# Doc This Help > Use to get an analogy-driven explanation of every doc-this agent and when to use each. Covers all 12 Discovery agents with one-paragraph analogies (Scout = real-estate broker doing a walkthrough; Detective = Sherlock interpreting clues; Architect = cartographer producing formal maps; Reviewer = auditor stress-testing the contracts) plus the recommended sequence and customer-project safety notes. Triggers: '/doc-this-help', 'explain doc-this agents', 'which agent should I use for X', 'what does [agent] do'. NOT for actually running an agent β€” invoke that agent directly. NOT for the doc-this orchestrator (use it directly). - Skill: `wagneripjr/doc-this-help` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add wagneripjr/doc-this-help` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/wagneripjr/doc-this-help/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - License: MIT - Author: wagneripjr (https://skillmd.com/u/wagneripjr) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/wagneripjr/doc-this-help --- # Doc-This Agents β€” A Guide With Analogies Doc-This is a team of specialists. Each agent does ONE thing and does it well. Below: an analogy + one-line use-when for every agent. **Discovery (`/doc-this`) is strictly descriptive.** Every Discovery agent obeys the describe-only pact at `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/doc-this/references/describe-only-pact.md`: documents what exists, never what should be; binary 🟒 (cited) / πŸ”΄ (gap) confidence; no judgment, no proposals, no fabricated ADR sections, no technical-debt registers, no NFRs without written contracts, no bug reports. --- ## Discovery Team (12 skills) β€” extract specs from a legacy system ### 🎼 Doc-This β€” the conductor **Command**: `/doc-this` A conductor doesn't play any instrument; they know the score, signal who plays when, hold the rhythm. Without one, every musician plays their part but the orchestra falls apart. > Use to start or resume a full Discovery analysis. Handles first-run, database-context handshake, plan generation, and dispatches the pipeline. ### πŸ—ΊοΈ Scout β€” the real-estate broker **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` A broker walks through a property the first time. Doesn't open drawers, doesn't read documents. Maps: how many rooms, what neighborhood, what's the general state. > Use first. Maps the project surface β€” languages, frameworks, modules, dependencies β€” without entering the code. ### πŸ”¬ Code Analyst β€” the systems analyst **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The classic systems analyst sits with the source and reads every line β€” control flow, algorithms, data structures β€” then writes the technical dossier: data dictionary, flowcharts, process logic. Describes exactly what is there, never judges it. > Use after Scout. Analyzes code module by module, reading **every source file** (markup, SQL, and scripts included β€” coverage is never traded for tokens). Checkpoints per module and resumes across sessions. ### πŸ” Detective β€” the Sherlock Holmes **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` Sherlock arrives after the code analyst. Looks at the catalogued evidence and asks: *"But why is this here? Who put it? What does it reveal about who lived here?"* Doesn't re-read the archive. Interprets. > Use after the Code Analyst. Extracts implicit business rules, reads git history like a diary, reconstructs undocumented decisions. Also classifies APIs as public vs. private. ### πŸ“ Architect β€” the cartographer **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The cartographer visits a territory and produces formal maps: floor plan, elevation map, structural plan. Someone who never set foot there can understand everything from the maps. > Use after Detective. Synthesizes everything into C4 diagrams, full ERD, and the unified `external-surface.json` catalog. ### πŸ“ Writer β€” the notary **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The notary turns what was discovered into formal, precise, traceable contracts. Each clause has its degree of certainty declared. The document is binding: a coding agent can reimplement the system from it. > Use after Architect. Generates folder-per-unit specs (`requirements.md` / `design.md` / `tasks.md`) ATDD-ready, with `@api` / `@browser` / `@cli` / `@message` / `@database` scenarios per public surface. ### βš–οΈ Reviewer β€” the auditor **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The Reviewer takes Writer's contracts and tries to break them: *"This is a contradiction. This claim has no proof. This rule disappears if the user does X."* Not destructive β€” wants to make sure what stands is solid. > Use after Writer. Reviews specs critically, reclassifies confidence, enforces ATDD discipline (cross-layer coverage, transitive private coverage, DB coverage), generates questions for human validation. ### πŸŒ‰ Promote β€” the SDLC bridge **Command**: `/doc-this-promote` After all the analysis, someone has to translate the staged specs into the project's actual SDLC chain β€” assigning FR-NNN IDs, writing TRACEABILITY rows, generating `.feature` files for the spec runner. The Promote agent is that translator. > Use after Reviewer. The ONLY skill in the doc-this team that touches `docs/`. ### πŸ–ΌοΈ Visor β€” the forensic illustrator (optional) **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The forensic illustrator works only with images. Receives screenshots and faithfully reconstructs the interface: screens, forms, navigation flows. Doesn't need the system running, just the photos. > Use when screenshots are available. Documents the UI without needing access to the running system. ### πŸ—„οΈ Data Master β€” the geologist (optional) **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The geologist maps the subsoil β€” the layer no one sees but everything sits on. Tables, relationships, constraints, triggers, procedures. The invisible foundation. Branches behavior on database ownership: when the team owns the schema, full migration plan; when the schema is owned by another team, frozen contract documentation. > Use when DDL, migrations, or ORM models exist. Documents the database completely AND extracts DB-resident business logic from views, procedures, triggers. ### 🎨 Design System β€” the wardrobe stylist (optional) **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` The stylist catalogs the wardrobe: color palette, typography, spacing, design tokens. The "fashion rules" that govern how the system looks β€” what can and cannot be combined. > Use when CSS, themes, or interface screenshots exist. Extracts the visual tokens of the project. ### πŸ”¬ Tracer β€” the forensic chemist (optional) **Command**: dispatched by `/doc-this` When static analysis hits a wall β€” "what's the actual state machine?" β€” the chemist runs tests on samples the case file already collected: log files, traces, error reports. Not running the live system, just analyzing the evidence already on hand. The chemist also countersigns the confirmed findings: the corroboration sweep stamps each 🟒 scenario's `Evidence:` provenance (`static` β†’ `static + runtime`) when telemetry matches it β€” which is why the orchestrator insists on the chemist when the system can't be run live (`legacy_runnable` β‰  `yes`). > Use when πŸ”΄ gaps remain after Reviewer, or to corroborate 🟒 scenarios with telemetry. Resolves gaps using existing logs/traces/error exports (read-only, never touches a live system). Hard-advisory when the legacy system cannot be run live. --- ## Recommended sequences ``` /doc-this β†’ /doc-this-promote Or invoke individual agents: Scout β†’ Code Analyst β†’ Detective β†’ Architect β†’ Writer β†’ Reviewer Optional anytime: Visor Β· Data Master Β· Design System Β· Tracer ``` ## Customer-project safety In a client workspace β€” any project outside your own or your organization's namespace: - Every doc-this agent stops at "staged for commit" - The user reviews staged diffs and commits manually ## Output staging - Discovery: `.doc-this-sdd/` (analysis-only, non-destructive) - SDLC promotion: `docs/` tree (only via `doc-this-promote`)