Write and maintain technical documentation. Trigger with "write docs for", "document this", "create a README", "write a runbook", "onboarding guide", or when the user needs help with any form of technical writing — API docs, architecture docs, or operational runbooks.
Install with the open skills CLI (global, non-interactive — available in every Claude Code session):
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill "documentation" -g -a claude-code -yOr manually — copy the SKILL.md below into:
~/.claude/skills/documentation-anthropics/SKILL.md---
name: documentation
description: Write and maintain technical documentation. Trigger with "write docs for", "document this", "create a README", "write a runbook", "onboarding guide", or when the user needs help with any form of technical writing — API docs, architecture docs, or operational runbooks.
---
# Technical Documentation
Write clear, maintainable technical documentation for different audiences and purposes.
## Document Types
### README
- What this is and why it exists
- Quick start (< 5 minutes to first success)
- Configuration and usage
- Contributing guide
### API Documentation
- Endpoint reference with request/response examples
- Authentication and error codes
- Rate limits and pagination
- SDK examples
### Runbook
- When to use this runbook
- Prerequisites and access needed
- Step-by-step procedure
- Rollback steps
- Escalation path
### Architecture Doc
- Context and goals
- High-level design with diagrams
- Key decisions and trade-offs
- Data flow and integration points
### Onboarding Guide
- Environment setup
- Key systems and how they connect
- Common tasks with walkthroughs
- Who to ask for what
## Principles
1. **Write for the reader** — Who is reading this and what do they need?
2. **Start with the most useful information** — Don't bury the lede
3. **Show, don't tell** — Code examples, commands, screenshots
4. **Keep it current** — Outdated docs are worse than no docs
5. **Link, don't duplicate** — Reference other docs instead of copying
Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints
Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session