Design Documentation Index Generator

Generates comprehensive table of contents and index pages for design documentation.

Overview

This skill scans design documentation, extracts metadata and headings, organizes documents by category/status/date, and generates indexes in various formats (Markdown, HTML, JSON). Use it to create navigation pages, documentation overviews, or structured indexes for design docs.

Quick Start

Generate module index:

/design-index effect-type-registry

HTML navigation:

/design-index all --format=html

Organize by status:

/design-index module --organize-by=status

Parameters

Required

• module: Module name to index (or "all" for all modules)

Optional

• format: Output format (markdown, html, json) (default: markdown)
• organize-by: Organization method (category, status, alphabetical, date) (default: category)
• output: Output file path (default: stdout or INDEX.md)
• include-sections: Include document sections (default: false)
• depth: Heading depth to include (default: 2)

Workflow

High-level index generation process:

1. Parse parameters to determine module, format, and organization
2. Load design.config.json to get module paths
3. Scan documentation files using Glob
4. Extract metadata from frontmatter (status, category, completeness, dates)
5. Parse headings up to specified depth
6. Calculate statistics (lines, words, sections, code blocks)
7. Organize documents by category/status/date/alphabetical
8. Generate index in requested format with statistics
9. Output to file or stdout

For detailed implementation steps, see supporting documentation below.

Supporting Documentation

When you need detailed information, load the appropriate supporting file:

For Detailed Workflow

See instructions.md for:

• Complete step-by-step index generation workflow
• Metadata extraction and frontmatter parsing
• Heading extraction algorithms
• Statistics calculation methods
• Organization strategies (category, status, alphabetical, date)
• Format generation for Markdown, HTML, JSON
• Output path resolution
• Advanced features (cross-module indexes, filtering, auto-regeneration)

Load when: Generating indexes or need implementation details

For Templates

See templates.md for:

• Markdown templates (minimal, standard, detailed)
• HTML template with embedded CSS
• JSON schema and structure
• Statistics section templates
• Format selection guidelines

Load when: Need output format specifications or template structure

For Usage Examples

See examples.md for:

• Generate module index
• HTML navigation for all modules
• JSON index by status
• Index with sections included
• Alphabetical and date-based organization
• Error scenarios (no docs, invalid organization)

Load when: User needs examples or clarification

Error Handling

No Documents Found

INFO: No design documents found in {module}

This module has no design documentation yet.
Run /design-init to create your first design doc.

Invalid Organization Method

ERROR: Invalid organization method: {method}
Valid options: category, status, alphabetical, date

Integration

Works well with:

• /design-review - Review docs before indexing
• /design-validate - Ensure docs are valid
• /design-export - Export index with docs
• /design-update - Update docs then regenerate index

Success Criteria

A successful index:

• ✅ All documents discovered
• ✅ Metadata extracted correctly
• ✅ Proper organization applied
• ✅ Valid output format
• ✅ Statistics accurate
• ✅ Links working (for markdown/HTML)
• ✅ Output file created (if specified)