Docs

Documentation Manager

I'll intelligently manage your project documentation by analyzing what actually happened and updating ALL relevant docs accordingly.

Token Optimization Strategy

Target: 60% reduction (3,000-5,000 → 1,200-2,000 tokens)

Optimization Status

• Status: ✅ Optimized (Phase 2 Batch 3B, 2026-01-26)
• Expected tokens: 1,200-2,000 (vs. 3,000-5,000 unoptimized)
• Average reduction: 60% across all documentation operations
• Cache hit savings: 95% when docs are current

Core Optimization Patterns

1. Glob-First Documentation Discovery (95% savings)

# Discover all documentation without reading content
docs/
├── README.md
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── docs/
│   ├── API.md
│   ├── architecture.md
│   └── guides/

# Result: 100-200 tokens vs 5,000+ tokens reading all files

2. Git Diff-Driven Documentation Updates (80% savings)

# Detect which code changed to target documentation updates
git diff main...HEAD --name-only --diff-filter=AM

# Only read/update docs related to changed code areas:
# - src/api/* changed → Update API.md only
# - tests/* added → Update testing guide
# - No changes → Early exit, save 95%

# Result: 500-1,000 tokens vs 4,000+ tokens updating everything

3. Documentation Framework Detection Caching (70% savings)

# Cache detected documentation framework on first run
CACHE_FILE=".claude/cache/docs/framework.json"

{
  "framework": "JSDoc",
  "structure": {
    "api": "docs/API.md",
    "architecture": "docs/architecture.md",
    "changelog": "CHANGELOG.md"
  },
  "conventions": {
    "style": "keep-a-changelog",
    "versioning": "semver"
  },
  "last_checksum": "a1b2c3d4"
}

# Subsequent runs: Read cache (50 tokens) vs analyzing structure (2,000 tokens)

4. Template-Based Documentation Generation (60% savings)

# Generate docs from templates rather than analyzing from scratch
TEMPLATES=".claude/cache/docs/templates/"

# Available templates:
# - API endpoint documentation
# - Function/method documentation (JSDoc, Sphinx, GoDoc)
# - Configuration option documentation
# - Migration guide structure
# - Troubleshooting section templates

# Result: 300-500 tokens template application vs 2,000+ tokens generation

5. Incremental Documentation Updates (70% savings)

# Update only changed sections, not full regeneration
# Read existing doc → Find section → Update in-place

# Example: Update single API endpoint
Old approach: Regenerate entire API.md (3,000 tokens)
Optimized: Update one section (500 tokens)

# Use Edit tool with precise old_string matching
# Preserve existing content, formatting, custom sections

6. Grep for Undocumented Exports (85% savings)

# Find undocumented code without reading all files
# Pattern-based discovery of documentation gaps

# TypeScript/JavaScript
rg "^export (function|class|interface|type)" --glob "src/**/*.ts" \
   | grep -v "@param\|@returns\|/\*\*"

# Python
rg "^def |^class " --glob "**/*.py" \
   | grep -v '"""'

# Result: 200-400 tokens Grep vs 3,000+ tokens reading all source files

7. Early Exit on Current Documentation (95% savings)

# Check if documentation needs updating before proceeding
check_docs_freshness() {
    CACHE_FILE=".claude/cache/docs/last-update.json"

    # Compare timestamps and checksums
    LAST_UPDATE=$(jq -r '.timestamp' "$CACHE_FILE")
    LAST_COMMIT=$(git log -1 --format=%ct)

    if [ "$LAST_UPDATE" -ge "$LAST_COMMIT" ]; then
        echo "✓ Documentation is current (updated after last commit)"
        exit 0  # Save 95% tokens
    fi
}

# Result: 100 tokens early exit vs 2,000+ tokens updating

8. Focus Area Flags for Targeted Updates (70% savings)

# Update specific documentation areas only
docs --readme        # Update README only (600-1,200 tokens)
docs --changelog     # Update CHANGELOG only (400-800 tokens)
docs --api          # Update API docs only (1,000-2,000 tokens)
docs --architecture # Update architecture docs only (800-1,500 tokens)

# vs full update: 3,000-5,000 tokens

Caching Strategy

Cache Location: .claude/cache/docs/

Cached Artifacts:

{
  "docs/inventory.json": {
    "files": ["README.md", "CHANGELOG.md", "docs/API.md"],
    "structure": { "api": "docs/API.md", "changelog": "CHANGELOG.md" },
    "last_scan": "2026-01-27T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "docs/framework.json": {
    "framework": "JSDoc",
    "conventions": { "style": "keep-a-changelog", "versioning": "semver" },
    "structure_checksum": "a1b2c3d4"
  },
  "docs/last-update.json": {
    "timestamp": 1706352600,
    "updated_files": ["README.md", "docs/API.md"],
    "last_commit": "abc123def"
  },
  "docs/templates/": {
    "api-endpoint.md": "...",
    "function-jsdoc.tpl": "...",
    "changelog-entry.md": "..."
  }
}

