# Devtu Docs Quality

> Documentation Quality Assurance

- Skill: `zaoqu-liu/devtu-docs-quality` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add zaoqu-liu/devtu-docs-quality`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/zaoqu-liu/devtu-docs-quality/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: zaoqu-liu (https://skillmd.com/u/zaoqu-liu)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/zaoqu-liu/devtu-docs-quality

---


# Documentation Quality Assurance

## Two Equal Priorities

Both of the following must be satisfied before an audit is done. Neither overrides the other.

**1. Technical correctness** — wrong code is worse than no code; it actively breaks users' workflows.

**2. Less is more** — redundant content is worse than no content; it creates confusion, dilutes trust, and makes maintenance harder.

> When in doubt about technical accuracy: **verify against source** (`src/tooluniverse/execute_function.py`).
> When in doubt about whether content is needed: **delete it**.

---

## Less Is More — The Core Philosophy

ToolUniverse is a serious research tool. Documentation should reflect that with restraint and precision, not volume.

### What "less is more" means in practice

**Remove, don't add.** Every edit should end with fewer words, fewer pages, fewer links. The field moves fast — outdated instructions are actively harmful. When two approaches both work, keep one.

**Each concept appears exactly once.** If setup instructions appear in three places, a user reading one doesn't know the others exist, and maintainers must update all three on every change. Pick one canonical location and cross-link everywhere else.

**No emojis.** Emojis in headings, nav items, card titles, and bullet points signal "AI-generated" and undermine trust in a serious scientific tool. Remove them unconditionally — no exceptions for "emphasis."

**Shrink, don't summarize.** A page reduced from 1000 lines to 30 pointer lines is better than a 1000-line page summarized with a TL;DR box. Do the surgery.

**Size budgets (hard limits):**

| Page type | Max lines |
|-----------|-----------|
| Per-platform setup page (`claude_desktop.rst`, `cursor.rst`, etc.) | 15 |
| Homepage grid sections | 4 cards max per grid |
| "See Also" / "Related" link lists | 4 links max |
| Tutorial pages that duplicate the Python guide | 0 — delete or make a pointer |

### Less-is-more decision tree

When reviewing any piece of content, ask:

1. **Does this content exist elsewhere on the site?** → Remove it; add a cross-link to the canonical location.
2. **Is this content outdated or hard to keep current?** → Remove it; link to the upstream source (e.g., `aiscientist.tools/setup.md`).
3. **Can a user reach this information in 2 clicks from the homepage?** → If yes and the info is already there, remove this copy.
4. **Is this an emoji, decorative header, or filler sentence?** → Remove it unconditionally.
5. **Is this a "Explore More" card pointing somewhere already in the sidebar?** → Remove it.

---

## Apple-Style Simplification Rules

Apply these rules to every file touched during an audit.

**No emojis** in headings, bullet items, card titles, toctree captions, nav bar entries, or button text.

**Single setup entry point.** The canonical installation path is:
```
Read https://aiscientist.tools/setup.md and set up ToolUniverse for me.
```
Per-platform pages must contain exactly three things: (1) official install link, (2) official MCP setup guide link, (3) the setup prompt above. Nothing else — no JSON snippets, no step-by-step instructions, no troubleshooting. Those belong in the setup skill at `aiscientist.tools/setup.md`.

**Consistent tool count.** Always "1000+ tools". Never "600+", "750+", "1200+", "10000+", or any other number.

**Clean navigation bar.** Must not contain "API", "API Keys", or "Contribution" items. Must include a link to `https://aiscientist.tools` as the first item.

**Homepage "Explore More" grid.** Maximum 4 cards. Remove any card whose destination is already reachable from the sidebar or the "Get Started" section.

**No broken `:doc:` references.** Every `:doc:`some/path`` must resolve to an `.rst` or `.md` file on disk. Broken links are never acceptable — remove or replace immediately.

