docs-manager

---
name: docs-manager
description: >-
  Documentation management workflow for MkDocs sites and standalone markdown files —
  initialize, generate, update docs, and create change summaries. Use when asked to
  "create docs", "write README", "update documentation", "generate docs site",
  "write CONTRIBUTING", "manage documentation", or "docs changelog".
dependencies: []
---

# Documentation Manager Workflow

Execute a structured 6-phase workflow for managing documentation. Supports two documentation formats (MkDocs sites and standalone markdown files) and three action types (generate, update, change summary).

## Phase Overview

Execute these phases in order, completing ALL of them:

1. **Interactive Discovery** — Determine documentation type, format, and scope through user interaction
2. **Project Detection & Setup** — Detect project context, conditionally scaffold MkDocs
3. **Codebase Analysis** — Deep codebase exploration
4. **Documentation Planning** — Translate analysis findings into a concrete plan for user approval
5. **Documentation Generation** — Launch documentation writing tasks to generate content
6. **Integration & Finalization** — Write files, validate, present results

---

## Phase 1: Interactive Discovery

**Goal:** Determine through user interaction what documentation to create and in what format.

### Step 1 — Infer intent from input

Accept the following inputs:
- **action-or-description** — What kind of documentation to create or update

Parse the user's input to pre-fill selections:
- Keywords like "README", "CONTRIBUTING", "ARCHITECTURE" → infer `basic-markdown`
- Keywords like "mkdocs", "docs site", "documentation site" → infer `mkdocs`
- Keywords like "changelog", "release notes", "what changed" → infer `change-summary`

If the intent is clear, present a summary for quick confirmation before proceeding (skip to Step 4). If ambiguous, proceed to Step 2.

### Step 2 — Q1: Documentation type

If the documentation type is ambiguous or needs confirmation, prompt the user to choose:

- "MkDocs documentation site" — Full docs site with mkdocs.yml, Material theme
- "Basic markdown files" — Standalone files like README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, ARCHITECTURE.md
- "Change summary" — Changelog, release notes, commit message

Store as `DOC_TYPE` = `mkdocs` | `basic-markdown` | `change-summary`.

### Step 3 — Conditional follow-up questions

**If `DOC_TYPE = mkdocs`:**

Q2: Prompt the user — Existing project or new setup?
- "Existing MkDocs project" → `MKDOCS_MODE = existing`
- "New MkDocs setup" → `MKDOCS_MODE = new`

Q3 (if `existing`): Prompt the user — What to do?
- "Generate new pages"
- "Update existing pages"
- "Both — generate and update"
Store as `ACTION`.

Q3 (if `new`): Prompt the user — Scope?
- "Full documentation"
- "Getting started only (minimal init)"
- "Custom pages"
Store as `MKDOCS_SCOPE`. If custom, prompt the user for desired pages (free text).

**If `DOC_TYPE = basic-markdown`:**

Q2: Prompt the user — Which files? The user may select multiple options:
- "README.md"
- "CONTRIBUTING.md"
- "ARCHITECTURE.md"
- "API documentation"
Store as `MARKDOWN_FILES`. If "Other" is selected, prompt the user for custom file paths/descriptions.

**If `DOC_TYPE = change-summary`:**

Q2: Prompt the user — What range?
- "Since last tag"
- "Between two refs"
- "Recent changes"
Follow up for specific range details (tag name, ref pair, etc.).

### Step 4 — Confirm selections

Present a summary of all selections and prompt the user to choose:
- "Proceed"
- "Change selections"

If the user wants to change, loop back to the relevant question.