Cache Invalidation:

• Structure changes: When new .md files added or removed
• Code changes: When git diff shows modified files requiring doc updates
• Manual updates: When documentation files manually edited
• Checksum validation: Compare package.json/pyproject.toml checksums

Shared Caches:

• /understand - Project structure and architecture analysis
• /readme-generate - README templates and project metadata
• /changelog-auto - Version history and commit patterns
• /inline-docs - Documentation framework detection (JSDoc/Sphinx/GoDoc)

Token Budget Breakdown

Operation: Overview Mode (Default)

├── Check cache validity (50 tokens)
├── Glob documentation files (100 tokens)
├── Read cache inventory (50 tokens)
├── Generate overview report (600 tokens)
└── Total: 800-1,500 tokens (vs 3,500-5,000 unoptimized)

Operation: Smart Update Mode

├── Git diff to detect changes (100 tokens)
├── Check docs freshness cache (50 tokens)
├── Identify affected docs (100 tokens)
├── Read only affected sections (500-1,000 tokens)
├── Apply template-based updates (400-600 tokens)
├── Update cache (50 tokens)
└── Total: 1,200-2,000 tokens (vs 4,000-7,000 unoptimized)

Operation: Focused Update (--readme, --changelog, etc.)

├── Read cache for structure (50 tokens)
├── Read specific file only (200-400 tokens)
├── Apply targeted update (300-500 tokens)
├── Update cache (50 tokens)
└── Total: 600-1,200 tokens (vs 2,000-3,500 unoptimized)

Operation: Early Exit (Docs Current)

├── Check last update timestamp (50 tokens)
├── Compare with git log (50 tokens)
├── Exit with "docs current" message (100 tokens)
└── Total: 200 tokens (95% savings vs full update)

Usage Patterns

Optimized Usage:

# Overview with minimal tokens
docs                    # 800-1,500 tokens (Glob + cache)

# Targeted updates
docs update             # 1,200-2,000 tokens (git diff driven)
docs --readme           # 600-1,200 tokens (README only)
docs --changelog        # 400-800 tokens (CHANGELOG only)
docs --api              # 1,000-2,000 tokens (API docs only)
docs --architecture     # 800-1,500 tokens (architecture only)

# After session work
docs update             # 1,500-2,500 tokens (session context)

# Force refresh (bypass cache)
docs --no-cache         # 3,000-5,000 tokens (full analysis)

Optimization Techniques Summary

Performance Metrics

Before Optimization:

• Average tokens per invocation: 3,500-5,000
• Documentation discovery: 2,000-3,000 tokens (Read all files)
• Full update: 5,000-8,000 tokens
• Cache utilization: 0%

After Optimization:

• Average tokens per invocation: 1,200-2,000
• Documentation discovery: 100-200 tokens (Glob only)
• Smart update: 1,200-2,000 tokens (git diff driven)
• Cache utilization: 80% (cache hits save 95%)
• Overall reduction: 60%

Integration with Related Skills

Synergy with other optimized skills:

• /understand cache → Reuse architecture analysis (saves 2,000-4,000 tokens)
• /changelog-auto → Share version history cache (saves 500-1,000 tokens)
• /readme-generate → Share project metadata cache (saves 800-1,500 tokens)
• /inline-docs → Share framework detection (saves 600-1,200 tokens)
• /commit → Trigger docs update after commits (smart context)

My approach:

1. Analyze our entire conversation - Understand the full scope of changes
2. Read ALL documentation files - README, CHANGELOG, docs/*, guides, everything
3. Identify what changed - Features, architecture, bugs, performance, security, etc
4. Update EVERYTHING affected - Not just one file, but all relevant documentation
5. Maintain consistency - Ensure all docs tell the same story

I won't make assumptions - I'll look at what ACTUALLY changed and update accordingly. If you refactored the entire architecture, I'll update architecture docs, README, migration guides, API docs, and anything else affected.

Mode 1: Documentation Overview (Default)

When you run /docs without context, I'll:

• Glob all markdown files (README, CHANGELOG, docs/*)
• Read each documentation file
• Analyze documentation coverage
• Present organized summary

Output format:

DOCUMENTATION OVERVIEW
├── README.md - [status: current/outdated]
├── CHANGELOG.md - [last updated: date]
├── CONTRIBUTING.md - [completeness: 85%]
├── docs/
│   ├── API.md - [status]
│   └── architecture.md - [status]
└── Total coverage: X%

KEY FINDINGS
- Missing: Setup instructions
- Outdated: API endpoints (3 new ones)
- Incomplete: Testing guide

Mode 2: Smart Update

When you run /docs update or after implementations, I'll:

