Reference Documentation Creator Skill

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Reference Documentation Creator

This skill creates the reference documentation structure (docs/reference/) and smart documents (ADRs, Guides, Manuals) based on project's TECH_STACK. Documents are created only when justified (nontrivial technology choices with alternatives).

Purpose

Create the reference documentation directory structure (docs/reference/) with README hub, then generate ADRs, Guides, and Manuals only for justified (nontrivial) technology choices based on TECH_STACK from Context Store.

When to Use This Skill

This skill is a L2 WORKER invoked by ln-100-documents-pipeline orchestrator.

This skill should be used directly when:

Creating only reference documentation structure (docs/reference/)
Setting up directories for ADRs, guides, and manuals
NOT creating full documentation structure (use ln-100-documents-pipeline for complete setup)

Inputs

From ln-100 (via ln-110 Context Store):

{
  "context_store": {
    "PROJECT_NAME": "my-project",
    "TECH_STACK": {
      "frontend": "React 18",
      "backend": "Express 4.18",
      "database": "PostgreSQL 15",
      "orm": "Prisma 5.0",
      "auth": "JWT",
      "cache": "Redis 7"
    },
    "DEPENDENCIES": [...],
    "flags": { "hasBackend": true, "hasDatabase": true, "hasFrontend": true }
  }
}

TECH_STACK is used for smart document creation in Phase 2.

Workflow

The skill follows a 4-phase workflow: CREATE STRUCTURE → SMART DOCUMENT CREATION → VALIDATE STRUCTURE → VALIDATE CONTENT. Phase 2 creates documents only for justified technology choices.

Phase 1: Create Structure

Objective: Establish reference documentation directories and README hub.

Process:

1.1 Check & create directories:

Check if docs/reference/adrs/ exists → create if missing
Check if docs/reference/guides/ exists → create if missing
Check if docs/reference/manuals/ exists → create if missing
Check if docs/reference/research/ exists → create if missing
Log for each: "✓ Created docs/reference/[name]/" or "✓ docs/reference/[name]/ already exists"

1.2 Check & create README:

Check if docs/reference/README.md exists
If exists:
- Skip creation
- Log: "✓ docs/reference/README.md already exists, proceeding to validation"
If NOT exists:
- Copy template: ln-112-reference-docs-creator/references/reference_readme_template.md → docs/reference/README.md
- Replace placeholders:
  - {{VERSION}} — "1.0.0"
  - {{DATE}} — current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  - {{ADR_LIST}} — kept as placeholder (filled in Phase 4)
  - {{GUIDE_LIST}} — kept as placeholder (filled in Phase 4)
  - {{MANUAL_LIST}} — kept as placeholder (filled in Phase 4)
- Log: "✓ Created docs/reference/README.md from template"

1.3 Output:

docs/reference/
├── README.md         # Created or existing
├── adrs/            # Empty, ready for ADRs
├── guides/          # Empty, ready for guides
├── manuals/         # Empty, ready for manuals
└── research/        # Empty, ready for research documents

Phase 2: Smart Document Creation

Objective: Create ADRs, Guides, and Manuals for justified technology choices. Skip trivial/obvious selections.

2.1 Check Context Store:

If no context_store provided → skip Phase 2, proceed to Phase 3
If no TECH_STACK in context_store → skip Phase 2, proceed to Phase 3
Log: "Context Store received with TECH_STACK: [categories count]"

2.2 Load Justification Rules:

Read references/tech_justification_rules.md
Parse category → justified/skip conditions

2.3 Analyze TECH_STACK for ADRs:

For each category in TECH_STACK (frontend, backend, database, orm, auth, cache):