---

## Five-Phase Strategy

Run phases in order — **D first** (instant), then **E** (simplification scan), then C/A/B.

| Phase | What it catches | Time |
|-------|----------------|------|
| **D** Static method scan | Wrong method names (`tu.run_batch`, `tu.call_tool`, etc.) | ~2 s |
| **E** Simplification scan | Emojis, wrong counts, broken links, size violations | ~10 s |
| **C** Live code execution | Runtime failures (wrong key, bad return type) | 3-5 min |
| **A** Automated validation | Deprecated commands, term inconsistency | 15 min |
| **B** ToolUniverse audit | Circular nav, duplicate MCP configs, tool counts | 20 min |

---

## Phase D: Static Method Scan

```bash
python3 - <<'EOF'
import re, sys
from pathlib import Path
from collections import defaultdict
DOCS = Path("docs")
EXCLUDE = {"locale", "old", "_build", "__pycache__", "tools", "archive"}
KNOWN_BAD = {
    "list_tools", "run_batch", "run_async", "execute_tool", "call_tool",
    "list_tools_by_category", "configure_api_keys", "get_tool", "get_exposed_name",
    "list_available_methods", "register_tool_from_config", "register_tool",
}
STATIC = [
    (r"\.load_tools\([^)]*(?:use_cache|cache_dir)\s*=", "load_tools() invalid kwargs"),
    (r"ToolUniverse\([^)]*timeout\s*=", "ToolUniverse(timeout=) invalid"),
    (r'"name":\s*"opentarget_', 'old lowercase "opentarget_*" tool name'),
    (r"tu\.run_batch\(", "tu.run_batch() — use tu.run(list, max_workers=N)"),
    (r'\btu\.[A-Z]\w+\s*\(', "tu.ToolName() shorthand — use tu.run({name:...})"),
]
M = re.compile(r'\b(?:tu|tooluni)\.([\w]+)\s*\(')
issues = defaultdict(list)
for f in sorted(list(DOCS.rglob("*.rst")) + list(DOCS.rglob("*.md"))):
    if any(p in f.parts for p in EXCLUDE): continue
    t = f.read_text(errors="replace")
    code = "\n".join(
        re.findall(r"\.\. code-block:: python\n((?:[ \t]+[^\n]*\n|[ \t]*\n)*)", t, re.MULTILINE) +
        re.findall(r"```python\n(.*?)```", t, re.DOTALL))
    if not code.strip(): continue
    rel = str(f.relative_to(DOCS))
    for m in M.finditer(code):
        if not m.group(1).startswith("_") and m.group(1) in KNOWN_BAD:
            issues[rel].append(f"tu.{m.group(1)}()")
    for pat, label in STATIC:
        if re.search(pat, code): issues[rel].append(label)
if issues:
    [print(f"  {f}: {i}") for f in sorted(issues) for i in sorted(set(issues[f]))]
    sys.exit(1)
else:
    print("Phase D clean")
EOF
```

**Fix-or-remove rule — no exceptions:**
- Correct replacement exists → **fix immediately**
- Feature is automatic/internal → **remove the call**, add prose comment if needed
- Feature doesn't exist → **delete the code block or section entirely**

**Most common fixes:**

```python
# wrong → correct
tu.run_batch(list)              → tu.run(list, max_workers=4)
tu.run_async(query)             → await tu.run(query)
tu.call_tool('X', {...})        → tu.run({"name": "X", "arguments": {...}})
tu.execute_tool('X', {...})     → tu.run({"name": "X", "arguments": {...}})
tu.list_tools()                 → tu.list_built_in_tools(mode='list_name')
tu.get_tool('X')                → tu.get_tool_by_name('X')
tu.register_tool(instance)      → tu.register_custom_tool(tool_instance=instance)
tu.register_tool_from_config(c) → tu.register_custom_tool(tool_config=c)
tu.configure_api_keys({})       → REMOVE — use env vars
tu.get_exposed_name(name)       → REMOVE — shortening is automatic
ToolUniverse(timeout=30)        → ToolUniverse()  # no timeout kwarg
load_tools(use_cache=True)      → load_tools()  # no use_cache kwarg
tu.ToolName(key=val)            → tu.run({"name": "ToolName", "arguments": {"key": val}})
opentarget_get_*                → OpenTargets_get_*  (capital O and T)
```

**Special case:** Change `.. code-block:: python` to `.. code-block:: text` when showing intentionally-wrong code as an error example.

