docs-writing-style

Docs writing style

Two modes. Choose one per session.

Mode	When to use	What you get
Handoff	Before writing — you want your coding agent (Claude/Cursor/Copilot) to match the existing voice	A self-contained prompt block to paste into your coding agent's system instructions
Review	After drafting — you want to check your draft's tone, structure, and style before submitting	A rubric-based diagnosis: what passes, what needs fixing, in priority order

State your mode at the start: "handoff" or "review."

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Core principle

Documentation voice is a contract with the reader. Inconsistent tone makes docs feel untrustworthy. Consistent tone — even across many contributors — makes readers confident the information is accurate.

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Handoff mode

Load references/style-principles.md for the full principles list. Load references/scalekit-style-prompt-block.md (or <docs-repo>/.devex-kit/style-prompt-block.md if the consumer has one) for the site-specific prompt block.

In handoff mode:

1. Load the style prompt block for this docs site.
2. Present it directly — the contributor pastes it into their coding agent's system instructions or project-level CLAUDE.md / .cursorrules / .github/copilot-instructions.md.
3. Optionally: if the contributor describes what they are writing (e.g., "a how-to guide for agent auth"), append a 2–3 line supplement tailoring the prompt to that content type.

The prompt block is self-contained. The contributor does not need to explain the docs site to their coding agent — the prompt does it for them.

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Review mode

Load references/style-principles.md for the full principles list. Load references/llms-judge-rubric.md for the quality rubric.

In review mode:

1. Ask for the draft (a file path, a pasted block, or both).
2. Run the rubric against the draft.
3. Report findings in this format:

PASS   <criterion> — <brief note if anything to mention>
FAIL   <criterion> — <specific problem> → fix: <what to do>
WARN   <criterion> — <borderline issue worth watching>

4. Group by priority: fails first, warns second, passes last.
5. End with one sentence: the most impactful single fix, if any.

Do not flag style issues in code blocks. Code is reviewed separately.

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Key rules (quick reference)

These apply regardless of mode. Violations in review mode are always FAIL.

Structure

• Sentence case for all headings. No "Configure Your Auth Provider" — use "Configure your auth provider."
• Page opens with a clear one-paragraph statement: what the reader will do and why.
• Procedure steps use imperative verbs: "Install", "Run", "Configure" — not "Installing", "You should run."
• H2 for major sections; H3 for subsections. Never use H1 in body content.
• Step headings inside <Steps> must be H3 (###) or smaller — never H2. H2 inside Steps creates oversized step titles that break visual hierarchy.
• Single-item lists are not lists. If a section (e.g. Prerequisites) has only one bullet or numbered item, remove the list markup and write it as a plain paragraph or a smaller heading with prose.

Language

• Active voice: "Run the command" not "The command should be run."
• Second person: "you" for instructions, not "the developer" or "users."
• Present tense: "This method returns" not "This method will return."
• No filler: no "just", "simply", "basically", "obviously", "quickly", "we're excited."
• Expand abbreviations on first use: "single sign-on (SSO)" not just "SSO."

Code

• All four SDK languages (Node.js, Python, Go, Java) in <Tabs syncKey="tech-stack"> for 90% of SDK examples.
• SDK variable names are NON-NEGOTIABLE: scalekit (Node.js), scalekit_client (Python), scalekitClient (Go/Java).
• No hardcoded secrets. Environment variables only. Add a comment explaining the security reason.
• Show error paths alongside the happy path.
• Examples must be runnable or explicitly marked as pseudocode.

Asides and callouts

• <Aside> is for incidental context only — cautions, tips, notes.
• Never put required steps or critical information inside an <Aside>.
• Use type="caution", type="tip", or type="note" with a title attribute.

Links

• Descriptive link text only. Never "click here" or "this link."
• Backticks for code identifiers, file paths, environment variables, and API endpoints.

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Did this help?

At the end of every session, ask: "Did this solve what you were trying to do?"

• If yes: done.
• If the style prompt was wrong for your site, the review missed something, or the rubric produced unhelpful output: encourage the user to file an issue at https://github.com/saif-shines/devex-kit/issues. Offer to help draft it using their agent — include: which mode they used, what they were reviewing or writing, and what was wrong or missing.

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Adapt to your docs site

This skill is site-agnostic. The Scalekit-specific prompt block is in references/scalekit-style-prompt-block.md. To adapt:

1. Copy references/_template-style-prompt-block.md → <your-docs-repo>/.devex-kit/style-prompt-block.md.
2. Fill in your site's voice, SDK naming conventions, and code standards.
3. The skill checks for <docs-repo>/.devex-kit/style-prompt-block.md first; falls back to the Scalekit sample with a note that it is an example.