/scaffold

scaffold

Initialize documentation structure and templates for projects. Generates well-structured documentation files based on project type detection and standard patterns.

Usage

ccfg markdown scaffold                          # Default: scaffold README
ccfg markdown scaffold --type=readme            # Generate structured README
ccfg markdown scaffold --type=adr               # Generate ADR directory and template
ccfg markdown scaffold --type=api-docs          # Generate API documentation structure
ccfg markdown scaffold --type=changelog         # Generate CHANGELOG.md
ccfg markdown scaffold --type=contributing      # Generate CONTRIBUTING.md

Scaffold Types

readme (default)

Generate a structured README.md for the project.

Steps:

1. Detect project type from project files (language, framework, CLI vs library vs service)
2. Generate structured README.md: title, badges placeholder, description, prerequisites, installation, usage, configuration, development, testing, contributing reference, license
3. Sections ordered by reader need (what is this → how to use it → how to contribute)
4. Include table of contents for documents with more than 4 sections

Project type detection:

package.json         -> Node.js project (check for framework: express, next, react, etc.)
requirements.txt     -> Python project (check for framework: django, flask, fastapi, etc.)
go.mod               -> Go project
Cargo.toml           -> Rust project
pom.xml / build.gradle -> Java project
Gemfile              -> Ruby project
composer.json        -> PHP project

Generated sections:

# Project Name

<!-- badges -->

One-sentence description.

## Table of Contents

## Prerequisites

## Installation

## Usage

## Configuration

## Development

## Testing

## Contributing

## License

adr

Generate an Architecture Decision Records directory and template.

Steps:

1. Detect existing ADR directory or create <doc-root>/adr/
2. Generate ADR template file following MADR format: title, status, context, decision, consequences, alternatives
3. Generate ADR index file (<doc-root>/adr/README.md) linking all decision records

Generated files:

<doc-root>/adr/
├── README.md              (ADR index)
└── template.md            (blank ADR template)

api-docs

Generate API documentation structure.

Steps:

1. Detect API framework from project files (Express, FastAPI, Spring, Gin, etc.)
2. Generate API documentation structure: authentication, endpoints, request/response formats, error codes, rate limiting
3. Include example request/response blocks with placeholder data

Generated files:

<doc-root>/api/
├── README.md              (API overview)
├── authentication.md      (auth methods and tokens)
└── endpoints.md           (endpoint reference)

changelog

Generate a CHANGELOG.md following Keep a Changelog format.

Steps:

1. Generate CHANGELOG.md at the repository root
2. Include category headers: Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security
3. Include Unreleased section and version template with dates

Generated structure:

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/), and this project
adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added

### Changed

### Fixed

contributing

Generate a CONTRIBUTING.md for the project.

Steps:

1. Generate CONTRIBUTING.md at the repository root: getting started, development setup, coding standards reference, PR process, issue reporting, code of conduct reference
2. Detect project tooling to include relevant setup commands (npm install, pip install, go mod download, etc.)

Key Rules

Never Overwrite Existing Files

Always check if a file exists before creating it. If the target file already exists, skip with a notice. Never silently overwrite documentation.

README.md already exists. Skipping scaffold.
To regenerate, rename or remove the existing file first.

Project Type Detection

Detection is best-effort. Never prescribe a stack — respect what the project already uses. Use project files to detect language, framework, and tooling.

Doc Root Detection

Check for existing documentation directories in this order:

1. docs/ (preferred)
2. doc/
3. documentation/

Use the first match as the doc root for all generated output. If none exists, use docs/ as the default for new projects.

All scaffold types respect this detected root:

• ADR goes to <doc-root>/adr/, not hardcoded docs/adr/
• API docs go to <doc-root>/api/, not hardcoded docs/api/

Conventions Recommendation

Scaffold recommends creating a conventions document at <doc-root>/markdown-conventions.md. If the doc root directory exists, scaffold offers to create it. If no doc root structure exists, skip and note in output.

Generated Content Uses Project Context

• Project name detected from package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, or directory name
• Installation commands match detected package manager
• Test commands match detected test framework
• Placeholder sections use project-appropriate examples