---

## Phase E: Simplification Scan

```bash
python3 - <<'EOF'
import re, sys
from pathlib import Path

DOCS = Path("docs")
EXCLUDE = {"_build", "__pycache__", "locale"}
issues = []

EMOJI_RE = re.compile(
    r'[\U0001F300-\U0001F9FF\U00002600-\U000027BF\U0001FA00-\U0001FA9F'
    r'\U0001F004\U0001F0CF\U00002702-\U000027B0]'
)

def in_code_block(text, pos):
    """Return True if pos is inside a code block."""
    before = text[:pos]
    # RST code blocks
    rst_starts = [m.end() for m in re.finditer(r'\.\. code-block::[^\n]*\n', before)]
    for start in reversed(rst_starts):
        block = text[start:]
        end_match = re.search(r'\n(?![ \t]|\n)', block)
        block_end = start + (end_match.start() if end_match else len(block))
        if start <= pos <= block_end:
            return True
    # Markdown fenced blocks
    fences = list(re.finditer(r'```', before))
    return len(fences) % 2 == 1

for f in sorted(DOCS.rglob("*.rst")) + sorted(DOCS.rglob("*.md")):
    if any(p in f.parts for p in EXCLUDE):
        continue
    text = f.read_text(errors="replace")
    rel = str(f.relative_to(DOCS))

    # Check emojis in prose
    for m in EMOJI_RE.finditer(text):
        if not in_code_block(text, m.start()):
            line = text[:m.start()].count('\n') + 1
            issues.append(f"EMOJI  {rel}:{line}  {repr(m.group())}")

    # Check wrong tool counts
    for bad in ["600+", "750+", "1200+", "10000+"]:
        if bad in text and "tools" in text[text.find(bad):text.find(bad)+20]:
            issues.append(f"COUNT  {rel}  contains '{bad} tools' (use '1000+')")

    # Check broken :doc: references
    for m in re.finditer(r':doc:`([^`]+)`', text):
        ref = m.group(1).lstrip('/')
        # Strip any display text (format: display <path>)
        if ' <' in ref:
            ref = re.search(r'<([^>]+)>', ref).group(1)
        base = DOCS / Path(ref.replace('/', '/'))
        candidates = [base.with_suffix('.rst'), base.with_suffix('.md'),
                      base / 'index.rst', base / 'index.md']
        if not any(c.exists() for c in candidates):
            line = text[:m.start()].count('\n') + 1
            issues.append(f"LINK   {rel}:{line}  broken :doc:`{ref}`")

# Check navbar in conf.py
conf = Path("docs/conf.py").read_text()
for bad_nav in ['"API"', '"API Keys"', '"Contribution"']:
    if bad_nav in conf:
        issues.append(f"NAV    conf.py  navbar contains {bad_nav}")
if "aiscientist.tools" not in conf:
    issues.append("NAV    conf.py  navbar missing aiscientist.tools link")

# Check per-platform page line counts
platform_dir = DOCS / "guide" / "building_ai_scientists"
for rst in platform_dir.glob("*.rst"):
    if rst.name in ("index.rst", "mcp_support.rst", "compact_mode.rst",
                    "mcpb_introduction.rst", "mcp_name_shortening.rst"):
        continue
    lines = rst.read_text().splitlines()
    if len(lines) > 15:
        issues.append(f"SIZE   guide/building_ai_scientists/{rst.name}  {len(lines)} lines (max 15)")

if issues:
    for i in sorted(issues):
        print(i)
    sys.exit(1)
else:
    print("Phase E clean")
EOF
```

When Phase E reports issues, apply the less-is-more decision tree above. Fix all items before proceeding to Phase C.