**Immediately proceed to Phase 2.**

---

## Phase 2: Project Detection & Setup

**Goal:** Detect project context automatically, conditionally scaffold MkDocs.

### Step 1 — Detect project metadata (all paths)

- Check manifests: `package.json`, `pyproject.toml`, `Cargo.toml`, `go.mod`, `pom.xml`
- Run `git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null`
- Note primary language and framework

### Step 2 — Check existing documentation (all paths)

- Search for files matching `docs/**/*.md`, `README.md`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `ARCHITECTURE.md`
- For MkDocs: check for `mkdocs.yml`/`mkdocs.yaml`, read if found

### Step 3 — MkDocs Initialization (only if `DOC_TYPE = mkdocs` AND `MKDOCS_MODE = new`)

1. Use the MkDocs Configuration Template (see below) to scaffold the configuration
2. Fill template with detected metadata (ask the user if incomplete)
3. Generate `mkdocs.yml`, create `docs/index.md` and `docs/getting-started.md`
4. Present scaffold for confirmation before writing

If `MKDOCS_SCOPE = minimal` (getting started only): write the scaffold files and skip to Phase 6.

### Step 4 — Set action-specific context (for update/change-summary)

For **update** modes, determine the approach:
- **git-diff** — Update docs affected by recent code changes (default if user mentions "recent changes" or a branch/tag)
- **full-scan** — Compare all source code against all docs for gap analysis (default if user says "full update" or "sync all")
- **targeted** — Update specific pages or sections (default if user specifies file paths or page names)

For **change-summary**, run `git log` and `git diff --stat` for the determined range.

**Immediately proceed to Phase 3.**

---

## Phase 3: Codebase Analysis

**Goal:** Deep codebase exploration to understand what to document.

**Skip conditions:**
- Skip for `change-summary` (uses git-based analysis instead — see below)
- Skip for MkDocs minimal init-only (`MKDOCS_SCOPE = minimal`)

### Step 1 — Build documentation-focused analysis context

Construct a specific context string based on Phase 1 selections:

| Selection | Analysis Context |
|-----------|-----------------|
| MkDocs generate | "Documentation generation — find all public APIs, architecture, integration points, and existing documentation..." |
| MkDocs update | "Documentation update — identify changes to public APIs, outdated references, documentation gaps..." |
| Basic markdown README | "Project overview — understand purpose, architecture, setup, key features, configuration, and dependencies..." |
| Basic markdown ARCHITECTURE | "Architecture documentation — map system structure, components, data flow, design decisions, key dependencies..." |
| Basic markdown API docs | "API documentation — find all public functions, classes, methods, types, their signatures and usage patterns..." |
| Basic markdown CONTRIBUTING | "Contribution guidelines — find dev workflow, testing setup, code style rules, commit conventions, CI process..." |
| Multiple files | Combine relevant contexts from above |

### Step 2 — Run deep codebase analysis

Refer to the **deep-analysis** skill (from the core-tools package) and follow its workflow.

Pass the documentation-focused analysis context from Step 1.

The deep analysis handles all exploration orchestration (reconnaissance, team planning, parallel exploration, and synthesis).

### Step 3 — Supplemental analysis for update with git-diff mode

After analysis, additionally:
1. Run `git diff --name-only [base-ref]` for changed files
2. Search existing docs for references to changed files/functions
3. Cross-reference with synthesis findings

### For change-summary path (instead of deep analysis)

1. Run `git log --oneline [range]` and `git diff --stat [range]`
2. Delegate to a code exploration task to analyze the changed files:
   - Focus: Analyze files changed in the specified range
   - For each significant change, identify what was added/modified/removed, impact on public APIs, and whether any changes are breaking
   - Return a structured report of findings

**Immediately proceed to Phase 4.**

---

## Phase 4: Documentation Planning

**Goal:** Translate analysis findings into a concrete documentation plan.

### Step 1 — Produce plan based on doc type

**MkDocs:**
- Pages to create (with `docs/` paths)
- Pages to update (with specific sections)
- Proposed `mkdocs.yml` nav updates
- Page dependency ordering (independent pages first, then pages that cross-reference them)

**Basic Markdown:**
- Files to create/update (with target paths)
- Proposed structure/outline for each file
- Content scope per file

**Change Summary:**
- Output formats to generate (Format 1: Changelog, Format 2: Commit message, Format 3: MkDocs page — only if MkDocs site exists)
- Range confirmation
- Scope of changes

### Step 2 — User approval

Prompt the user to choose:
- "Approve the plan as-is"
- "Modify the plan" (describe changes)
- "Reduce scope" (select specific items only)

