Project Documentation

# Project Documentation (Meta-Skill)

Complete workflow for setting up and maintaining project documentation.

Installation

OpenClaw / Moltbot / Clawbot

```bash npx clawhub@latest install project-documentation ```

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When to Use

• Starting a new project and need docs structure
• Improving documentation on existing project
• Setting up ADRs, PRDs, or persona docs
• Want consistent documentation across projects

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Docs-First Philosophy

Start every project with documentation, not code:

1. ```
2. Define the idea → What is this? What problem does it solve?
3. Define the personas → Who uses this? What are their journeys?
4. Define the features → What does it do for each persona?
5. Define the stack → What technologies? Why?
6. Then build → With full context established
7. ```

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Directory Structure

``` docs/ ├── architecture/ # CURRENT STATE - Living docs of actual code │ ├── overview.md │ └── data-flow.md ├── guides/ # CURRENT STATE - How to use/operate │ ├── getting-started.md │ └── configuration.md ├── runbooks/ # CURRENT STATE - Short, actionable guides │ ├── local-dev.md │ ├── deploy.md │ └── database.md ├── planning/ # FUTURE - Not for docs site │ ├── roadmap.md │ └── specs/ ├── decisions/ # ADRs - Decision records │ ├── 001-tech-stack.md │ └── 002-auth-approach.md └── product/ # PRD, personas ├── overview.md ├── personas/ └── features.md ```

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Critical Separation: Current vs Future

| Category | Purpose | Goes on Docs Site? | |----------|---------|-------------------| | Current State | How things work now | Yes | | Planning | Future specs, designs | No | | Architecture | Living docs of code | Yes | | Roadmap/Todos | What we're working on | No | | Runbooks | How to operate | Yes | | Proposed Runbooks | Future plans | No |

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Documentation Types

Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)

Template: ```markdown # ADR-001: [Title]

Status [Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded]

Context [What is the issue we're solving?]

Decision [What did we decide?]

Consequences [What are the results - positive and negative?]

Alternatives Considered [What other options did we evaluate?] ```

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Template: ```markdown # PRD: [Feature Name]

Problem [What problem are we solving?]

Users [Which personas does this serve?]

Requirements - [ ] Requirement 1 - [ ] Requirement 2

Non-Goals [What are we explicitly NOT doing?]

Success Metrics [How do we know this worked?] ```

Persona Documentation

Template: ```markdown # Persona: [Name]

Who They Are - Background - Technical level - Goals

Pain Points - [Pain 1] - [Pain 2]

Journey 1. Discovery 2. Onboarding 3. Daily use 4. Advanced usage

Content Needs - Doc types they need - Format preferences ```

Runbooks

Template: ```markdown # Runbook: [Task Name]

Prerequisites - [Requirement 1] - [Requirement 2]

Steps 1. [Step 1] 2. [Step 2]

Verify [How to confirm success]

Troubleshooting | Problem | Solution | |---------|----------| | [Issue] | [Fix] | ```

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Roadmap Format

```markdown ## Roadmap

Current Sprint - [ ] Add user authentication endpoint - [ ] Create login form component - [ ] Wire form to auth endpoint

Backlog - [ ] Password reset flow - [ ] OAuth integration - [ ] Two-factor auth ```

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Quality Gates

Before shipping docs:

• [ ] Separates current state from planning
• [ ] Uses appropriate template for doc type
• [ ] Written for the right audience
• [ ] Actionable (runbooks) or explanatory (guides)
• [ ] No stale/outdated information

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Anti-Patterns

• Mixing future plans with current state — Confuses what's real
• Planning docs on docs site — Users expect reality
• One-size-fits-all docs — Different audiences need different depth
• Building features before personas — No context for decisions
• Documentation written once and forgotten — Keep it current

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Checklist for New Projects

• [ ] Create docs/ directory structure
• [ ] Write initial PRD/overview
• [ ] Document 2-3 personas
• [ ] Create ADR-001 for tech stack
• [ ] Set up roadmap format
• [ ] Create essential runbooks (local-dev, deploy)
• [ ] Separate planning/ from current-state docs

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Related Skills

• Commands: /bootstrap-docs, /new-feature
• Agent: development