1. Run /understand to analyze current codebase

2. Compare code reality vs documentation

3. Identify what needs updating:

   • New features not documented
   • Changed APIs or interfaces
   • Removed features still in docs
   • New configuration options
   • Updated dependencies

4. Update systematically:

   • README.md with new features/changes
   • CHANGELOG.md with version entries
   • API docs with new endpoints
   • Configuration docs with new options
   • Migration guides if breaking changes

Mode 3: Session Documentation

When run after a long coding session, I'll:

• Analyze conversation history
• List all changes made
• Group by feature/fix/enhancement
• Update appropriate docs

Updates will follow your project's documentation style and conventions, organizing changes by type (Added, Fixed, Changed, etc.) in the appropriate sections.

Mode 4: Context-Aware Updates

Based on what happened in session:

• After new feature: Update README features, add to CHANGELOG
• After bug fixes: Document in CHANGELOG, update troubleshooting
• After refactoring: Update architecture docs, migration guide
• After security fixes: Update security policy, CHANGELOG
• After performance improvements: Update benchmarks, CHANGELOG

Smart Documentation Rules

1. Preserve custom content - Never overwrite manual additions
2. Match existing style - Follow current doc formatting
3. Semantic sections - Add to correct sections
4. Version awareness - Respect semver in CHANGELOG
5. Link updates - Fix broken internal links

Integration with Skills

Works seamlessly with:

• /understand - Get current architecture first
• /contributing - Update contribution guidelines
• /test - Document test coverage changes
• /scaffold - Add new component docs
• /security-scan - Update security documentation

Documentation Rules

ALWAYS:

• Read existing docs completely before any update
• Find the exact section that needs updating
• Update in-place, never duplicate
• Preserve custom content and formatting
• Only create new docs if absolutely essential (README missing, etc)

Preserve sections:

<!-- CUSTOM:START -->
User's manual content preserved
<!-- CUSTOM:END -->

Smart CHANGELOG:

• Groups changes by type
• Suggests version bump (major/minor/patch)
• Links to relevant PRs/issues
• Maintains chronological order

Important: I will NEVER:

• Delete existing documentation
• Overwrite custom sections
• Change documentation style drastically
• Add AI attribution markers
• Create unnecessary documentation

After analysis, I'll ask: "How should I proceed?"

• Update all outdated docs
• Focus on specific files
• Create missing documentation
• Generate migration guide
• Skip certain sections

Additional Scenarios & Integrations

When to Use /docs

Simply run /docs after any significant work:

• After /understand - Ensure docs match code reality
• After /fix-todos or bug fixes - Update all affected documentation
• After /scaffold or new features - Document what was added
• After /security-scan or /review - Document findings and decisions
• After major refactoring - Update architecture, migration guides, everything

I'll figure out what needs updating based on what actually happened, not rigid rules.

Documentation Types

I can manage:

• API Documentation - Endpoints, parameters, responses
• Database Schema - Tables, relationships, migrations
• Configuration - Environment variables, settings
• Deployment - Setup, requirements, procedures
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• Performance - Benchmarks, optimization guides
• Security - Policies, best practices, incident response

Smart Features

• Version Detection - Auto-increment version numbers
• Breaking Change Alert - Warn when docs need migration guide
• Cross-Reference - Update links between docs
• Example Generation - Create usage examples from tests
• Diagram Updates - Update architecture diagrams (text-based)
• Dependency Tracking - Document external service requirements

Team Collaboration

• PR Documentation - Generate docs for pull requests
• Release Notes - Create from CHANGELOG for releases
• Onboarding Docs - Generate from project analysis
• Handoff Documentation - Create when changing teams
• Knowledge Transfer - Document before leaving project

Quality Checks

• Doc Coverage - Report undocumented features
• Freshness Check - Flag stale documentation
• Consistency - Ensure uniform style across docs
• Completeness - Verify all sections present
• Accuracy - Compare docs vs actual implementation

Smart Skill Combinations

After analyzing code:

/understand && /docs
# Analyzes entire codebase, then updates docs to match reality

After fixing technical debt:

/fix-todos && /test && /docs
# Fixes TODOs, verifies everything works, documents changes

After major refactoring:

/fix-imports && /format && /docs
# Fixes imports, formats code, updates architecture docs

Before creating PR:

/review && /docs
# Reviews code, then ensures docs reflect any issues found

After adding features:

/scaffold component && /test && /docs
# Creates component, tests it, documents the new API

Simple Usage

Just run /docs and I'll figure out what you need:

• Fresh project? I'll show what docs exist
• Just coded? I'll update the relevant docs
• Long session? I'll document everything
• Just fixed bugs? I'll update CHANGELOG

No need to remember arguments - I understand context!

This keeps your documentation as current as your code while supporting your entire development lifecycle.

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