Writing Technical Blueprints

Purpose

Technical blueprints document how systems work internally. They differ from user documentation (how to use) and README files (project overview).

When to Write Blueprints

Write blueprints for:

• Complex systems with multiple components

• Public APIs and their contracts

• Architecture decisions and their rationale

• Behavior that isn't obvious from code

• Integration points between systems

Skip blueprints for:

• Self-documenting code (simple utilities)

• Test files (tests ARE the documentation)

• External dependencies (link to their docs)

Creating Blueprints

IMPORTANT: Always check for existing blueprints before creating new ones, and use the proper frontmatter format.

1. List existing blueprints

Glob("blueprints/*.md")

2. Search for related blueprints by keyword

Grep("keyword", path: "blueprints/", output_mode: "files_with_matches")

3. Read existing blueprint if updating

Read("blueprints/authentication.md")

4. Write the blueprint with frontmatter

Write("blueprints/system-name.md", content_with_frontmatter)

The frontmatter format is:

name: system-name summary: Brief one-line description

Blueprint File Structure

Use this structure for blueprint content:

name: system-name summary: One-line description of what this system does.

System Name

One-line description of what this system does.

Overview

2-3 paragraphs covering:

• Why this system exists (problem it solves)
• What it does at a high level
• Where it fits in the larger architecture

Architecture

Components

List major components:

• ComponentA - Purpose and responsibility
• ComponentB - Purpose and responsibility

Data Flow

Describe how data moves through the system:

1. Input arrives via X
2. ComponentA processes and transforms
3. Result passed to ComponentB
4. Output returned/stored

Dependencies

• Dependency - Why it's needed, what it provides

API / Interface

Functions

functionName(param1, param2)

Clear description of what the function does.

Parameters:

• param1 (Type) - What this parameter controls
• param2 (Type, optional) - Default behavior if omitted

Returns: Type - Description of return value

Throws: ErrorType - When this error occurs

Example:

const result = functionName('value', { option: true });

Configuration

Option
Type
Default
Description

optionA

boolean
false
What it controls

Behavior

Normal Operation

Step-by-step description of typical execution flow.

Error Handling

How the system responds to:

- Invalid input

- Missing dependencies

- External failures

Edge Cases

Document non-obvious behaviors:

- Empty input handling

- Concurrent access

- Resource limits

Files

Key files and their roles:

- src/main.ts:1-50
 - Entry point, initialization

- src/processor.ts
 - Core processing logic

- src/types.ts
 - Type definitions

Related Systems

Example format:

- [Related System](./related-system.md) - How they interact

## Writing Style

### Be Precise

Bad: "The system handles errors gracefully"
Good: "Invalid input returns a ValidationError with the field name and reason"

### Document Behavior, Not Implementation

Bad: "Uses a for loop to iterate through items"
Good: "Processes items sequentially, stopping at the first failure"

### Include Examples

Show, don't just tell:
```typescript
// Good: concrete example
const result = processItems(['a', 'b', 'c'], { parallel: true });
// Returns: { processed: 3, failed: 0 }

Keep Current

- Update blueprints alongside code changes

- Remove documentation for deleted features

- Mark deprecated features clearly

Common Mistakes

- Too much detail - Don't document every line of code

- Too little context - Explain why, not just what

- Stale documentation - Outdated docs are worse than none

- Duplicate content - Link instead of copying

- Implementation focus - Document contracts, not internals