Documentation Strategy — Background Knowledge
This skill provides Claude Code with comprehensive knowledge of the Principled documentation strategy. It is not directly invocable — it informs Claude's behavior when documentation-related context is encountered.
When to Consult This Skill
Activate this knowledge when:
- •Working with any file in
docs/proposals/,docs/plans/,docs/decisions/, ordocs/architecture/ - •Creating, editing, or reviewing
README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,CLAUDE.md, orINTERFACE.md - •Discussing documentation structure, naming conventions, or lifecycle rules
- •A user asks about the documentation pipeline or module documentation strategy
- •Scaffolding a new module or validating an existing one
Reference Documentation
Read these files for detailed guidance on specific topics:
Structure and Components
- •
reference/structure-spec.md— Complete structural definition per module type: which directories and files are required for core, lib, and app modules, plus the root-level structure. - •
reference/component-guide.md— Purpose, audience, and content expectations for every documentation component (proposals, plans, decisions, architecture docs, README, CONTRIBUTING, CLAUDE, INTERFACE, runbooks, integration docs, config docs).
Naming and Numbering
- •
reference/naming-conventions.md—NNN-short-title.mdpatterns, slug rules (lowercase, hyphens, no special characters), zero-padding to 3 digits, sequence numbering rules, fixed-name files, directory naming.
Lifecycles and Immutability
- •
reference/lifecycle-rules.md— Proposal state machine (draft → in-review → accepted|rejected|superseded), plan lifecycle (active → complete|abandoned), ADR immutability contract (immutable after acceptance,superseded_byexception), valid transitions, and terminal state rules.
Domain-Driven Development
- •
reference/ddd-decomposition.md— How to apply DDD concepts when creating implementation plans: bounded contexts, aggregates, domain events, task decomposition, and practical examples.
Pipeline Overview
- •
diagrams/pipeline-overview.md— Visual representation of the Proposals → Plans → Decisions pipeline, lifecycle flows, data flow between stages, immutability boundaries, and module vs. root scope.
Key Principles
- •Existence is enforced, content is organic. Structure must be present. Placeholder TODOs are acceptable. Missing files are not.
- •Living docs reference immutable records. Architecture docs link to ADRs. ADRs are never modified after acceptance (except
superseded_by). - •Docs have audiences. Every file exists for a named reader in a named situation.
- •Proposals have lifecycles. Draft → In Review → Accepted/Rejected/Superseded.
- •Plans use domain-driven decomposition. Bounded contexts, aggregates, domain events, and concrete tasks.