How is today's date determined?

Use date +%Y-%m-%d at runtime; use for both the filename prefix and the frontmatter date.

Where should I save the file?

In the .thoughts/ folder or in a subdirectory such as plans/, research/, or specs.

What frontmatter fields are required?

date (creation date) and topic (human-readable title).

writing-documentation

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill chris-hendrix/claudehub/writing-documentation --openclaw

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SKILL.md

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Writing Documentation

Create markdown documents in the .thoughts/ folder.

For implementation plans: See the writing-plans skill.

Naming Convention

Files follow this pattern:

yyyy-mm-dd-[ticket-or-issue-id-]short-description.md

Examples:

2025-01-15-api-rate-limiting-research.md
2025-01-15-auth-refactor-plan.md

Organization

Documents can be organized into subdirectories. Common examples:

Subdir	Content
`plans/`	Implementation plans, roadmaps
`research/`	Investigations, analysis
`specs/`	PRDs, ERDs, specifications

These are suggestions - users may prefer custom subdirs or the root .thoughts/ folder. Ask if unclear.

Document Requirements

Filename starts with today's date (YYYY-MM-DD-)
Short description uses kebab-case
Include YAML frontmatter with date and topic fields
Let content structure emerge from user's needs rather than over-templating

Getting Today's Date

Always get the current date dynamically - never rely on internal knowledge which may be stale:

date +%Y-%m-%d

Use the output for both the filename prefix and the frontmatter date field.

Frontmatter

Field	Description
`date`	Creation date (YYYY-MM-DD)
`topic`	Human-readable title/subject

Source

git clone https://github.com/chris-hendrix/claudehub/blob/main/plugins/rpi/skills/writing-documentation/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Writing Documentation helps you start a doc, write notes, or capture research as markdown in the .thoughts folder. It standardizes how you name files, date them, and attach topic frontmatter so findings are easy to locate later. This matters for maintaining organized, searchable documentation across plans, research, and specs.

How This Skill Works

It creates a markdown file following the pattern yyyy-mm-dd-short-description.md in .thoughts/ (or a subdirectory like plans/, research/, or specs/). The filename prefix and YAML frontmatter date come from today's date, and the frontmatter includes a topic field describing the document. Content structure emerges from user needs rather than rigid templates.

When to Use It

Start a doc to capture notes, research, or a thought document.
Document findings from meetings, experiments, or analyses.
Write up a design, plan, or PRD with structured notes.
Create a thought doc in the .thoughts/ folder or a subdirectory like plans/, research/, or specs/.
Capture information, specs, or research in a Markdown file for later reference.

Quick Start

Step 1: Determine today's date with date +%Y-%m-%d and draft a kebab-case short description.
Step 2: Create the file under .thoughts/ (or an appropriate subdir) named YYYY-MM-DD-short-description.md and add YAML frontmatter with date and topic.
Step 3: Add notes, research, or specifications and save.

Best Practices

Use date +%Y-%m-%d to prefix the filename.
Write the short description in kebab-case.
Include YAML frontmatter with date and topic.
Organize files under plans/, research/, specs/ or .thoughts/ as appropriate.
Let content structure emerge from the task rather than overtemplating.

Example Use Cases

2025-01-15-api-rate-limiting-research.md
2025-01-15-auth-refactor-plan.md
plans/2025-01-20-api-roadmap.md
research/2025-02-10-load-testing-notes.md
specs/2025-02-14-prd-ERD.md

Frequently Asked Questions

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