Documentation

Overview

Create or update project documentation to match the current state of the codebase. Uses .claude/zen.local.md to discover where docs live in each project.

Announce at start: "I'm using the zenflow:docs skill to update documentation."

Configuration

Documentation paths are configured in .claude/zen.local.md (project-level) or ~/.claude/zen.local.md (user defaults). Project-level overrides user defaults.

Read this file first. If it doesn't exist, ask the user where their docs live and create it.

Config format

# .claude/zen.local.md
---
docs:
  readme: README.md
  architecture: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
  claude: CLAUDE.md
  changelog: CHANGELOG.md
  paths:
    - name: Guides
      dir: docs/guides/
      glob: "*.md"
    - name: API Reference
      path: docs/api-reference.md
    - name: Deployment Runbooks
      dir: docs/runbooks/
      glob: "**/*.md"
---

Optional markdown body with project-specific documentation conventions,
audience notes, or style guidelines that the agent should follow.

Config fields

Well-known files (top-level strings):

Field	Type	Description
docs.readme	string	Path to README
docs.architecture	string	Path to architecture doc
docs.claude	string	Path to CLAUDE.md (agent instructions)
docs.changelog	string	Path to changelog

Additional doc locations (docs.paths array):

Each entry is either a single file or a directory with a glob pattern.

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Human-readable label for this doc group
path	string	Path to a single file (mutually exclusive with dir)
dir	string	Path to a directory to scan (mutually exclusive with path)
glob	string	Glob pattern to match files within dir (default: "*.md")

All paths are relative to project root. Omit any field that doesn't apply.

How paths are resolved at runtime:

• path entries → read directly via Read tool
• dir + glob entries → use Glob tool to discover all matching files, then read each

Missing config

If .claude/zen.local.md does not exist:

1. Scan common locations: README.md, docs/, ARCHITECTURE.md, CLAUDE.md, CHANGELOG.md
2. Ask the user to confirm the discovered paths and add any missing ones
3. Create .claude/zen.local.md with the confirmed config
4. Continue with the process below

The Process

Step 1: Load Config and Assess

1. Read .claude/zen.local.md — parse YAML frontmatter for doc paths, read body for conventions
2. Check what changed — run git diff --stat against the base branch or recent commits
3. For each configured doc path, read the file and note:
   • Does it exist?
   • Is it stale relative to recent code changes?
   • What sections does it cover?
4. Identify gaps:
   • New features with no docs
   • Changed behavior with stale docs
   • Missing setup steps
   • Undocumented API endpoints or CLI commands

Step 2: Determine Scope

Present findings to the user via AskUserQuestion:

Question: "Which documentation should I create or update?"

Options based on what was found — only show options relevant to the project's config:

• README — installation, setup, usage, commands
• Architecture — system design, data flow, component relationships
• API reference — endpoints, request/response schemas, examples
• Guide — how-to for a specific workflow or feature
• TSDoc — inline documentation on exported symbols
• Custom docs — any entries from docs.custom that need updates
• All of the above — comprehensive documentation pass

Step 3: Write Documentation

For each document, follow these principles:

Accuracy over completeness:

• Read the actual code before documenting behavior
• Verify commands work before including them
• Include exact file paths and function names
• Never document aspirational behavior — only what exists now

Structure for scanning:

• Lead with a one-sentence summary
• Use tables for reference material (flags, config options, API fields)
• Use code blocks for commands and examples
• Use headers liberally — readers search, they don't read linearly

Audience awareness:

• README: new users who need to get started
• ARCHITECTURE: developers who need the mental model
• API docs: integrators who need exact contracts
• CLAUDE.md: AI agents who need conventions and constraints
• Guides: users solving a specific problem

Keep it DRY:

• Don't duplicate information across docs — link instead
• Single source of truth: code → schema → docs (in that order)
• If a Zod schema defines the contract, reference it rather than rewriting it

Follow project conventions: If the markdown body of zen.local.md contains style guidelines or audience notes, follow them.

Step 4: Verify

• Confirm all code examples compile/run
• Confirm all file paths exist
• Confirm all commands produce the described output
• Check for broken links between documents

Document Templates

README Section

## [Feature Name]

[One sentence: what it does and why you'd use it.]

### Quick Start

\`\`\`bash
[exact command to try it]
\`\`\`

### Configuration

| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|--------|------|---------|-------------|
| `key`  | string | `"value"` | What it controls |

### Examples

[2-3 real examples showing common use cases]

Architecture Section

## [Component Name]

**Purpose:** [One sentence]

**Key files:**
- `path/to/main.ts` — [responsibility]
- `path/to/types.ts` — [responsibility]

**Data flow:**
[Source] → [Transform] → [Destination]

**Key decisions:**
- [Decision]: [Why] (not [Alternative])

When NOT to Document

• Implementation details that change frequently (the code is the doc)
• Internal helper functions (TSDoc on exported symbols only)
• Obvious behavior (don't document that getUser gets a user)
• Temporary workarounds (fix them instead)

Related Skills

• zenflow:check-work — Gate 4 (Update Documentation) uses this skill's approach
• zenflow:plan — Plans should reference documentation requirements in their Verification section