Generate Package README

Generates Level 1 user documentation (README.md) from design docs and package metadata.

Overview

This skill transforms internal design documentation into a user-friendly package README by:

1. Reading design docs for the module
2. Extracting package.json metadata
3. Analyzing the overview and features
4. Generating quick start examples
5. Creating or updating README.md following the Level 1 template
6. Ensuring readability and accessibility for npm/GitHub users

Quick Start

Generate README for a module:

/docs-generate-readme effect-type-registry

Update existing README preserving custom sections:

/docs-generate-readme rspress-plugin-api-extractor --update

Preview without writing:

/docs-generate-readme website --dry-run

How It Works

1. Parse Parameters

• module: Module name to generate README for [REQUIRED]
• --template: Custom template path (default: .claude/skills/docs-generate-readme/templates/readme.template.md)
• --dry-run: Preview output without writing
• --update: Update existing README preserving custom sections

2. Load Configuration and Context

Read .claude/design/design.config.json to get:

• Module configuration and paths
• User docs configuration (Level 1 settings)
• Quality standards for READMEs

Read module metadata:

• package.json - name, version, description, license, dependencies
• Design docs in module's designDocsPath
• Existing README.md (if --update mode)

3. Extract Content from Design Docs

Overview Section:

• Extract high-level purpose from design doc overview
• Simplify to 1-2 sentence description
• Remove technical jargon

Features:

• Extract key features from design docs
• Transform technical features into user benefits
• Format as 3-5 bullet points
• Focus on "what it does" not "how it works"

Quick Start:

• Find common usage patterns in design docs
• Create minimal working example (5-15 lines)
• Ensure example is copy-paste ready
• Include imports and basic setup

API Overview:

• List main exports and their purposes
• High-level only (not exhaustive)
• Link to detailed API documentation

4. Apply Transformation Rules

Transform internal terminology to user-friendly language:

• "Architecture" → omit (too technical)
• "Implementation Details" → simplify to "How it works" (optional)
• "Integration Points" → "Usage with other tools"
• Effect-TS patterns → plain TypeScript
• Internal service names → public API names

5. Generate README Content

Fill the Level 1 template with extracted content:

• Package name and description
• Features list
• Installation command
• Quick start example
• API overview with link to full docs
• Links to documentation, contributing, license

6. Write or Update README

New README mode (default):

• Write complete README.md to module root
• Validate against Level 1 quality standards
• Check line length, word count, required sections

Update mode (--update):

• Parse existing README.md
• Preserve custom sections (badges, screenshots, etc.)
• Update standard sections with new content
• Maintain user-added examples

Dry-run mode (--dry-run):

• Generate content but don't write
• Display preview to user
• Show what would change

7. Validate Output

Check generated README against quality standards:

• Length: 200-500 words (warn if >800)
• Required sections: Description, Installation, Quick Start, Links
• Code examples are valid TypeScript
• Links are not broken
• Markdown linting passes

Supporting Documentation

When you need detailed information, load these files:

• instructions.md - Detailed step-by-step implementation
• transformation-rules.md - Content transformation guidelines
• examples.md - Example READMEs and transformations
• quality-standards.md - Validation criteria

Success Criteria

A generated README is successful when:

• ✅ Clear, accessible description (1-2 sentences)
• ✅ 3-5 user-benefit focused features
• ✅ Working quick start example (copy-paste ready)
• ✅ All required sections present
• ✅ 200-500 words total length
• ✅ No technical jargon or internal terms
• ✅ Valid markdown and code examples
• ✅ Links to comprehensive documentation

Example Usage

# Generate README for effect-type-registry
/docs-generate-readme effect-type-registry

# Output: pkgs/effect-type-registry/README.md created
# Content:
# - Title: effect-type-registry
# - Description: TypeScript type definition registry with caching
# - Features: Version-aware caching, HTTP retry, VFS generation
# - Quick start: 10-line working example
# - Links: API docs, contributing, license

Integration Points

• Uses .claude/design/design.config.json for module configuration
• Uses .claude/skills/docs-generate-readme/templates/readme.template.md for structure
• Reads design docs from module's designDocsPath
• Reads package.json for metadata
• Writes to module's userDocs.readme path
• Validates against quality.userDocs.level1 standards

Related Skills

• /docs-sync - Sync README with design doc changes
• /docs-review - Review README quality
• /docs-generate-repo - Generate Level 2 repository docs
• /design-review - Review source design documentation