compound-docs

compound-docs Skill

Purpose: Automatically document solved problems to build searchable institutional knowledge with category-based organization (enum-validated problem types).

Overview

This skill captures problem solutions immediately after confirmation, creating structured documentation that serves as a searchable knowledge base for future sessions.

Organization: Single-file architecture - each problem documented as one markdown file in its symptom category directory (e.g., docs/solutions/performance-issues/n-plus-one-auth-service.md). Files use YAML frontmatter for metadata and searchability.

---

<critical_sequence name="documentation-capture" enforce_order="strict">

7-Step Process

### Step 1: Detect Confirmation

Auto-invoke after phrases:

• "that worked"
• "it's fixed"
• "working now"
• "problem solved"
• "that did it"

OR manual: /doc-fix command

Non-trivial problems only:

• Multiple investigation attempts needed
• Tricky debugging that took time
• Non-obvious solution
• Future sessions would benefit

Skip documentation for:

• Simple typos
• Obvious syntax errors
• Trivial fixes immediately corrected

### Step 2: Gather Context

Extract from conversation history:

Required information:

• Module name: Which module or component had the problem
• Symptom: Observable error/behavior (exact error messages)
• Investigation attempts: What didn't work and why
• Root cause: Technical explanation of actual problem
• Solution: What fixed it (code/config changes)
• Prevention: How to avoid in future

Environment details:

• Rails version
• Stage (0-6 or post-implementation)
• OS version
• File/line references

BLOCKING REQUIREMENT: If critical context is missing (module name, exact error, stage, or resolution steps), ask user and WAIT for response before proceeding to Step 3:

I need a few details to document this properly:

1. Which module had this issue? [ModuleName]
2. What was the exact error message or symptom?
3. What stage were you in? (0-6 or post-implementation)

[Continue after user provides details]

### Step 3: Check Existing Docs

Search docs/solutions/ for similar issues:

# Search by error message keywords
grep -r "exact error phrase" docs/solutions/

# Search by symptom category
ls docs/solutions/[category]/

IF similar issue found:

THEN present decision options:

Found similar issue: docs/solutions/[path]

What's next?
1. Create new doc with cross-reference (recommended)
2. Update existing doc (only if same root cause)
3. Other

Choose (1-3): _

WAIT for user response, then execute chosen action.

ELSE (no similar issue found):

Proceed directly to Step 4 (no user interaction needed).

### Step 4: Generate Filename

Format: [sanitized-symptom]-[module]-[YYYYMMDD].md

Sanitization rules:

• Lowercase
• Replace spaces with hyphens
• Remove special characters except hyphens
• Truncate to reasonable length (< 80 chars)

Examples:

• missing-include-AuthService-20251110.md
• parameter-not-saving-state-PaymentProcessor-20251110.md
• webview-crash-on-resize-Assistant-20251110.md

### Step 5: Validate YAML Schema

CRITICAL: All docs require validated YAML frontmatter with enum validation.

<validation_gate name="yaml-schema" blocking="true">

Validate against schema: Load schema.yaml and classify the problem against the enum values defined in yaml-schema.md. Ensure all required fields are present and match allowed values exactly.

BLOCK if validation fails:

YAML validation failed

Errors:
- problem_type: must be one of schema enums, got "compilation_error"
- severity: must be one of [critical, high, medium, low], got "invalid"
- symptoms: must be array with 1-5 items, got string

Please provide corrected values.

GATE ENFORCEMENT: Do NOT proceed to Step 6 (Create Documentation) until YAML frontmatter passes all validation rules defined in schema.yaml.

</validation_gate>

### Step 6: Create Documentation

Determine category from problem_type: Use the category mapping defined in yaml-schema.md (lines 49-61).

Create documentation file:

PROBLEM_TYPE="[from validated YAML]"
CATEGORY="[mapped from problem_type]"
FILENAME="[generated-filename].md"
DOC_PATH="docs/solutions/${CATEGORY}/${FILENAME}"

# Create directory if needed
mkdir -p "docs/solutions/${CATEGORY}"

# Write documentation using template from assets/resolution-template.md
# (Content populated with Step 2 context and validated YAML frontmatter)

Result:

• Single file in category directory
• Enum validation ensures consistent categorization

Create documentation: Populate the structure from assets/resolution-template.md with context gathered in Step 2 and validated YAML frontmatter from Step 5.

