Format Documentation Skill

Use this skill when editing Claude-facing documentation files to ensure proper formatting.

Maximum Line Length

110 characters for Claude-facing documentation files

Format-Safe Wrapping Rules

Format	Technique	Example
YAML frontmatter	Use > or `	` for multi-line
Markdown prose	Break at word boundaries	Natural paragraph flow
Code blocks	Do NOT wrap	Leave as-is (preserve formatting)
URLs	Do NOT wrap	Leave as-is (would break link)
Tables	Do NOT wrap	Leave as-is (would break structure)
Inline code	Do NOT wrap within backticks	Leave as-is

YAML Multi-line String Syntax

Problem: Long YAML values exceed 110 character limit

Solution: Use folded (>) or literal (|) style operators

Example - Folded Style (for prose):

# BEFORE (unsafe - long line):
description: This is a very long description that exceeds 110 characters and would cause readability issues

# AFTER (safe - using folded style >):
description: >
  This is a very long description that exceeds 110 characters
  and would cause readability issues

Key YAML Operators:

• > (folded): Newlines become spaces (use for prose)
• | (literal): Newlines preserved (use for code/commands)
• >- / |-: Same but strips trailing newline

Example - Literal Style (for code):

# For commands or code that must preserve line breaks
command: |
  git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
  Multi-line commit message
  with preserved formatting
  EOF
  )"

Markdown Wrapping

Technique: Break at word boundaries, maintain natural paragraph flow

Example:

# BEFORE (exceeds 110 chars):
This is a very long line of markdown prose that exceeds the 110 character limit and should be wrapped for readability.

# AFTER (wrapped at word boundary):
This is a very long line of markdown prose that exceeds the 110 character
limit and should be wrapped for readability.

Tips:

• Break after complete phrases when possible
• Maintain sentence flow across line breaks
• Avoid breaking in middle of inline code spans
• Preserve blank lines between paragraphs

Applies To

Claude-facing documentation (110 char limit):

• CLAUDE.md
• .claude/ configuration files (hooks, skills, commands)
• docs/project/ protocol documentation
• docs/code-style/*-claude.md detection patterns

Human-facing documentation (no strict limit):

• README.md
• changelog.md
• docs/code-style/*-human.md explanations

Workflow

When editing Claude-facing docs:

1. Check line length: Look for lines exceeding 110 characters
2. Identify format: YAML frontmatter, markdown prose, code block, etc.
3. Apply appropriate technique:
   • YAML: Use > or | operators
   • Prose: Break at word boundaries
   • Code/URLs/Tables: Leave unwrapped
4. Verify readability: Ensure wrapped text flows naturally
5. Test if YAML: Validate YAML syntax if you modified frontmatter

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrapping URLs: Breaks links ❌ Wrapping code blocks: Breaks formatting ❌ Forgetting YAML operator: Long description without > still violates limit ❌ Breaking mid-word: Use word boundaries only ❌ Inconsistent indentation: YAML multi-line requires consistent indent (usually 2 spaces)

Examples

YAML Frontmatter - Before/After:

# BEFORE (violation):
description: Comprehensive guide for formatting markdown documentation with proper line wrapping and YAML syntax

# AFTER (correct):
description: >
  Comprehensive guide for formatting markdown documentation with proper line
  wrapping and YAML syntax

Markdown Prose - Before/After:

# BEFORE (violation):
This mandatory protocol ensures that all agents follow the complete backup-verify-cleanup workflow when performing git operations to prevent data loss.

# AFTER (correct):
This mandatory protocol ensures that all agents follow the complete
backup-verify-cleanup workflow when performing git operations to prevent data
loss.

Leave Unwrapped - Code Block:

# CORRECT (code block not wrapped even if long):
```bash
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Very long commit message that exceeds 110 characters but must be preserved exactly as-is
EOF
)"
\```

Validation

After formatting:

• Lines ≤110 chars (except unwrappable content)
• YAML parses correctly (test with yq or python -c "import yaml")
• Markdown renders properly
• URLs work
• Code blocks execute correctly