D Padmanabhan Agent Engineering Handbook Documentation Standards

Documentation Standards

Core Principles

1. Audience-First: Write for your reader, not yourself
2. Keep Current: Outdated docs are worse than no docs
3. Show, Don't Just Tell: Use examples and diagrams
4. Consistent Format: Follow established patterns

Hard Requirements (Writing)

• No AI slop - remove filler, keep docs concrete and task-oriented
• No em dashes/en dashes - use hyphens (-) instead

Voice

Prefer neutral/imperative phrasing - avoid "you/your" in professional docs. Canonical guidance: rules/810-documentation.mdc.

Diataxis Quick Guide

Use one primary documentation mode per page:

• Tutorial - learning by doing
• How-to guide - task completion
• Reference - factual lookup
• Explanation - concepts and rationale

Canonical Diataxis guidance lives in rules/810-documentation.mdc. Keep this skill concise and link back to the rule instead of duplicating detailed standards.

README Structure

# Project Name

Brief description of what this project does.

## Features

- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Installation

```bash
npm install my-project

Quick Start

import { thing } from 'my-project';
thing.doSomething();

Documentation

Link to full docs.

Contributing

Link to CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT - See LICENSE.

## Markdown Best Practices

### Headers
- Use `#` hierarchy (don't skip levels)
- Keep headers concise
- Use title case for headings, preserving established acronyms and product names

### Code Blocks
````markdown
```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")

### Lists
```markdown
- Unordered item
- Another item
  - Nested item

1. Ordered item
2. Another item
```

### Links and References
```markdown
[Link text](https://acme.com)
[Reference link][1]

[1]: https://acme.com
```

### Tables
```markdown
| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |
```

## Interactive vs static diagrams

- **Static (Markdown):** Mermaid in this skill and in `rules/800-markdown.mdc`.
- **Interactive (React SPA):** `@xyflow/react` patterns, playbook, and rule **`rules/815-reactflow-diagrams.mdc`** - use skill **`skills/reactflow-architecture-diagrams/`**. See [references/static-vs-interactive.md](../reactflow-architecture-diagrams/references/static-vs-interactive.md) for a short comparison table.

## Mermaid Diagrams

### Flowchart
```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E
```

### Sequence Diagram
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant API
    participant DB
    
    User->>API: Request
    API->>DB: Query
    DB-->>API: Result
    API-->>User: Response
```

### Architecture Diagram
```mermaid
graph LR
    subgraph Frontend
        A[React App]
    end
    subgraph Backend
        B[API Gateway]
        C[Service]
    end
    subgraph Data
        D[(Database)]
    end
    
    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
```

## Technical Writing Tips

1. **Use active voice**: "The function returns a value" not "A value is returned"
2. **Be concise**: Remove unnecessary words
3. **Define acronyms**: Spell out on first use
4. **Use present tense**: "The function adds" not "The function will add"
5. **Include examples**: Show, don't just tell

## Detailed References

- **React Flow (interactive canvases)**: See `skills/reactflow-architecture-diagrams/SKILL.md` and `rules/815-reactflow-diagrams.mdc`
- **Markdown & Mermaid**: See [references/markdown-mermaid.md](references/markdown-mermaid.md)
- **Technical Writing**: See [references/technical-writing.md](references/technical-writing.md)
- **Open Source**: See [references/open-source.md](references/open-source.md)

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> Source: [d-padmanabhan/agent-engineering-handbook](https://github.com/d-padmanabhan/agent-engineering-handbook) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).
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