Tech Documentation Skill

Technical documentation writing expertise, providing comprehensive methodology and templates for producing high-quality technical documentation.

When to Use

Trigger scenarios — use this skill when the user asks to:

• Write API documentation or developer guides
• Create architecture design documents
• Produce deployment or operations manuals

Overview

This is a comprehensive skill module focused on technical documentation writing, covering standards, templates, and best practices for various types of technical documentation to help teams produce high-quality, easy-to-understand, and maintainable documentation.

Core Capabilities

1. API Documentation

• OpenAPI/Swagger Specifications
• RESTful API Documentation
• GraphQL Documentation
• gRPC Interface Documentation
• API Change Logs
• Authentication and Authorization Documentation

2. Architecture Documentation

• Architecture Design Documents (ADD)
• Architecture Decision Records (ADR)
• System Architecture Diagrams (C4 Model, UML)
• Technology Selection Reports
• Architecture Evolution Roadmaps

3. Detailed Design Documents

• Module Design Documents
• Database Design Documents
• Interface Design Documents
• Algorithm Design Specifications
• Sequence Diagrams/Flowcharts

4. Deployment and Operations Documentation

• Deployment Manuals
• Operations Manuals
• Incident Response Manuals
• Monitoring and Alerting Configuration
• Performance Optimization Guides
• Backup and Recovery Procedures

5. User Manuals

• Product User Manuals
• Quick Start Guides
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Troubleshooting Guides
• Best Practices

6. Developer Documentation

• Contributing Guidelines (CONTRIBUTING.md)
• Coding Standards
• Development Environment Setup
• Testing Guides
• Release Processes

7. Project Management Documentation

• Project Plans
• Requirements Documents
• Test Plans
• Release Notes
• Change Logs (CHANGELOG)

8. Knowledge Base Documentation

• Technical Blog Posts
• Case Studies
• Problem Summaries
• Learning Notes

Documentation Principles

1. The 5C Principles

• Clear: Concise language, clear logic
• Concise: Avoid redundancy, get to the point
• Complete: Comprehensive information covering all needs
• Correct: Accurate content, verified and tested
• Consistent: Unified style, standardized terminology

2. Audience-Oriented

• Understand target audience (developers, operations, product, users)
• Use language and concepts familiar to the audience
• Provide information at different levels (overview → detailed)
• Include practical examples and best practices

3. Structured Organization

• Clear hierarchical structure
• Unified format and style
• Table of contents and navigation
• Cross-references

4. Maintainability

• Version control
• Change records
• Regular review and updates
• Feedback mechanisms

Documentation Templates

API Documentation Template (OpenAPI format, endpoints, error codes, changelog): see references/api-doc-template.md

Architecture Design Document Template (overview, requirements, architecture, tech stack, data, deployment): see references/architecture-template.md

Deployment Documentation Template (environment, prerequisites, deployment steps, rollback, monitoring): see references/deployment-template.md

Use Cases

New Project Launch

Create complete documentation system for new project:
- README.md
- API documentation
- Architecture design document
- Deployment documentation
- Contributing guidelines

API Design Review

Write API design documentation, including:
- Interface definitions
- Data models
- Error handling
- Security authentication

System Delivery

Prepare system delivery documentation package:
- System architecture documentation
- Deployment and operations manual
- User manual
- Incident response manual

Knowledge Management

Technical solution summary:
- Problem analysis
- Solutions
- Technical decisions
- Lessons learned

Integration Examples

Using in Agent

{
  "agent": "tech-writer",
  "skills": [
    "tech-documentation",
    "system-architecture",
    "api-design"
  ]
}

Referencing in Conversation

@tech-documentation Please create complete documentation for this API

Worked Example: Documenting POST /login

Task: "Write API documentation for a POST /login endpoint."

Step 1 — Scope with the requester. Audience: third-party integrators. Structure follows references/api-doc-template.md; responses use the {code, message, data, request_id, timestamp} envelope shown below (define it explicitly if your project uses a different one).

Step 2 — Write the document.

POST /login

Authenticates a user and returns an access token.

Request body

{
  "username": "john_doe",
  "password": "s3cret!"
}

Response 200

{
  "code": 0,
  "message": "Success",
  "data": { "token": "eyJhbGciOi...", "expires_in": 3600 },
  "request_id": "req_abc123",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-08T10:30:00Z"
}

Response 401 — invalid credentials

{
  "code": 40101,
  "message": "Invalid username or password",
  "request_id": "req_def456",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-08T10:30:01Z"
}

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/api/v1/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": "john_doe", "password": "s3cret!"}'

Step 3 — Self-check against the Documentation Quality Checklist below (endpoint, params, success + error responses, runnable example, all present).

Documentation Quality Checklist

Content Quality

• Information is accurate and complete
• Logic is clear and coherent
• Examples are realistic and usable
• Terminology is consistent and standardized

Readability

• Language is concise and clear
• Structure is well-organized
• Formatting is unified and attractive
• Diagrams are clear and easy to understand

Maintainability

• Version information is clear
• Change records are complete
• Contact information is accurate
• Regular review and updates

Accessibility

• Table of contents navigation is clear
• Search functionality is complete
• Links are valid and accurate
• Multiple formats are supported

Recommended Tools

Documentation Writing

• Markdown Editors: Typora, VS Code
• API Documentation: Swagger Editor, Postman
• Diagram Tools: Draw.io, PlantUML, Mermaid
• Screenshot Tools: Snipaste, Xnip

Documentation Hosting

• Static Sites: GitBook, Docusaurus, VuePress
• Team Collaboration: Confluence, Notion
• Version Control: Git, GitHub/GitLab

Documentation Generation

• API Documentation: Swagger/OpenAPI, ApiDoc
• Code Documentation: JavaDoc, JSDoc, Sphinx
• README Generation: readme-md-generator

Learning Resources

Recommended Books

• "Technical Writing: A Practical Guide"
• "Docs for Developers"
• "The Documentation Compendium"

Online Resources

• Google Developer Documentation Style Guide
• Microsoft Writing Style Guide
• Write the Docs

Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: December 2024 Maintainer: MindForge Team