**Immediately proceed to Phase 5.**

---

## Phase 5: Documentation Generation

**Goal:** Generate content using documentation writing tasks.

### Step 1 — Load templates

- If `DOC_TYPE = change-summary`: Use the Change Summary Templates (see below)
- If `DOC_TYPE = basic-markdown`: Use the Markdown File Templates (see below)

### Step 2 — Group by dependency

- **Independent pages/files** — Can be written without referencing other new content (API reference, standalone guides, individual markdown files)
- **Dependent pages/files** — Reference or summarize content from other pages (index pages, overview pages, README that links to CONTRIBUTING)

### Step 3 — Delegate to documentation writing tasks

Delegate each page/file to a documentation writing task.

Launch independent pages/files in parallel, then sequential for dependent ones (include generated content from independent pages in the prompt context).

**MkDocs prompt template:**
```
Documentation task: [page type — API reference / architecture / how-to / change summary]
Target file: [docs/path/to/page.md]
Output format: MkDocs
Project: [project name] at [project root]

MkDocs site context:
- Theme: Material for MkDocs
- Extensions available: admonitions, code highlighting, tabbed content, Mermaid diagrams
- Diagram guidance: Follow technical-diagrams conventions — use Mermaid for all diagrams with dark text on nodes.
- Existing pages: [list of current doc pages]

Exploration findings:
[Relevant findings from Phase 3 for this page]

Existing page content (if updating):
[Current content of the page, or "New page — no existing content"]

Generate the complete page content in MkDocs-flavored Markdown.
```

**Basic Markdown prompt template:**
```
Documentation task: [file type — README / CONTRIBUTING / ARCHITECTURE / API docs]
Target file: [path/to/file.md]
Output format: Basic Markdown
Project: [project name] at [project root]

File type guidance:
[Relevant structural template from Markdown File Templates section]

Exploration findings:
[Relevant findings from Phase 3 for this file]

Existing file content (if updating):
[Current content, or "New file — no existing content"]

Generate the complete file content in standard GitHub-flavored Markdown.
Do NOT use MkDocs-specific extensions (admonitions, tabbed content, code block titles).
Diagram guidance: Use Mermaid for all diagrams with dark text on nodes. GitHub renders Mermaid natively.
```

### Step 4 — Review generated content

- Verify structure, check for unfilled placeholders
- Validate cross-references between pages/files use correct relative paths

**Immediately proceed to Phase 6.**

---

## Phase 6: Integration & Finalization

**Goal:** Write files, validate, present results.

### Step 1 — Write files

**MkDocs:**
- Write pages under `docs/`
- Update `mkdocs.yml` nav — read current config, add new pages in logical positions, preserve existing structure

**Basic Markdown:**
- Write files to their target paths (project root or specified directories)
- For updates, modify existing files

**Change Summary:**
- Present outputs inline for review
- Write files as applicable (e.g., append to CHANGELOG.md)

### Step 2 — Validate

**MkDocs:**
- Verify all files referenced in `nav` exist on disk
- Check for broken cross-references between pages
- If `mkdocs` CLI is available, run `mkdocs build --strict 2>&1` to check for warnings (non-blocking)

**Basic Markdown:**
- Validate internal cross-references between files (e.g., README links to CONTRIBUTING)
- Check that referenced paths exist

### Step 3 — Present results

Summarize what was done:
- Files created (with paths)
- Files updated (with description of changes)
- Navigation changes (if MkDocs)
- Any validation warnings

For **change-summary**, present generated outputs directly inline.

