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Crafting Effective READMEs

crafting-effective-readmes

Create, update, or review README.md files with templates and checklists matched to audience and project type (open source, internal, personal, config/dotfiles). Use when asked to write/improve a README, add installation/usage, document setup, or audit a README for staleness and missing sections.

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SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

Crafting Effective READMEs

Overview

READMEs answer questions your audience will have. Different audiences need different information: an OSS contributor needs different context than a teammate onboarding, and both differ from future-you opening a config folder.

Always ask: Who will read this, and what do they need to know?

Quick Start

  1. Identify the project type (Open Source, Personal, Internal, Config).
  2. Start from the matching template in assets/​templates/.
  3. Ensure the minimum sections exist: name/​description and usage, plus install/​setup if applicable.
  4. If reviewing: verify commands against reality (configs, package scripts, CI).

Process

Step 1: Identify the Task

Ask: "What README task are you working on?"

TaskWhen
CreatingNew project, no README yet
AddingNeed to document something new
UpdatingCapabilities changed, content is stale
ReviewingChecking if README is still accurate

Step 2: Task-Specific Questions

Creating initial README:

  1. What type of project? (see Project Types below)
  2. What problem does this solve in one sentence?
  3. What's the quickest path to "it works"?
  4. Anything notable to highlight?

Adding a section:

  1. What needs documenting?
  2. Where should it go in the existing structure?
  3. Who needs this info most?

Updating existing content:

  1. What changed?
  2. Read current README, identify stale sections
  3. Propose specific edits

Reviewing/​refreshing:

  1. Read current README
  2. Check against actual project state (package.json, main files, etc.)
  3. Flag outdated sections
  4. Update "Last reviewed" date if present

Step 3: Always Ask

After drafting, ask: "Anything else to highlight or include that I might have missed?"

Project Types

TypeAudienceKey SectionsTemplate
Open SourceContributors, users worldwideInstall, Usage, Contributing, Licenseassets/​templates/​oss.md
PersonalFuture you, portfolio viewersWhat it does, Tech stack, Learningsassets/​templates/​personal.md
InternalTeammates, new hiresSetup, Architecture, Runbooksassets/​templates/​internal.md
ConfigFuture you (confused)What's here, Why, How to extend, Gotchasassets/​templates/​xdg-config.md

Ask the user if unclear. Don't assume OSS defaults for everything.

Essential Sections (All Types)

Every README needs at minimum:

  1. Name - Self-explanatory title
  2. Description - What + why in 1-2 sentences
  3. Usage - How to use it (examples help)

References

  • references/​section-checklist.md - Which sections to include by project type
  • references/​style-guide.md - Common README mistakes and prose guidance
  • references/​using-references.md - How and when to use the deeper reference docs