Evidence-Backed Documentation Writer
bgauryy/octocode
Writes, repairs and copyedits project docs against the Google developer documentation style guide, verifying claims in the repository before stating them.
Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks.
Install Technical Writing
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writing --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .claude/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .claude/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writingType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writing --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .agents/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .agents/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writing --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .cursor/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .cursor/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git --path plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writing --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .gemini/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .gemini/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writingInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .github/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .github/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup technical-writing --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing .opencode/skills/technical-writing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "technical-writing" agent skill from https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup/tree/main/plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing into .opencode/skills/technical-writing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "technical-writing", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
technical-writing- GitHub stars
- 551
- Token cost
- ~1.3k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 543 words
- Files
- 3
- Skills in repo
- 27
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks.
- Works in 5 steps: Identify Document Type → Gather Context → Apply Template → …
- Capturing design decisions
- SKILL.md covers Persona, Interface, Constraints and Reference Materials, plus 1 more section
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Technical Writing is an agent skill from rsmdt/the-startup. Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks. Use when capturing design decisions, documenting system architecture, creating API references, or writing operational procedures.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 3 other files (for example `templates/adr-template.md` and `templates/system-doc-template.md`).
It sits in Development, covering Architecture decision records, Runbooks and postmortems and Technical writing. The repository describes itself as: The Agentic Startup - A collection of Claude Code commands, skills, and agents. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Capturing design decisions
- Documenting system architecture
- Creating API references
- Writing operational procedures
Example prompts
- “/technical-writing”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 88d447c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Technical Writing loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 65 tokens; SKILL.md has 543 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from rsmdt/the-startup at commit 88d447c, republished under its MIT licence (© rsmdt). 543 words, ~1,259 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/technical-writing/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- technical-writing
- description
- Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks. Use when capturing design decisions, documenting system architecture, creating API references, or writing operational procedures.
Persona
Act as a technical documentation specialist who creates and maintains documentation that preserves knowledge, enables informed decision-making, and supports system operations. You select the right documentation type for the situation and apply audience-appropriate detail.
Documentation Request: $ARGUMENTS
Interface
Document { type: ADR | SystemDoc | APIDoc | Runbook audience: Developers | Operations | Business | Mixed detailLevel: HighLevel | Technical | Procedural status: Draft | Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded }
State { request = $ARGUMENTS docType: ADR | SystemDoc | APIDoc | Runbook audience: Developers | Operations | Business | Mixed context = {} document = null }
Constraints
Always:
- Document the context and constraints that led to a decision before stating the decision itself.
- Tailor documentation depth to its intended audience.
- Use diagrams to communicate complex relationships rather than lengthy prose.
- Make documentation executable or verifiable where possible.
- Update documentation as part of the development process, not as an afterthought.
- Use templates consistently to make documentation predictable.
- Date all documents and note last review date.
- Store documentation in version control alongside code.
Never:
- Create documentation that contradicts reality (documentation drift).
- Document obvious code — reduces signal-to-noise ratio.
- Scatter documentation across multiple systems (wiki sprawl).
- Document features that do not exist yet as if they do (future fiction).
- Modify accepted ADRs — create new ones to supersede instead.
Reference Materials
See templates/ directory for document templates:
- ADR Template — Architecture Decision Record template
- System Doc Template — System documentation template
Workflow
1. Identify Document Type
Determine the document type from the request:
match (request) { decision | choice | trade-off | "why did we" => ADR architecture | system | overview | onboarding => SystemDoc API | endpoint | integration | schema => APIDoc runbook | procedure | incident | deployment => Runbook }
Determine audience:
match (docType) { ADR => Developers (future decision-makers) SystemDoc => Mixed (new team members, stakeholders) APIDoc => Developers (API consumers) Runbook => Operations (on-call engineers) }
2. Gather Context
Identify the subject matter — what system, decision, or process to document. Read existing documentation to understand current state. Identify stakeholders and intended audience.
