Documentation Writing
52 rules across 9 categories for documentation quality. Focuses on concrete issues with concrete fixes.
Doc Writing/Audit Workflow
Copy and track this checklist during the audit:
Doc writing/audit progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Determine doc type (tutorial, how-to, reference, explanation) and audience
- [ ] Step 2: Run CRITICAL checks (voice and tone, structure and organization)
- [ ] Step 3: Run HIGH checks (clarity and language, code examples)
- [ ] Step 4: Run MEDIUM+ checks for remaining categories in scope
- [ ] Step 5: Report findings with file:line and concrete fixes
- Audit only changed files unless a full sweep is requested.
- Identify the doc type (tutorial, how-to, reference, explanation) and intended audience to select relevant categories.
- Load rule files progressively by category prefix — read only what applies.
- Prioritize CRITICAL and HIGH findings before medium-priority polish.
- After fixes, rerun the relevant rules before finalizing.
Rule Categories by Priority
| Priority | Category | Impact | Prefix | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voice & Tone | CRITICAL | voice- | 4 |
| 2 | Structure & Organization | CRITICAL | structure- | 10 |
| 3 | Clarity & Language | HIGH | clarity- | 6 |
| 4 | Code Examples | HIGH | code- | 7 |
| 5 | Formatting & Syntax | MEDIUM-HIGH | format- | 8 |
| 6 | Navigation & Linking | MEDIUM-HIGH | nav- | 6 |
| 7 | Scanability & Readability | MEDIUM | scan- | 2 |
| 8 | Content Hygiene | MEDIUM | hygiene- | 6 |
| 9 | Review & Testing | LOW-MEDIUM | review- | 3 |
Quick Reference
Read only what is needed for the current scope:
- Category map and impact rationale:
rules/_sections.md - Rule-level guidance and examples:
rules/<prefix>-*.md
Example rule files:
rules/voice-defaults.md
rules/structure-diataxis.md
rules/clarity-defaults.md
Each rule file contains:
- Why the rule matters
- Incorrect example
- Correct example
Review Output Contract
Report findings in this format:
## Documentation Audit Findings
### path/to/file.md
- [CRITICAL] `voice-defaults`: Passive voice obscures who performs the action.
- Fix: Rewrite "The configuration is loaded by the server" as "The server loads the configuration."
### path/to/clean-file.md
- ✓ pass
- Group findings by file.
- Use
file:linewhen line numbers are available. - State issue and propose a concrete fix.
- Include clean files as
✓ pass.