### Step 7: Cross-Reference & Critical Pattern Detection

If similar issues found in Step 3:

Update existing doc:

Use the Edit tool to append - See also: [$FILENAME]($REAL_FILE) to the target similar doc.

Update new doc: Already includes cross-reference from Step 6.

Update patterns if applicable:

If this represents a common pattern (3+ similar issues), add it to docs/solutions/patterns/common-solutions.md:

1. If docs/solutions/patterns/common-solutions.md exists, use the Edit tool to append the following pattern block to the end of the file.
2. If it does not exist, use the Write tool to create it with the following content.

Content to append/write:

## [Pattern Name]

**Common symptom:** [Description]
**Root cause:** [Technical explanation]
**Solution pattern:** [General approach]

**Examples:**
- [Link to doc 1]
- [Link to doc 2]
- [Link to doc 3]

Critical Pattern Detection (Optional Proactive Suggestion):

If this issue has automatic indicators suggesting it might be critical:

• Severity: critical in YAML
• Affects multiple modules OR foundational stage (Stage 2 or 3)
• Non-obvious solution

Then in the decision menu (Step 8), add a note:

This might be worth adding to Required Reading (Option 2)

But NEVER auto-promote. User decides via decision menu (Option 2).

Template for critical pattern addition:

When user selects Option 2 (Add to Required Reading), use the template from assets/critical-pattern-template.md to structure the pattern entry. Number it sequentially based on existing patterns in docs/solutions/patterns/critical-patterns.md.

</critical_sequence>

---

<decision_gate name="post-documentation" wait_for_user="true">

Decision Menu After Capture

After successful documentation, present options and WAIT for user response:

Solution documented

File created:
- docs/solutions/[category]/[filename].md

What's next?
1. Continue workflow (recommended)
2. Add to Required Reading - Promote to critical patterns (critical-patterns.md)
3. Link related issues - Connect to similar problems
4. Add to existing skill - Add to a learning skill (e.g., hotwire-native)
5. Create new skill - Extract into new learning skill
6. View documentation - See what was captured
7. Other

Handle responses:

Option 1: Continue workflow

• Return to calling skill/workflow
• Documentation is complete

Option 2: Add to Required Reading PRIMARY PATH FOR CRITICAL PATTERNS

User selects this when:

• System made this mistake multiple times across different modules
• Solution is non-obvious but must be followed every time
• Foundational requirement (Rails, Rails API, threading, etc.)

Action:

1. Extract pattern from the documentation
2. Format as WRONG vs CORRECT with code examples
3. Add to docs/solutions/patterns/critical-patterns.md
4. Add cross-reference back to this doc
5. Confirm: "Added to Required Reading. All subagents will see this pattern before code generation."

Option 3: Link related issues

• Prompt: "Which doc to link? (provide filename or describe)"
• Search docs/solutions/ for the doc
• Add cross-reference to both docs
• Confirm: "Cross-reference added"

Option 4: Add to existing skill

User selects this when the documented solution relates to an existing learning skill:

Action:

1. Prompt: "Which skill? (hotwire-native, etc.)"
2. Determine which reference file to update (resources.md, patterns.md, or examples.md)
3. Add link and brief description to appropriate section
4. Confirm: "Added to [skill-name] skill in [file]"

Example: For Hotwire Native Tailwind variants solution:

• Add to hotwire-native/references/resources.md under "Project-Specific Resources"
• Add to hotwire-native/references/examples.md with link to solution doc

Option 5: Create new skill

User selects this when the solution represents the start of a new learning domain:

Action:

1. Prompt: "What should the new skill be called? (e.g., stripe-billing, payment-processing)"
2. Run python3 .claude/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py [skill-name]
3. Create initial reference files with this solution as first example
4. Confirm: "Created new [skill-name] skill with this solution as first example"

Option 6: View documentation

• Display the created documentation
• Present decision menu again

Option 7: Other

• Ask what they'd like to do

</decision_gate>

---

<integration_protocol>

Integration Points

Invoked by:

• /compound command (primary interface)
• Manual invocation in conversation after solution confirmed
• Can be triggered by detecting confirmation phrases like "that worked", "it's fixed", etc.