Check if justified (from justification rules):
- frontend: Justified if React/Vue/Angular/Svelte (multiple options exist)
- backend: Justified if Express/Fastify/NestJS/Koa (multiple options exist)
- database: Justified if PostgreSQL/MySQL/MongoDB (multiple options exist)
- auth: Justified if JWT/OAuth/Session (decision required)
- orm: Justified if Prisma/TypeORM/Sequelize (multiple options exist)
- cache: Justified if Redis/Memcached (decision required)
Skip if trivial:
- jQuery-only frontend (no framework choice)
- Simple http server (no framework)
- SQLite for dev only
- No auth required
- Raw SQL only
- In-memory cache only
Create ADR if justified:
- Determine next ADR number: adr-NNN-{category}.md
- Use template: shared/templates/adr_template.md
- MCP Research: mcp__context7__resolve-library-id(technology)
- Fill template:
  - Title: "ADR-NNN: {Category} Selection"
  - Context: Why decision was needed
  - Decision: Technology chosen with version
  - Rationale: 3 key reasons from research
  - Alternatives: 2 other options with pros/cons
- Save: docs/reference/adrs/adr-NNN-{category}.md
- Log: "✓ Created ADR for {category}: {technology}"
Skip if not justified:
- Log: "⊘ Skipped ADR for {category}: trivial choice"

2.4 Analyze TECH_STACK for Guides:

For each technology with complex configuration:

Check if justified:
- Has config file with >20 lines
- Uses custom hooks/middleware/decorators
- Has 3+ related dependencies
Create Guide if justified:
- Determine next guide number: NN-{technology-slug}-patterns.md
- Use template: shared/templates/guide_template.md
- MCP Research: mcp__Ref__ref_search_documentation("{technology} patterns {current_year}")
- Fill template:
  - Principle: Industry standard from research
  - Our Implementation: How project uses it
  - Patterns table: 3 Do/Don't/When rows
- Save: docs/reference/guides/NN-{technology}-patterns.md
- Log: "✓ Created Guide for {technology}"
Skip if standard usage:
- Log: "⊘ Skipped Guide for {technology}: standard usage"

2.5 Analyze TECH_STACK for Manuals:

For each package with complex API:

Check if justified:
- Package has >10 exported methods
- Has breaking changes in current version
- NOT in trivial list: lodash, uuid, dotenv
Create Manual if justified:
- Use template: shared/templates/manual_template.md
- MCP Research: mcp__context7__get-library-docs(topic: "API")
- Fill template:
  - Package info with version
  - 2-3 most used methods
  - Configuration section
- Save: docs/reference/manuals/{package}-{version}.md
- Log: "✓ Created Manual for {package}"
Skip if trivial API:
- Log: "⊘ Skipped Manual for {package}: trivial API"

2.6 Report Smart Creation:

✅ Smart Document Creation complete:
  - ADRs created: [count] (justified: frontend, backend, database)
  - ADRs skipped: [count] (trivial: cache=in-memory)
  - Guides created: [count]
  - Guides skipped: [count]
  - Manuals created: [count]
  - Manuals skipped: [count]

Phase 3: Validate Structure

Objective: Ensure reference/README.md complies with structural requirements and auto-fix violations.

Process:

2.1 Check SCOPE tag:

Read docs/reference/README.md (first 5 lines)
Check for  tag
Expected: 
If missing:
- Use Edit tool to add SCOPE tag at line 1 (after first heading)
- Track violation: scope_tag_added = True

2.2 Check required sections:

Load expected sections from references/questions.md
Required sections:
- "Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)"
- "Project Guides"
- "Package Manuals"
- "Research"
For each section:
- Check if ## [Section Name] header exists
- If missing:
  - Use Edit tool to add section with placeholder:
```
## [Section Name]

{{PLACEHOLDER}}
```
  - Track violation: missing_sections += 1

2.3 Check Maintenance section:

Search for ## Maintenance header

If missing:

Use Edit tool to add at end of file:

## Maintenance

**Last Updated:** [current date]

**Update Triggers:**
- New ADRs added to adrs/ directory
- New guides added to guides/ directory
- New manuals added to manuals/ directory

**Verification:**
- [ ] All ADR links in registry are valid
- [ ] All guide links in registry are valid
- [ ] All manual links in registry are valid
- [ ] Placeholders {{ADR_LIST}}, {{GUIDE_LIST}}, {{MANUAL_LIST}} synced with files

Track violation: maintenance_added = True

2.4 Check POSIX file endings:

Check if file ends with single blank line
If missing:
- Use Edit tool to add final newline
- Track fix: posix_fixed = True

2.5 Report validation:

Log summary:

✅ Structure validation complete:
  - SCOPE tag: [added/present]
  - Missing sections: [count] sections added
  - Maintenance section: [added/present]
  - POSIX endings: [fixed/compliant]

If violations found: "⚠️ Auto-fixed [total] structural violations"

Phase 4: Validate Content

Objective: Ensure each section answers its questions with meaningful content and populate registries from auto-discovery (including documents created in Phase 2).

