Agent Skills: README Writer

README Writer

This skill guides the creation and maintenance of comprehensive, human-friendly README documentation by analyzing the codebase and ensuring documentation stays in sync with actual functionality.

NEVER Do When Writing READMEs

• NEVER run discovery serially when sub-agents are available — spawn parallel discovery agents for different aspects (entry points, dependencies, examples, existing docs) to analyze the codebase efficiently. Serial file-by-file scanning wastes time.
• NEVER document non-exported internal functions — only document the public API that's accessible through package entry points. Internal helper functions that aren't re-exported from index.ts don't belong in the README.
• NEVER fabricate usage examples — extract real examples from test files, JSDoc blocks, or examples/ directories. Made-up examples often contain subtle errors that confuse users.
• NEVER use the wrong package manager commands — check for lockfiles (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb) and use the matching package manager in all commands. Wrong commands break the user's first experience.
• NEVER skip comparing code to existing README — when updating documentation, identify what's missing, what's stale, and what signature changes occurred. Silent drift between code and docs causes user frustration.
• NEVER write robotic, AI-sounding text — use the humanizer skill to remove inflated language, promotional tone, and AI writing patterns. Documentation should sound like a helpful human wrote it.

When to Activate This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating a new README.md for a project or package
• Updating an existing README.md after code changes
• Auditing documentation for completeness and accuracy
• Converting sparse documentation into thorough guides
• User asks to "document this package" or "write a README"
• User mentions README in context of a monorepo subdirectory

When NOT to Use This Skill

Do not activate for:

• API documentation generation (use JSDoc/TSDoc tools)
• Changelog or release notes
• Internal developer notes not meant for README
• Documentation in formats other than Markdown

How to Use

Step 1: Locate the README Context

Identify where the README should live. In monorepos, this determines the scope of codebase analysis:

project-root/           # README here documents entire monorepo
├── packages/
│   └── my-lib/         # README here documents only my-lib
│       └── README.md
└── README.md

Step 2: Parallel Codebase Discovery

Use parallel sub-agents when available to discover different aspects of the codebase simultaneously. If sub-agents are not available, perform these discovery tasks inline but in the same systematic order.

Spawn these discovery agents in parallel (if sub-agents available):

Agent A — Entry Points & Public API

• Check package.json for main, module, types, exports fields
• Read the main entry point file (e.g., src/index.ts)
• Trace all re-exports to map the complete public API
• List all exported functions, classes, types, constants with signatures
• Return: entry point paths, complete export list with types

Agent B — Dependencies & Configuration

• Read package.json for dependencies, devDependencies, peerDependencies, scripts
• Check lockfile type (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb)
• Look for configuration files: tsconfig.json, .eslintrc*, vitest.config.*, etc.
• Return: dependency list (separate runtime vs peer), available scripts, package manager, configs found

Agent C — Examples & Usage Patterns

• Search for examples/ or __examples__/ directory
• Read test files (*.test.ts, *.spec.ts) for usage patterns
• Extract JSDoc @example blocks from source files
• Look for inline comments showing usage
• Return: example file paths, extracted usage patterns from tests, JSDoc examples

Agent D — Documentation Context (optional, runs concurrently)

• Check for existing README.md
• Look for CHANGELOG.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, LICENSE
• Check for TypeDoc/JSDoc configuration
• Return: existing doc files and their key sections

After all agents complete: merge findings and identify documentation gaps (what exists in code but not in README, what's documented but doesn't exist, signature mismatches)

Step 3: Compare Against Existing README

If a README exists, identify gaps:

• Missing exports: Public API not documented
• Stale examples: Code samples using deprecated patterns
• Missing sections: No installation, no quick start, no API reference
• Outdated commands: Wrong package manager, missing scripts

Step 4: Generate or Update README

Follow the README Structure and apply Writing Principles.

Use the README Template as a starting point for new READMEs.

README Workflow Decision Tree

Start
  ↓
Does README.md exist?
  ├─ No → Analyze codebase → Generate from template
  └─ Yes → Analyze codebase → Compare with existing
             ↓
         Identify gaps and staleness
             ↓
         Suggest specific changes
             ↓
         Apply updates (with user confirmation)

Key References

Load these as needed for detailed guidance:

• references/readme-structure.md - Section ordering and content requirements
• references/writing-principles.md - How to write human-sounding, thorough docs
• references/codebase-analysis.md - How to parse and understand code for documentation
• references/readme-template.md - Copy-pasteable template for new READMEs

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Create a README for this package"
• "Update the README to reflect recent changes"
• "The README is out of date, can you fix it?"
• "Document this library"
• "Write docs for packages/my-lib"
• "This package needs better documentation"

Required Skills

This skill requires the humanizer skill for reviewing generated content.

If humanizer is not available:

1. Check Settings > Capabilities to enable it
2. Or invoke it with /skill humanizer

The humanizer skill removes AI writing patterns and ensures documentation sounds natural. Without it, generated READMEs may contain robotic language, inflated significance claims, and other AI artifacts.

Important Notes

Package Manager Detection

Always use the correct package manager based on lockfiles:

| Lockfile | Package Manager | Install Command | |----------|-----------------|-----------------| | pnpm-lock.yaml | pnpm | pnpm install | | package-lock.json | npm | npm install | | yarn.lock | yarn | yarn | | bun.lockb | bun | bun install |

Table of Contents

Include a TOC for READMEs over ~200 lines. Place it after the heading area, before the Installation section.

Human-Sounding Writing

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use humanizer to review and refine generated README content.

Documentation should sound like it was written by someone who genuinely wants to help. The humanizer skill identifies and removes AI writing patterns including:

• Inflated significance language ("pivotal", "testament", "crucial")
• Promotional/advertisement-like tone
• Superficial -ing analyses
• Vague attributions and weasel words
• Em dash overuse and rule-of-three patterns

After generating README content, apply the humanizer skill to ensure the output sounds natural and human-written. See references/writing-principles.md for additional guidance specific to technical documentation.