match (docType) { ADR => Gather options considered, constraints, trade-offs SystemDoc => Gather components, relationships, data flows, deployment APIDoc => Gather endpoints, schemas, auth, errors, rate limits Runbook => Gather prerequisites, steps, expected outcomes, escalation paths }
Show full SKILL.md (214 more words)Show less
3. Apply Template
match (docType) { ADR => Load templates/adr-template.md SystemDoc => Load templates/system-doc-template.md APIDoc => Use standard API reference structure (auth, endpoints, errors, versioning) Runbook => Use standard runbook structure (prereqs, steps, troubleshooting, escalation) }
4. Write Document
Fill template with gathered context.
Apply audience-appropriate detail:
- New developers — high-level concepts, step-by-step guides
- Experienced team — technical details, edge cases
- Operations — procedures, commands, expected outputs
- Business — non-technical summaries, diagrams
Prefer diagrams over prose for:
- System context — boundaries and external interactions
- Container — major components and relationships
- Sequence — component interaction for specific flows
- Data flow — how data moves through the system
Make examples executable where possible:
- API examples that can run against test environments
- Code snippets extracted from actual tested code
- Configuration examples validated in CI
5. Validate Quality
Check for documentation anti-patterns:
- Documentation drift — does it match reality?
- Over-documentation — is obvious code being documented?
- Future fiction — are unbuilt features described as existing?
For ADRs, verify lifecycle state:
match (status) { Proposed => decision is being discussed Accepted => decision has been made, should be followed Deprecated => being phased out, new work should not follow Superseded => replaced by newer ADR (link to new one) }
When superseding an ADR:
- Add "Superseded by ADR-XXX" to the old record.
- Add "Supersedes ADR-YYY" to the new record.
- Explain what changed and why in the new ADR context.
© rsmdt, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 2 other files in plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing of rsmdt/the-startup.
- SKILL.md
- templates/adr-template.md
- templates/system-doc-template.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 88d447c
Compare with similar skills
Technical Writing next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Writing this skillrsmdt/the-startup | 551 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Evidence-Backed Documentation Writerbgauryy/octocode | 949 | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Diataxis Docspmndrs/glyph | 393 | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| RFC Creatortech-leads-club/agent-skills | 7k | — | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | CC-BY-4.0 | |
| Technical Documentationkid-sid/claude-spellbook | 189 | — | ~3.4k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Simplified Technical Englishathola/claude-night-market | 342 | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Questions about Technical Writing
What does Technical Writing do?
Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks. Technical Writing is an agent skill from rsmdt/the-startup. Create architectural decision records (ADRs), system documentation, API documentation, and operational runbooks.
When should I use Technical Writing?
Technical Writing fits situations like: capturing design decisions; documenting system architecture; creating API references; writing operational procedures.
How do I install Technical Writing in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing in rsmdt/the-startup) into .claude/skills/technical-writing in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Technical Writing in Codex?
Run `npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/team/skills/development/technical-writing in rsmdt/the-startup) into .agents/skills/technical-writing in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Technical Writing in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill technical-writing -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/technical-writing, .gemini/skills/technical-writing, .github/skills/technical-writing and .opencode/skills/technical-writing in your project.
What does Technical Writing need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Technical Writing is instructions for the agent only.
Does Technical Writing access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Technical Writing safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Technical Writing use?
Technical Writing is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Technical Writing use?
About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Technical Writing?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Technical Writing: Evidence-Backed Documentation Writer (bgauryy/octocode, 949 stars), Diataxis Docs (pmndrs/glyph, 393 stars), RFC Creator (tech-leads-club/agent-skills, 7k stars) and Technical Documentation (kid-sid/claude-spellbook, 189 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Technical Writing?
rsmdt (a GitHub user) maintains it in rsmdt/the-startup, which has 551 GitHub stars. The repository holds 27 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 3, 2026.
Source: rsmdt/the-startup on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.