Agent skill · writing content · mcollina
documentation
Creates, structures, and reviews technical documentation following the Diátaxis framework (tutorials, how-to guides, reference, and explanation pages). Use when a user needs to write or reorganize docs, structure a tutorial vs. a how-to guide, build reference docs or API documentation, create explanation pages, choose between Diátaxis documentation types, or improve existing documentation structure. Trigger terms include: documentation structure, Diátaxis, tutorials vs how-to guides, organize docs, user guide, reference docs, technical writing.
Why this skill is useful
Provides structured patterns and guidelines for creating various types of technical documentation that the AI may not generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-03. 1,894 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
When to use Use this skill when you need to create, review, or improve technical documentation following the Diátaxis framework. Examples include: Creating user guides API documentation Tutorial content Restructuring existing documentation to better serve different user needs and contexts Instructions Organize documentation into four distinct types — tutorials, how-to guides, reference material, and explanations — each serving different user needs and contexts. Always ask clarifying questions about the user's context, audience, and goals before creating documentation. --- Step 1 — Identify the documentation type Use the following decision checklist based on user signals: User signal Documentation type --- --- "I'm new to X and want to learn it" / "walk me through" Tutorial "How do I…?" / "I need to accomplish X" How-to guide "What are the parameters/options/syntax for X?" Reference "Why does X work this way?" / "Help me understand X" Explanation Quick decision tree: Is the user learning by doing for the first time? → Tutorial Do they need to solve a specific problem they already understand? → How-to guide Do they need technical facts to look up? → Reference Do they want conceptual background? → Explanation --- Step 2 — Apply type-specific patterns Tutorials (learning-oriented) Title pattern: Start with a verb — "Build your first X", "Create a Y from scratch" Structure: Goal → Prerequisites → Numbered steps → Immediate verifiable result at each step → Final outcome Minimise explanation; maximise doing Every step must produce a visible, testable result Validation: A beginner must be able to complete the tutorial without external help Example intro: "In this tutorial, you will build a simple REST API using Express. By the end, you will have a running server that responds to GET requests. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills mcollina/documentation