### Step 4 — Next steps

Prompt the user to choose from relevant options:

**MkDocs:**
- "Preview the site" (if `mkdocs serve` is available)
- "Commit the changes"
- "Generate additional pages"
- "Done — no further action"

**Basic Markdown:**
- "Commit the changes"
- "Generate additional files"
- "Review a specific file"
- "Done — no further action"

---

## Error Handling

If any phase fails:
1. Explain what went wrong
2. Prompt the user to choose:
   - Retry the phase
   - Skip to next phase (with partial results)
   - Abort the workflow

### Non-Git Projects
If the project is not a git repository:
- Skip git remote detection in Phase 2 (omit `repo_url` and `repo_name` from mkdocs.yml)
- The `update` action with git-diff mode is unavailable — fall back to full-scan or targeted mode
- The `change-summary` action is unavailable — inform the user and suggest alternatives

### Basic Markdown on Non-Git Projects
- CONTRIBUTING.md is still viable — use project conventions instead of git workflow sections
- Skip branch naming and PR process sections; focus on code style, testing, and setup

### Phase Failure
- Explain the error clearly
- Offer retry/skip/abort options

---

## Change Summary Templates

Use these templates when generating change summaries in Phase 5.

### Format 1: Markdown Changelog

Follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/) conventions. Reference the **changelog-format** skill for additional guidance.

```markdown
## [Unreleased]

### Added
- Add [feature] with [key capability]
- Add [new component] for [purpose]

### Changed
- Update [component] to [new behavior]
- Refactor [module] for [improvement]

### Fixed
- Fix [bug] that caused [symptom]

### Removed
- Remove [deprecated feature] in favor of [replacement]
```

#### Guidelines
- Use imperative mood ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
- One entry per distinct change
- Group related changes under the same category
- Focus on user-facing impact, not implementation details
- Order categories: Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security

### Format 2: Git Commit Message

Follows [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) style.

```
type(scope): summary of changes

Detailed description of what changed and why. Cover the motivation
for the change and contrast with previous behavior.

Changes:
- List specific modifications
- Include file paths for significant changes
- Note any breaking changes

BREAKING CHANGE: Description of breaking change (if applicable)
```

#### Type Reference

| Type | Use For |
|------|---------|
| `feat` | New features |
| `fix` | Bug fixes |
| `docs` | Documentation changes |
| `refactor` | Code restructuring without behavior change |
| `perf` | Performance improvements |
| `test` | Adding or updating tests |
| `chore` | Build, CI, or tooling changes |

#### Guidelines
- Subject line: max 72 characters, imperative mood, no period
- Body: wrap at 72 characters, explain "why" not just "what"
- Include `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer for breaking changes
- Reference issue numbers where applicable: `Closes #123`

### Format 3: MkDocs Documentation Page

> **Scope:** This format applies only when the documentation target is an MkDocs site. For basic markdown projects, use Format 1 (Markdown Changelog) as the primary change summary output.

A full documentation page suitable for a changelog or release notes section.

```markdown
# Changes: VERSION_OR_RANGE

Summary of changes for this release or period.

## Highlights

> **Key Changes:** Brief summary of the most important changes in this release.

### New Features

#### Feature Name

Description of the new feature and its purpose.

### Improvements

- **Component**: Description of improvement
- **Performance**: Description of optimization

### Bug Fixes

- Fix [issue description] that affected [scenario] (#issue-number)

### Breaking Changes

> **Warning:** The following changes require action when upgrading.

#### Change Description

**Before:**
```language
// Old API or behavior
```

**After:**
```language
// New API or behavior
```

**Migration:** Steps to update existing code.

## Affected Files

| File | Change Type | Description |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| `path/to/file` | Modified | Brief description |

## Contributors

- @username — Description of contribution
```

#### Guidelines
- Highlight breaking changes and key features prominently
- Include before/after code examples for API changes
- Provide migration guidance for breaking changes
- Link to relevant documentation pages for new features
- List affected files with change types (Added, Modified, Removed)

### Choosing Formats

When the user requests a change summary, present the three format options:

| Format | Best For |
|--------|----------|
| **Markdown Changelog** | Appending to an existing CHANGELOG.md |
| **Git Commit Message** | Describing changes in a commit or PR |
| **MkDocs Page** | Publishing release notes in the documentation site |

The user may select multiple formats. Generate each independently — they serve different audiences and purposes.

---

## MkDocs Configuration Template

Use this template when scaffolding a new MkDocs project in Phase 2.

