tools-only Internal/Work Project README Template
Use this template for team codebases, services, and internal tools. Focus on onboarding new team members and operational knowledge.
[Service/Project Name]
[One-line description of what this service does]
Team: [Team name or slack channel]
On-call: [Rotation or contact info]
Overview
[2-3 sentences on what this does, why it exists, and where it fits in the system architecture.]
Dependencies
- Upstream: [Services this depends on]
- Downstream: [Services that depend on this]
Local Development Setup
Prerequisites
- [Required tool 1 with version]
- [Required tool 2]
- Access to [internal system/VPN/etc]
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
DATABASE_URL |
[Description] | [1Password/Vault/etc] |
API_KEY |
[Description] | [Where to find] |
Running Locally
[Step-by-step commands to get running]
Running Tests
[Test commands]
Architecture
[Brief description of system design. Link to architecture diagrams if they exist.]
[Simple ASCII diagram if helpful]
Key Files
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
src/[important-file] |
[What it does] |
config/ |
[Configuration files] |
Deployment
[How to deploy, or link to deployment docs]
Environments
| Environment | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Development | [URL] | [Notes] |
| Staging | [URL] | [Notes] |
| Production | [URL] | [Notes] |
Runbooks
[Common Task 1]
[Commands or steps]
[Common Task 2]
[Steps]
Troubleshooting
[Common Problem 1]
Symptom: [What you see]
Cause: [Why it happens]
Fix: [How to resolve]
Contributing
[Link to team contribution guidelines or PR process]
Related Docs
- [Link to design doc]
- [Link to API docs]
- [Link to monitoring dashboard]