serves that:
- What it is — one or two lines.
- Install / setup — the exact commands.
- Usage — the commands or API a user actually runs, with minimal examples.
- Anything that would otherwise block them — prerequisites, env vars, required config.
Then cut the fluff: marketing lines, restated headings, obvious filler, padding. Every section must carry an instruction or a fact the reader needs.
Completion criterion: someone new could install, run, and use the project from this README alone, and there is no line you could delete without losing an instruction or a needed fact.