### Template

```yaml
site_name: PROJECT_NAME
site_description: PROJECT_DESCRIPTION
site_url: ""
repo_url: REPO_URL
repo_name: REPO_NAME

theme:
  name: material
  features:
    - navigation.tabs
    - navigation.sections
    - navigation.expand
    - navigation.top
    - search.suggest
    - search.highlight
    - content.code.copy
    - content.tabs.link
  palette:
    - scheme: default
      primary: indigo
      accent: indigo
      toggle:
        icon: material/brightness-7
        name: Switch to dark mode
    - scheme: slate
      primary: indigo
      accent: indigo
      toggle:
        icon: material/brightness-4
        name: Switch to light mode

markdown_extensions:
  - admonition
  - pymdownx.details
  - pymdownx.superfences:
      custom_fences:
        - name: mermaid
          class: mermaid
          format: !!python/name:pymdownx.superfences.fence_code_format
  - pymdownx.highlight:
      anchor_linenums: true
      line_spans: __span
      pygments_lang_guess: false
  - pymdownx.inlinehilite
  - pymdownx.tabbed:
      alternate_style: true
  - pymdownx.snippets
  - attr_list
  - md_in_html
  - toc:
      permalink: true

nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started: getting-started.md
```

### Field Descriptions

| Field | Description | How to Set |
|-------|-------------|------------|
| `site_name` | Display name in header and browser tab | Use the project name from `package.json`, `pyproject.toml`, `Cargo.toml`, or directory name |
| `site_description` | Meta description for SEO | Use the project description from manifest file, or summarize from README |
| `repo_url` | Link to source repository | Detect from `git remote get-url origin` |
| `repo_name` | Display text for repo link | Extract `owner/repo` from the remote URL |
| `site_url` | Production URL for the docs site | Leave empty during scaffolding — user can set later |

### Git Remote Detection

Use this approach to populate `repo_url` and `repo_name`:

```bash
# Get the remote URL
REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null)

# Convert SSH to HTTPS if needed
# git@github.com:owner/repo.git -> https://github.com/owner/repo
if [[ "$REMOTE_URL" == git@* ]]; then
  REMOTE_URL=$(echo "$REMOTE_URL" | sed 's|git@\(.*\):\(.*\)\.git|https://\1/\2|')
fi

# Extract owner/repo for repo_name
REPO_NAME=$(echo "$REMOTE_URL" | sed 's|.*/\([^/]*/[^/]*\)$|\1|' | sed 's|\.git$||')
```

If not a git repository or no remote is configured, omit `repo_url` and `repo_name` from the config.

### Starter Pages

#### `docs/index.md`

```markdown
# PROJECT_NAME

PROJECT_DESCRIPTION

## Overview

Brief overview of what the project does and who it's for.

## Quick Start

Minimal steps to get started:

1. Install the project
2. Run a basic example
3. Explore further documentation

## Documentation

| Section | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| [Getting Started](getting-started.md) | Installation and first steps |
```

#### `docs/getting-started.md`

```markdown
# Getting Started

## Prerequisites

List prerequisites here (language runtime, tools, etc.).

## Installation

Installation instructions for the project.

## Basic Usage

A minimal working example demonstrating core functionality.

## Next Steps

Links to further documentation sections.
```

## Integration Notes

**What this component does:** Manages documentation lifecycle for MkDocs sites and standalone markdown files, covering initialization, generation, updates, and change summaries through a 6-phase workflow.

**Capabilities needed:**
- File reading and searching (project detection, existing docs analysis)
- File writing and editing (documentation output)
- Shell command execution (git commands, mkdocs build)
- User interaction (documentation type selection, plan approval)
- Background task delegation (parallel documentation writing)

**Adaptation guidance:**
- Phase 3 loads **deep-analysis** from the core-tools package for codebase exploration — this is an external dependency; adapt the delegation mechanism to your platform
- Phase 3 also uses **code-explorer** from core-tools for change-summary analysis
- Phase 5 delegates to **docs-writer** tasks — see the docs-writer skill in this package
- The change summary templates and MkDocs configuration template (originally separate reference files) are inlined above
- The markdown file templates reference is in `references/markdown-file-templates.md` (kept separate due to size)

• SKILL.md 22 KB
• references/markdown-file-templates.md 8 KB