JavaDoc Documentation Standards

VerifiedSafe

Master JavaDoc standards for documenting Java classes, methods, and code examples with clarity and consistency.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationIntermediate
306/2/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurf
#javadoc#java#documentation#standards#code-examples

Recommended for

Our review

This skill provides standards for writing JavaDoc documentation in Java projects, covering classes, methods, code examples, and error references.

Strengths

  • Ensures consistency in Java code documentation.
  • Covers all major JavaDoc elements (classes, methods, snippets).
  • Includes patterns for code examples using @snippet and @code.
  • Provides a reference for troubleshooting JavaDoc errors.

Limitations

  • Assumes standard JavaDoc and does not support custom tags.
  • Requires the presence of referenced standards files (javadoc-core.md, etc.).
  • May not cover all framework-specific documentation needs (Spring, Jakarta EE).
When to use it

When you need to document Java code with JavaDoc in a consistent and structured manner.

When not to use it

For projects in other languages or those not using JavaDoc.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score85/100

The skill only instructs reading/editing/writing JavaDoc-related files and loading markdown standards. No destructive or exfiltration commands are present. Bash is allowed but not explicitly invoked in dangerous ways.

No concerns found

Examples

Document a class
Add JavaDoc documentation to the following Java class following the project's standards: public class TokenValidator { ... }
Document a method with parameters and exceptions
Write a JavaDoc comment for the method validate(String token) that validates a JWT token, including @param, @return, and @throws tags.
Add a code snippet example
Add a @snippet example to the JavaDoc of the parse(String filename) method that shows how to use the ConfigParser class.

name: javadoc description: JavaDoc documentation standards including class, method, and code example patterns allowed-tools: [Read, Edit, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob]

JavaDoc Skill

EXECUTION MODE: You are now executing this skill. DO NOT explain or summarize these instructions to the user. IMMEDIATELY begin the workflow below based on the task context.

JavaDoc documentation standards for Java projects. This skill covers class documentation, method documentation, code examples, and error references.

Prerequisites

This skill applies to all Java projects using standard JavaDoc.

Workflow

Step 1: Load Core Standards

CRITICAL: Load this standard for any JavaDoc work.

Read: standards/javadoc-core.md

This provides foundational rules for:

  • Mandatory documentation requirements
  • Clarity, completeness, and consistency principles
  • Tag ordering standards

Step 2: Load Specific Standards (As Needed)

Class Documentation (load for class-level docs):

Read: standards/javadoc-class-documentation.md

Use when: Documenting classes, interfaces, enums, or annotations.

Method Documentation (load for method-level docs):

Read: standards/javadoc-method-documentation.md

Use when: Documenting methods, including parameters, returns, and exceptions.

Code Examples (load for example snippets):

Read: standards/javadoc-code-examples.md

Use when: Adding code examples to documentation using @snippet or @code.

Error Reference (load for troubleshooting):

Read: standards/javadoc-error-reference.md

Use when: Fixing JavaDoc errors or warnings.

Key Rules Summary

Class Documentation

/**
 * Validates JWT tokens against configured issuer and signing keys.
 *
 * <p>This validator supports both HMAC and RSA algorithms with
 * configurable clock skew tolerance for distributed systems.
 *
 * @since 1.0
 * @see TokenConfig
 */
@ApplicationScoped
public class TokenValidator { }

Method Documentation

/**
 * Validates the JWT token signature and expiration time.
 *
 * @param token the JWT token to validate, must not be null
 * @return validation result containing status and error messages
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if token is null or empty
 */
public ValidationResult validate(String token) { }

Code Examples

/**
 * Parses JSON configuration from a file.
 *
 * <p>Example usage:
 * {@snippet :
 * Config config = ConfigParser.parse("config.json");
 * String value = config.get("key");
 * }
 */
public Config parse(String filename) { }

Tag Order

/**
 * Description.
 *
 * @param name description
 * @return description
 * @throws ExceptionType description
 * @since version
 * @see reference
 * @deprecated reason
 */

Related Skills

  • pm-dev-java:java-core - Core Java patterns
  • pm-dev-java:java-null-safety - Null annotations in docs

Standards Reference

| Standard | Purpose | |----------|---------| | javadoc-core.md | Core principles and mandatory requirements | | javadoc-class-documentation.md | Class-level documentation | | javadoc-method-documentation.md | Method-level documentation | | javadoc-code-examples.md | @snippet and @code patterns | | javadoc-error-reference.md | Error troubleshooting |

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