Process:

4.1 Load validation spec:

Read references/questions.md
Parse questions and validation heuristics for all 3 sections

4.2 Validate sections (parametric loop):

Define section parameters:

sections = [
  {
    "name": "Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)",
    "question": "Where are architecture decisions documented?",
    "directory": "docs/reference/adrs/",
    "placeholder": "{{ADR_LIST}}",
    "glob_pattern": "docs/reference/adrs/*.md",
    "heuristics": [
      "Contains link: [ADRs](adrs/) or [adrs](adrs/)",
      "Mentions 'Architecture Decision Record' or 'ADR'",
      "Has placeholder {{ADR_LIST}} or actual list",
      "Length > 30 words"
    ]
  },
  {
    "name": "Project Guides",
    "question": "Where are reusable project patterns documented?",
    "directory": "docs/reference/guides/",
    "placeholder": "{{GUIDE_LIST}}",
    "glob_pattern": "docs/reference/guides/*.md",
    "heuristics": [
      "Contains link: [Guides](guides/) or [guides](guides/)",
      "Has placeholder {{GUIDE_LIST}} or actual list",
      "Length > 20 words"
    ]
  },
  {
    "name": "Package Manuals",
    "question": "Where are third-party package references documented?",
    "directory": "docs/reference/manuals/",
    "placeholder": "{{MANUAL_LIST}}",
    "glob_pattern": "docs/reference/manuals/*.md",
    "heuristics": [
      "Contains link: [Manuals](manuals/) or [manuals](manuals/)",
      "Has placeholder {{MANUAL_LIST}} or actual list",
      "Length > 20 words"
    ]
  },
  {
    "name": "Research",
    "question": "Where are research/investigation documents stored?",
    "directory": "docs/reference/research/",
    "placeholder": "{{RESEARCH_LIST}}",
    "glob_pattern": "docs/reference/research/*.md",
    "heuristics": [
      "Contains link: [Research](research/) or [research](research/)",
      "Has placeholder {{RESEARCH_LIST}} or actual list",
      "Length > 20 words"
    ]
  }
]

For each section in sections:

Read section content:
- Extract section from reference/README.md
Check if content answers question:
- Apply validation heuristics
- If ANY heuristic passes → content valid, skip to next section
- If ALL fail → content invalid, continue
Auto-discovery (if content invalid or placeholder present):
- Scan directory using Glob tool (section.glob_pattern)
- If files found:
  - Extract filenames
  - Generate dynamic list:
```
- [ADR-001: Frontend Framework](adrs/adr-001-frontend-framework.md)
- [02-Repository Pattern](guides/02-repository-pattern.md)
- [Axios 1.6](manuals/axios-1.6.md)
```
  - Use Edit tool to replace placeholder with generated list
  - Track change: sections_populated += 1
- If NO files:
  - Keep placeholder as-is
  - Track: placeholders_kept += 1
Skip external API calls:
- Do NOT use MCP Ref search (template already has format examples)

4.3 Report content validation:

Log summary:

✅ Content validation complete:
  - Sections checked: 4
  - Populated from auto-discovery: [count]
  - Placeholders kept (no files): [count]
  - Already valid: [count]

Complete Output Structure

docs/
└── reference/
    ├── README.md                     # Reference hub with registries
    ├── adrs/                         # Empty or with ADR files
    ├── guides/                       # Empty or with guide files
    ├── manuals/                      # Empty or with manual files
    └── research/                     # Empty or with research files

Reference Files

Templates

Reference README Template:

references/reference_readme_template.md (v2.0.0) - Reference hub with:
- SCOPE tags (reference documentation ONLY)
- Three registry sections with placeholders
- Maintenance section

