Documentation Quality Standards

Use this skill when documentation should be judged against explicit standards instead of subjective preference.

• Leverage native parallel subagent dispatch and 200k+ context windows where available.

Activation Conditions

Use symptom -> action triggers: when one matches, apply this skill and verify with the protocol below.

• Reviewing docs before merge
• Creating or updating a style guide
• Defining expectations for examples, structure, and terminology
• Auditing a docs set for consistency and readability

Core Standards

• Clear audience and scope
• Stable heading hierarchy
• Runnable or honest examples
• Consistent terminology
• Explicit edge cases, constraints, and failure modes

Documentation Stack Reference

Inherit the shared stack from documentation-patterns: source-of-truth discovery, audience framing, structure selection, verification, and freshness checks. Keep this skill focused on quality gates instead of restating the full stack.

Cross-Client Portability

This skill is written to stay usable across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex.

• GitHub Copilot: keep the folder in a Copilot-visible skill path or wrap the workflow in project instructions when folder discovery is unavailable.
• Claude Code: keep the folder in a local skills directory or a compatible plugin source.
• Codex: install or sync the folder into $CODEX_HOME/skills/documentation-quality and restart Codex after major changes.

MCP Availability And Fallback

Preferred MCP Server: None required

• Fallback prompt: "Use the Documentation Quality Standards skill without MCP. Rely on its local instructions, bundled resources, standard shell or editor tools, and direct verification. Show the evidence used before concluding."
• Do not claim an MCP operation was used when the active host does not expose it.
• Treat local files, tests, rendered outputs, logs, or screenshots as the fallback evidence path.

Anti-Patterns

• Writing for the author instead of the reader: It bakes in unstated context and leaves the actual audience unsure what to do next.
• Skipping concrete examples or commands: Abstract guidance is easy to approve and hard to apply correctly.
• Letting links, screenshots, or versions drift: Polished formatting does not help if the instructions are no longer true.

Verification Protocol

Before claiming "skill applied successfully":

1. Pass/fail: The Documentation Quality output identifies audience, purpose, source of truth, and freshness requirements.
2. Pass/fail: Shared documentation-stack guidance is referenced instead of duplicating another documentation skill.
3. Pass/fail: Claims, links, commands, examples, and screenshots are verified or explicitly marked unverified.
4. Pressure-test scenario: Apply the skill to a doc request with a stale command, missing owner, and conflicting audience.
5. Success metric: Zero undocumented assumptions; every reader-facing claim is sourced or scoped.

Quality Checklist

• Title and purpose are clear
• Heading levels do not jump unexpectedly
• Code examples have language tags and realistic inputs
• Commands match current tooling
• Links and file paths are accurate

Cross-Skill Workflow

• Use documentation-authoring when the content itself still needs to be drafted or clarified.
• Use documentation-patterns when the review shows that the problem is document shape rather than wording.
• Use this skill as the final standards check before publish or merge.

Agent Prompt Template

Use the documentation-quality skill to review this document against explicit standards.
Artifact: [file or pasted draft].
Audience: [who will read it].
Check for clarity, completeness, accurate examples, terminology consistency, and stale references.
Report concrete findings first, then suggest the smallest high-value fixes.

References & Resources

Documentation

• Writing Standards - Clarity, example quality, terminology, and formatting guidance

Scripts

• Doc Style Audit - Check Markdown files for heading jumps, long lines, tabs, and trailing whitespace

Related Skills

• documentation-authoring: Use it when the workflow also needs drafting structured technical or product documents.
• documentation-patterns: Use it when the workflow also needs reusable documentation structures and templates.
• documentation-verification: Use it when the workflow also needs final documentation validation before publishing.
• notion-docs: Use it when the workflow also needs Notion page and database publishing workflows.