Documentation Patterns
Templates and opinionated structures for technical documentation -- READMEs, Architecture Decision Records, OpenAPI specs, changelogs, and writing style. Each category has individual rule files in rules/ loaded on-demand.
Quick Reference
| Category |
Rule |
Impact |
When to Use |
| README |
1 |
HIGH |
Starting a project, onboarding contributors |
| ADR |
1 |
HIGH |
Recording architecture decisions |
| API Docs |
1 |
HIGH |
Documenting REST APIs with OpenAPI 3.1 |
| Changelog |
1 |
MEDIUM |
Maintaining release history |
| Writing Style |
1 |
MEDIUM |
Any technical writing task |
Total: 5 rules across 5 categories
Quick Start
## README Skeleton
# Project Name
Brief description -> Quick Start -> Installation -> Usage -> API -> Config -> Contributing -> License
## ADR Format
# ADR-001: Title
Status -> Context -> Decision -> Consequences (positive/negative) -> References
## OpenAPI Minimum
openapi: 3.1.0 with info, paths, components/schemas, error responses
## Changelog Entry
## [1.2.0] - 2026-03-05
### Added / Changed / Deprecated / Removed / Fixed / Security
## Writing Rule of Thumb
Active voice, present tense, second person, one idea per sentence
README
Complete README template with all essential sections for open-source and internal projects.
docs-readme-structure -- Project name, quick start, installation, usage, API reference, configuration, contributing, license
Architecture Decision Records
Structured format for capturing architectural decisions with context and consequences.
docs-adr-template -- Status, context, decision, consequences (positive/negative), references
API Documentation
OpenAPI 3.1 specification patterns for consistent, machine-readable API docs.
docs-api-openapi -- Path structure, operation definitions, schema components, error responses (RFC 9457)
Changelog
Keep a Changelog format for curated, human-readable release history.
docs-changelog-format -- Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security sections with semver
Writing Style
Technical writing conventions for clear, scannable documentation.
docs-writing-style -- Active voice, present tense, concise sentences, API doc checklist
Related Skills
ork:api-design -- API design patterns (complements OpenAPI documentation)ork:architecture-decision-record -- ADR workflow and lifecycleork:release-management -- Release process including changelog updates
Version: 1.0.0 (March 2026)
Source: yonatangross/orchestkit — distributed by TomeVault.
1---2name: documentation-patterns-43description: Technical documentation patterns for READMEs, ADRs, API docs (OpenAPI 3.1), changelogs, and writing style guides. Use when creating project documentation, writing architecture decisions, documenting APIs, or maintaining changelogs. Use when this capability is needed.4---56# Documentation Patterns78Templates and opinionated structures for technical documentation -- READMEs, Architecture Decision Records, OpenAPI specs, changelogs, and writing style. Each category has individual rule files in `rules/` loaded on-demand.910## Quick Reference1112| Category | Rule | Impact | When to Use |13|----------|------|--------|-------------|14| [README](#readme) | 1 | HIGH | Starting a project, onboarding contributors |15| [ADR](#architecture-decision-records) | 1 | HIGH | Recording architecture decisions |16| [API Docs](#api-documentation) | 1 | HIGH | Documenting REST APIs with OpenAPI 3.1 |17| [Changelog](#changelog) | 1 | MEDIUM | Maintaining release history |18| [Writing Style](#writing-style) | 1 | MEDIUM | Any technical writing task |1920**Total: 5 rules across 5 categories**2122## Quick Start2324```markdown25## README Skeleton26# Project Name27Brief description -> Quick Start -> Installation -> Usage -> API -> Config -> Contributing -> License2829## ADR Format30# ADR-001: Title31Status -> Context -> Decision -> Consequences (positive/negative) -> References3233## OpenAPI Minimum34openapi: 3.1.0 with info, paths, components/schemas, error responses3536## Changelog Entry37## [1.2.0] - 2026-03-0538### Added / Changed / Deprecated / Removed / Fixed / Security3940## Writing Rule of Thumb41Active voice, present tense, second person, one idea per sentence42```4344## README4546Complete README template with all essential sections for open-source and internal projects.4748- **`docs-readme-structure`** -- Project name, quick start, installation, usage, API reference, configuration, contributing, license4950## Architecture Decision Records5152Structured format for capturing architectural decisions with context and consequences.5354- **`docs-adr-template`** -- Status, context, decision, consequences (positive/negative), references5556## API Documentation5758OpenAPI 3.1 specification patterns for consistent, machine-readable API docs.5960- **`docs-api-openapi`** -- Path structure, operation definitions, schema components, error responses (RFC 9457)6162## Changelog6364Keep a Changelog format for curated, human-readable release history.6566- **`docs-changelog-format`** -- Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security sections with semver6768## Writing Style6970Technical writing conventions for clear, scannable documentation.7172- **`docs-writing-style`** -- Active voice, present tense, concise sentences, API doc checklist7374## Related Skills7576- `ork:api-design` -- API design patterns (complements OpenAPI documentation)77- `ork:architecture-decision-record` -- ADR workflow and lifecycle78- `ork:release-management` -- Release process including changelog updates7980**Version:** 1.0.0 (March 2026)8182---83> Source: [yonatangross/orchestkit](https://github.com/yonatangross/orchestkit) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).84<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-06-15 -->
tomevault-io