---

## Phase C: Live Code Execution

```bash
python scripts/test_doc_code_blocks.py
```

The runner injects a real `ToolUniverse` instance as preamble, skips blocks needing API keys or async, and classifies `NameError` on out-of-scope variables as "context-dependent" (not a failure).

**Common runtime failures:**

| Error | Cause | Fix |
|-------|-------|-----|
| `KeyError: 'parameters'` | `tool_specification()` without `format="openai"` | Add `format="openai"` |
| `KeyError: slice(...)` on OpenTargets result | Slicing a dict | Use `result['data']['disease']['associatedTargets']['rows'][:N]` |
| `TypeError: load_tools() got unexpected kwarg` | `use_cache` or `cache_dir` | Remove the kwarg |

---

## Phase A: Automated Validation

```bash
python scripts/validate_documentation.py
```

```python
# scripts/validate_documentation.py checks:
DEPRECATED_PATTERNS = [
    (r"python -m tooluniverse\.server", "tooluniverse-server"),
    (r"600\+?\s+tools", "1000+ tools"),
    (r"750\+?\s+tools", "1000+ tools"),
]
```

---

## Phase B: ToolUniverse-Specific Audit

**Circular navigation** — trace `index.rst → quickstart → getting_started` manually; no loops allowed.

**Tool count** — "1000+ tools" consistently everywhere. Run: `rg "[0-9]+\+?\s+(tools|integrations)" docs/ --no-filename | sort -u`

**Auto-generated headers** — `docs/tools/*_tools.rst` and `docs/api/*.rst` must start with `.. AUTO-GENERATED`.

**CLI docs** — every entry under `[project.scripts]` in `pyproject.toml` must appear in `docs/reference/cli_tools.rst`.

**Env vars** — every `os.getenv("TOOLUNIVERSE_*")` in `src/` must appear in `docs/reference/environment_variables.rst`.

---

## RST Code Block Extractor (important)

Always use `re.MULTILINE` (not `re.DOTALL`) for RST blocks to avoid merging adjacent blocks:

```python
# correct
re.findall(r"\.\. code-block:: python\n((?:[ \t]+[^\n]*\n|[ \t]*\n)*)", text, re.MULTILINE)

# wrong — merges adjacent blocks
re.findall(r"\.\..*?code-block.*?python\n((?:[ \t]+.*\n|\n)*)", text, re.DOTALL)
```

---

## Validation Checklist

All items must pass before the audit is done. A partial pass is not acceptable.

**Technical correctness:**
- [ ] Phase D scan exits 0 — no invalid method calls
- [ ] `python scripts/test_doc_code_blocks.py` exits 0 — no runtime failures
- [ ] No `spec['parameters']` without `format="openai"`
- [ ] Automated validation passes (0 HIGH issues)
- [ ] All CLIs from `pyproject.toml` documented
- [ ] No circular navigation

**Less is more (Apple-style):**
- [ ] Phase E scan exits 0 — no emojis, no wrong counts, no broken links, no oversized pages
- [ ] "1000+ tools" used consistently everywhere (not 600+, 750+, 10000+, etc.)
- [ ] Each per-platform setup page: install link + MCP guide link + setup prompt only (≤15 lines)
- [ ] No duplicate setup instructions anywhere on the site
- [ ] Navbar: no "API", "API Keys", "Contribution"; has `aiscientist.tools` link
- [ ] Homepage "Explore More" grid: ≤4 cards
- [ ] No concept or section appears verbatim in more than one place
- [ ] No "See Also" / "Related" section with more than 4 links

If any item is failing: stop, fix it, re-run the relevant phase, confirm it passes. Do not proceed to the next item until the current one is clean.

---

## Reference Files

- [API_REFERENCE.md](API_REFERENCE.md) — valid method signatures, wrong-method table, correct patterns
- [DOCS_STRUCTURE.md](DOCS_STRUCTURE.md) — per-file audit status for all doc files
- `scripts/test_doc_code_blocks.py` — Phase C live runner