Updating Documentation

VerifiedSafe

This skill updates documentation and README files to reflect code changes. It covers common doc types like README, CHANGELOG, API docs, config docs, and architecture docs. Use it after feature work or when asked to "update docs", "write readme", etc., but not for code changes or exploratory reading.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationBeginner
1106/2/2026
Claude Code
#documentation#readme#changelog#api-docs#git

Recommended for

Our review

Syncs documentation with code changes to keep docs accurate and current.

Strengths

  • Automates updates to README, CHANGELOG, and API documentation.
  • Leverages built-in scripts for journaling and status tracking.
  • Verifies accuracy of code examples and hyperlinks.

Limitations

  • Requires file access and Git context to detect changes.
  • Does not update screenshots automatically; manual intervention needed.
When to use it

Use this skill after completing feature work or when instructed to update documentation.

When not to use it

Do not use for code changes or for reading documentation without updating it.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score85/100

The skill only uses safe built-in tools (Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep) and suggests standard git and shell commands for documentation updates. No destructive, exfiltrating, or obfuscated actions are present.

No concerns found

Examples

Post-feature documentation
Update the docs for the new auth feature
Quick README update
Add installation instructions to README

name: updating-documentation description: > Update documentation and README files after feature work. Use when user says "update docs", "write readme", "document this", "add docs", "update documentation", or after completing a feature that needs doc updates. Do NOT use for: code changes (use implementing-features), reading docs for understanding (use exploring-codebase). compatibility: "Requires Claude Code with file access." allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep] metadata: author: agentic-framework version: "0.38.0"

Updating Documentation

Sync documentation with code changes to keep docs accurate and current.

Instructions

Step 1: Identify What Changed

Check what code was modified:

git diff --stat HEAD~1

Determine which docs need updating based on the changes.

Step 2: Update Relevant Docs

Common documentation updates:

  • README.md: New features, changed setup steps, updated examples
  • CHANGELOG.md: Entry for the version with what changed
  • API docs: New endpoints, changed parameters, updated responses
  • Configuration docs: New settings, changed defaults
  • Architecture docs: Structural changes, new components

Step 3: Verify Accuracy

  • Code examples in docs should be runnable
  • Links should point to existing files
  • Version numbers should be current
  • Screenshots should reflect current UI (if applicable)

Step 4: Use Framework Scripts

For framework-managed docs:

bash .agentic/tools/journal.sh "Topic" "Done" "Next" "Blockers"
bash .agentic/tools/status.sh focus "Current state"

Examples

Example 1: Post-feature documentation User says: "Update the docs for the new auth feature" Steps taken:

  1. Read the auth feature code to understand what was added
  2. Update README.md with new auth section
  3. Add CHANGELOG entry: "Added JWT authentication"
  4. Update API docs with new auth endpoints Result: Documentation matches the implemented feature.

Example 2: Quick README update User says: "Add installation instructions to README" Steps taken:

  1. Read existing README structure
  2. Check package.json/setup.py for install commands
  3. Write installation section with prerequisites and steps Result: Clear installation instructions added to README.

Troubleshooting

Docs out of sync with code Cause: Code changed without doc updates. Solution: Run git log --oneline to find recent changes, then update docs for each relevant change.

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