About md-style
A README-writing skill for experienced engineers that defines which sections to include and how to order them. It focuses on concise documentation of a project's current state rather than history or future plans.
Key features
- 01Prescribed README section order
- 02Current-state documentation
- 03Exclusion of fluff and roadmaps
- 04Formatting guidance for tables and code
Use cases
- 01Structuring an engineering README
- 02Editing an overly long README
- 03Documenting project configuration and testing
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ jimweller/ clanker-skills --skill md-styleAfter installing, type/md-stylein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEREADME Style Guide
Write concise, direct README files for experienced engineers.
Voice
Prose style is not defined here. The clanker-prose plugin's prose-contract owns it, injected via a SessionStart hook pointer to its two sections:
Ghostwriting for Other Humans- a README is read by another human, so it takes the ghostwriting contract: minimum facts, one fact per sentence, the deletion test on every wordBanned Patterns in All Writing- the catalog of forbidden words and constructions, including hype vocabulary, opposing phrases, phantom-foil contrast, emojis, and emdashes
This skill covers what belongs in a README and in what order.
Principles
- No fluff - Skip tables of contents, verbose explanations, development history
- No roadmaps - Document current state only, not plans or decisions. Readme is an engineering specification. Not a project plan or changelog.
Structure
Sections in order: Overview, Prerequisites, Usage, Architecture, Configuration, Testing, File Structure. One-line purpose statement at top under H1.
Exclude
- Tables of contents
- Verbose troubleshooting guides
- Development decisions/history
- Future plans/roadmaps
- Lengthy explanations of concepts
- Multiple examples of similar things
Formatting
- Tables for structured data (components, variables, test coverage)
- Code blocks for commands and examples
- Bold for emphasis sparingly
Comments
Markdown supported