Invokes:

• None (terminal skill - does not delegate to other skills)

Handoff expectations: All context needed for documentation should be present in conversation history before invocation.

</integration_protocol>

---

<success_criteria>

Success Criteria

Documentation is successful when ALL of the following are true:

• YAML frontmatter validated (all required fields, correct formats)
• File created in docs/solutions/[category]/[filename].md
• Enum values match schema.yaml exactly
• Code examples included in solution section
• Cross-references added if related issues found
• User presented with decision menu and action confirmed

</success_criteria>

---

Error Handling

Missing context:

• Ask user for missing details
• Don't proceed until critical info provided

YAML validation failure:

• Show specific errors
• Present retry with corrected values
• BLOCK until valid

Similar issue ambiguity:

• Present multiple matches
• Let user choose: new doc, update existing, or link as duplicate

Module not in modules documentation:

• Warn but don't block
• Proceed with documentation
• Suggest: "Add [Module] to modules documentation if not there"

---

Execution Guidelines

MUST do:

• Validate YAML frontmatter (BLOCK if invalid per Step 5 validation gate)
• Extract exact error messages from conversation
• Include code examples in solution section
• Create directories before writing files (mkdir -p)
• Ask user and WAIT if critical context missing

MUST NOT do:

• Skip YAML validation (validation gate is blocking)
• Use vague descriptions (not searchable)
• Omit code examples or cross-references

---

Quality Guidelines

Good documentation has:

• Exact error messages (copy-paste from output)
• Specific file:line references
• Observable symptoms (what you saw, not interpretations)
• Failed attempts documented (helps avoid wrong paths)
• Technical explanation (not just "what" but "why")
• Code examples (before/after if applicable)
• Prevention guidance (how to catch early)
• Cross-references (related issues)

Avoid:

• Vague descriptions ("something was wrong")
• Missing technical details ("fixed the code")
• No context (which version? which file?)
• Just code dumps (explain why it works)
• No prevention guidance
• No cross-references

---

Example Scenario

User: "That worked! The N+1 query is fixed."

Skill activates:

1. Detect confirmation: "That worked!" triggers auto-invoke
2. Gather context:
   • Module: Auth Service
   • Symptom: Auth token generation taking >5 seconds, N+1 query when loading user sessions
   • Failed attempts: Added pagination (didn't help), checked background job performance
   • Solution: Added eager loading with includes(:sessions) on AuthService model
   • Root cause: Missing eager loading causing separate database query per user session
3. Check existing: No similar issue found
4. Generate filename: n-plus-one-auth-token-generation-AuthService-20251110.md
5. Validate YAML:

   module: Auth Service
   date: 2025-11-10
   problem_type: performance_issue
   component: rails_model
   symptoms:
     - "N+1 query when loading user sessions"
     - "Auth token generation taking >5 seconds"
   root_cause: missing_include
   severity: high
   tags: [n-plus-one, eager-loading, performance]
   

   Valid
6. Create documentation:
   • docs/solutions/performance-issues/n-plus-one-auth-token-generation-AuthService-20251110.md
7. Cross-reference: None needed (no similar issues)

Output:

Solution documented

File created:
- docs/solutions/performance-issues/n-plus-one-auth-token-generation-AuthService-20251110.md

What's next?
1. Continue workflow (recommended)
2. Add to Required Reading - Promote to critical patterns (critical-patterns.md)
3. Link related issues - Connect to similar problems
4. Add to existing skill - Add to a learning skill (e.g., hotwire-native)
5. Create new skill - Extract into new learning skill
6. View documentation - See what was captured
7. Other

---

Future Enhancements

Not in Phase 7 scope, but potential:

• Search by date range
• Filter by severity
• Tag-based search interface
• Metrics (most common issues, resolution time)
• Export to shareable format (community knowledge sharing)
• Import community solutions