[H1][DOCGEN]

Dictum: Documentation is a typed contract between author and reader.

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Single authority on documentation structure, content requirements, and generation workflow. Routes to task-specific references by document type. Code examples in references align with csharp-standards, python-standards, and ts-standards — those skills remain authority on code discipline; this skill governs documentation discipline.

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[1][LOAD_SEQUENCE]

Dictum: Foundation references apply to every documentation task.

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Step 1 — Foundation (always load first)

[INDEX]	[REFERENCE]	[FOCUS]
[1]	validation.md	Compliance checklists per type
[2]	patterns.md	Documentation anti-pattern codex

Step 2 — Task-specific (load per routing table)

[INDEX]	[REFERENCE]	[LOAD_WHEN]
[3]	readme-gen.md	README creation or update
[4]	adr.md	Architecture decision recording
[5]	code-docs.md	Code documentation (any language)
[6]	changelog-gen.md	Changelog or release notes
[7]	contributing-gen.md	CONTRIBUTING.md creation
[8]	architecture-gen.md	ARCHITECTURE.md creation or update

Step 3 — Template (scaffolding only)

[INDEX]	[TEMPLATE]	[ARCHETYPE]
[9]	readme.template.md	README
[10]	adr.template.md	ADR
[11]	architecture.template.md	ARCHITECTURE

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[2][CONTRACTS]

Dictum: Structural invariants constrain all documentation.

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Content discipline

• Documentation completes type signature — encode intent, constraints, failure semantics, domain invariants. Never restate what types and names already communicate.
• Every document targets one Diátaxis quadrant: Tutorial (learning), How-To (task), Reference (information), Explanation (understanding). Mixing quadrants produces documents that serve no audience well.

Generation discipline

• Exploration before generation: Read project structure, dependencies, existing documentation before producing new content. Generated documentation contradicting existing artifacts is worse than no documentation.
• Code examples are compilable/runnable — never pseudocode, never truncated. For libraries: importable. For services: curl with expected response. For CLIs: exact invocation with output.
• Audience-first structure: Organize content by reader need, not by implementation topology.

Density discipline

• Standards docs (docs/standards/*.md): canonical truth about document types. 125-200 LOC.
• Skill references (references/*.md): generation-specific instructions. <250 LOC each.
• Templates (templates/*.md): structural skeletons with placeholders, guidance, and checklists. <125 LOC each.

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[3][ROUTING]

Dictum: Task type determines reference loading.

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[INDEX]	[TASK]	[REFERENCES]	[TEMPLATE]	[STANDARDS_DOC]
[1]	README creation	readme-gen.md	readme.template.md	readme-standards.md
[2]	README update	readme-gen.md	—	readme-standards.md
[3]	ADR creation	adr.md	adr.template.md	adr-standards.md
[4]	ADR review	adr.md	—	adr-standards.md
[5]	Code documentation	code-docs.md	—	code-documentation-standards.md
[6]	CONTRIBUTING creation	contributing-gen.md	—	—
[7]	ARCHITECTURE creation	architecture-gen.md	architecture.template.md	architecture-standards.md
[8]	ARCHITECTURE update	architecture-gen.md	—	architecture-standards.md
[9]	Changelog entry	changelog-gen.md	—	changelog-standards.md
[10]	Release notes	changelog-gen.md	—	changelog-standards.md
[11]	Doc validation/audit	validation.md	—	(all applicable)

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[4][DECISION_TREES]

Dictum: Branching tables route ambiguous tasks.

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Document type selection:

[INDEX]	[SIGNAL]	[DOCUMENT_TYPE]
[1]	New project, no README exists	README
[2]	New directory with 2+ docs, no index	README (hub)
[3]	Monorepo package missing documentation	README (package)
[4]	Architectural choice with alternatives	ADR
[5]	Version release, feature completion	Changelog
[6]	New/modified exported API surface	Code-Doc
[7]	New project accepting external contributions	CONTRIBUTING
[8]	System with 10k+ LOC needing structural docs	ARCHITECTURE
[9]	Existing documentation accuracy concern	Validation

README scope routing:

[INDEX]	[CONTEXT]	[SCOPE]	[REFERENCE_SECTION]
[1]	Project root, full project documentation	Project root	readme-gen.md §3.1 row 1
[2]	packages/* or apps/* in monorepo	Package/workspace	readme-gen.md §3.4
[3]	src/modules/* or bounded context boundary	Module/feature	readme-gen.md §3.1 row 3
[4]	docs/ or directory with child .md files	Directory hub	readme-gen.md §3.3

README audience routing:

[INDEX]	[AUDIENCE]	[SECTION_DEPTH]	[EMPHASIS]
[1]	Evaluator	Title, Description, Badges	Problem/solution fit
[2]	Adopter	+ Install, Usage, License	Time to first value
[3]	Contributor	+ Architecture, Contributing	Orientation velocity

Code doc language routing:

[INDEX]	[LANGUAGE]	[FORMAT]	[EFFECT_TYPE_DOCS]
[1]	C#	XML Documentation	Fin<T> success/failure in <returns>
[2]	Python	Google Style	Result[T,E] in Returns section
[3]	TypeScript	TSDoc	Effect<A,E> in @returns tag

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[5][ANTI_PATTERNS]

Dictum: Named violations enable precise correction.

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Summary table — full examples in patterns.md.

[INDEX]	[PATTERN]	[SYMPTOM]	[CORRECTION]
[1]	TROPHY_README	Lists every file; no architecture explanation	Audience-tiered progressive disclosure
[2]	COMMIT_CHANGELOG	Git log dumped as changelog entries	User-facing language grouped by category
[3]	WALL_OF_TEXT_ADR	Context section narrates history	Bullet-point facts with explicit unknowns
[4]	PARAMETER_NOISE	@param name repeats "the name"	State constraint, range, or semantic origin
[5]	STALE_DOCS	Documents removed/changed functionality	Couple doc updates to code change workflow
[6]	PSEUDOCODE_EXAMPLE	Code examples that won't compile/run	Extractable, testable examples only
[7]	AUDIENCE_MIXING	Single doc targeting evaluators and contributors	One Diátaxis quadrant per document
[8]	TYPE_RESTATING	Comment says "Returns string" on -> str	Document what types cannot express

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[6][VALIDATION]

Dictum: Gates prevent documentation debt.

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[VERIFY]: Per-task completion — select checklist from validation.md matching document type.

[IMPORTANT]:

1. [ALWAYS] Load validation.md before marking any documentation task complete.
2. [ALWAYS] Verify code examples compile/run in the target language.

[CRITICAL]:

• [NEVER] Skip negative consequence documentation in ADRs.
• [NEVER] Ship a README without a runnable Usage example.
• [NEVER] Document code by restating type signatures.