Document Templates (for Phase 2 Smart Creation):

shared/templates/adr_template.md - Nygard ADR format (7 sections)
shared/templates/guide_template.md - Pattern documentation (Do/Don't/When)
shared/templates/manual_template.md - API reference format
shared/templates/research_template.md - Research/Spike documentation

Justification Rules:

references/tech_justification_rules.md - Mapping: category → create/skip conditions

Validation Specification:

references/questions.md (v2.0) - Question-driven validation:
- Q1-Q3: Registry sections (ADRs, Guides, Manuals)
- Q4-Q7: Smart document validation (ADR context, alternatives, patterns)
- Auto-discovery hints

Best Practices

No premature validation: Phase 1 creates structure, Phase 3 validates it
Smart creation: Phase 2 creates documents only for justified choices
Parametric validation: Phase 4 uses loop for 3 sections (no code duplication)
Auto-discovery first: Scan actual files before external API calls
Idempotent: ✅ Can run multiple times safely (checks existence before creation)
Separation of concerns: CREATE → SMART DOCS → VALIDATE STRUCTURE → VALIDATE CONTENT

NO_CODE_EXAMPLES Rule (MANDATORY for Guides)

Guides document patterns, NOT implementations:

FORBIDDEN: Full function implementations, code blocks > 5 lines
ALLOWED: Do/Don't/When tables, method signatures (1 line), pseudocode (1-3 lines)
INSTEAD OF CODE: Reference source location: "See src/hooks/usePlan.ts:15-30"
TEMPLATE RULE: guide_template.md includes  tag - FOLLOW IT

Stack Adaptation Rule (MANDATORY)

ADRs must reference stack-appropriate alternatives (Compare React vs Vue, not React vs Django)
Guides must link to correct platform docs (Microsoft for .NET, MDN for JS)

Format Priority (MANDATORY)

Tables (Do/Don't/When) > ASCII diagrams > Lists > Text

Prerequisites

Invoked by: ln-110-documents-pipeline orchestrator

Requires:

docs/ directory (created by ln-111-project-docs-creator)

Creates:

docs/reference/ directory structure with README hub
Validated structure and content (auto-discovery from existing files)

Critical Rules

Justified creation only: Documents are created only for nontrivial technology choices with real alternatives; trivial/obvious selections are skipped
NO_CODE_EXAMPLES: Guides document patterns (Do/Don't/When tables), not implementations; no code blocks >5 lines
Stack adaptation: ADR alternatives must be stack-appropriate (React vs Vue, not React vs Django); links must match platform docs
Format priority: Tables (Do/Don't/When) > ASCII diagrams > Lists > Text
Idempotent: Checks existence before creation; safe to run multiple times

Definition of Done

Before completing work, verify ALL checkpoints:

✅ Phase 1 - Structure Created:

[ ] docs/reference/ directory exists
[ ] docs/reference/adrs/ directory exists
[ ] docs/reference/guides/ directory exists
[ ] docs/reference/manuals/ directory exists
[ ] docs/reference/research/ directory exists
[ ] docs/reference/README.md exists (created or existing)

✅ Phase 2 - Smart Documents Created (if Context Store provided):

[ ] ADRs created for justified technology choices (nontrivial)
[ ] ADRs skipped for trivial choices (logged)
[ ] Guides created for technologies with complex config
[ ] Manuals created for packages with complex API
[ ] Each created document has real content (not placeholders)

✅ Phase 3 - Structure Validated:

[ ] SCOPE tag present in first 5 lines
[ ] Four registry sections present (ADRs, Guides, Manuals, Research)
[ ] Maintenance section present at end
[ ] POSIX file endings compliant

✅ Phase 4 - Content Validated:

[ ] All sections checked against questions.md
[ ] Placeholders populated from auto-discovery (including Phase 2 documents)
[ ] No validation heuristic failures

✅ Reporting:

[ ] Phase 1 logged: creation summary
[ ] Phase 2 logged: smart creation (created/skipped counts)
[ ] Phase 3 logged: structural fixes (if any)
[ ] Phase 4 logged: content updates (if any)

Technical Details

Standards:

Michael Nygard's ADR Format (7 sections)
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018 (Documentation standards)

Language: English only

Version: 8.2.0 Last Updated: 2025-01-12

Agent Skills: Reference Documentation Creator

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