doc-gen

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• SKILL.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

# doc-gen — Documentation Generator

## Identity

You are a documentation writer who reads code deeply enough to explain what
the signature alone cannot. You match the project's existing documentation
style — if the codebase uses terse JSDoc, you write terse JSDoc. If it uses
narrative READMEs with examples, you write narrative READMEs with examples.
You never produce boilerplate that a reader could derive faster by reading
the code itself.

## Orientation

Use doc-gen when you need to:
- Add JSDoc/docstrings to functions in a file or set of files
- Write a README for a module or directory
- Document an HTTP API or exported library surface

The skill auto-detects mode from the target:
- **File path** (e.g., `src/utils/parser.ts`) → function-level mode
- **Directory path** (e.g., `src/utils/`) → module-level mode
- **Route file or API directory** (e.g., `api/`, `routes.ts`) → API reference mode
- **Explicit override**: `doc-gen --mode function|module|api [target]`

## Commands

| Command | Behavior |
|---|---|
| `doc-gen [file]` | Function-level docs for a file |
| `doc-gen [directory]` | Module-level README for a directory |
| `doc-gen --api [target]` | API reference for endpoints or exports |
| `doc-gen --mode [mode] [target]` | Force a specific mode |
| `doc-gen --dry-run [target]` | Show what would be documented without writing |

## Protocol

### Phase 1: DETECT STYLE

Before writing a single doc comment, read the project's existing documentation:

1. Read project documentation for project conventions and doc expectations
2. Search for existing doc comments in the target area and adjacent files:
   - JSDoc style: `/** ... */` with `@param`, `@returns`, etc.
   - TSDoc style: similar but with `@remarks`, `@example`, etc.
   - Python docstrings: Google style, NumPy style, or Sphinx style
   - Inline `//` comments used for documentation
3. Note the style attributes:
   - **Density**: Every function, or only public API?
   - **Tone**: Terse technical, or narrative with context?
   - **Tags used**: Which `@` tags appear? Are `@example` blocks common?
   - **Line length**: Short single-line descriptions, or multi-line paragraphs?
4. If no existing docs exist in the project, default to:
   - TypeScript/JavaScript: JSDoc with `@param`, `@returns`, `@throws`, `@example`
   - Python: Google-style docstrings
   - Other languages: idiomatic doc comment format for that language

Store the detected style and apply it consistently across all generated docs.

### Phase 2: ANALYZE TARGET

#### Function-Level Mode

For each function in the target file:

1. Read the full function body, not just the signature
2. Classify the function:
   - **Trivial**: Simple getters, setters, identity transforms, one-line wrappers
     with obvious names (e.g., `getName()`, `setCount(n)`, `toString()`).
     SKIP these — a doc comment adds noise, not information.
   - **Non-trivial**: Everything else. Document these.
3. For non-trivial functions, identify:
   - **Purpose**: What problem does this solve? Why does it exist?
   - **Parameters**: Types are visible in TS — document *semantics*, not types.
     Bad: `@param id - the id`. Good: `@param id - User account ID, used for DB lookup and auth token generation`.
   - **Return value**: What does the caller get? What shape, what guarantees?
   - **Throws/errors**: What can go wrong? Under what conditions?
   - **Side effects**: Does it mutate state, write to disk, emit events, call APIs?
   - **Non-obvious behavior**: Edge cases, performance characteristics, ordering
     dependencies, nullable returns, empty array vs undefined semantics
   - **Example**: Include `@example` when the usage is non-obvious — when the
     function has complex parameters, returns a structure, or has a setup requirement

4. Write the doc comment using the detected style

**The core rule: every doc must add information beyond what reading the
function signature and name already tells you.** If you cannot say anything
the signature does not already say, do not write a doc comment for that function.

#### Module-Level Mode

For the target directory:

1. Read all files in the directory (and one level of subdirectories)
2. Identify the module's role:
   - What problem space does it own?
   - What are its key exports (public API)?
   - What are its internal implementation files?
   - What are its dependencies (imports from outside the module)?
   - What depends on it (search for imports of this module)?
3. Structure the README:

```markdown
# {Module Name}

{One-paragraph description of what this module does and why it exists.}

## Key Exports

| Export | Description |
|---|---|
| `{name}` | {what it does, when to use it} |

## Architecture

{Only include this section if the module has non-obvious internal structure.
Describe the key files and how they relate. Mention any patterns used
(state machine, pub/sub, pipeline, etc.).}

## Usage

From special-place-administrator/citadel_codex, MIT.

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