Skills

27 skills read file by file: five methods tried, eight worth borrowing from, the rest turned down.

Tried in the samples

diataxis-docsPeter Knego, v1.3.0

Concerns

Sorts pages into tutorial, how-to, reference and explanation, with a rule sheet and self-check per kind. Checks every claim against a file and line. Diagram rules: every box backed by the code, the page still makes sense without them.

Runs git (checks for a clean tree, commits at the end) and reads pull requests with gh. Moves and splits existing docs. Young, one maintainer.

doc-coauthoringAnthropic

Safe

Keeps asking until it can ask about edge cases, then tests the draft on a fresh reader who sees only the document, and fixes what that reader got wrong.

Text only. Asks before reading Slack or Drive.

technical-writingpstack (Michael Denyer, after Lauren Tan)

Safe

Stacks Diátaxis, Google style, Simplified Technical English and Global English. Its companion, unslop, lists machine tells to remove.

Text only. Copy the file: the full plugin adds session hooks that steer every task.

diataxisJuspay, from their odu repo

Safe

Diátaxis as a decision procedure, a contract per kind of page, and an audit for mixed modes.

One file, text only, no hidden text. Manual only here. Its audit may start many agents at once on a large doc set. Removed from odu on 13 October; the link is the version we have.

Worth borrowing from

Not tried on their own, but each has one idea a combined skill of our own could take. All read as safe.

  • diagram-designCathryn LaveryDiagrams only: does it earn its place, which kind, nine boxes at most, one accent.
  • humanizerbladerA last pass only: 26 machine-sounding patterns, removed without changing facts.
  • architecture-diagramKonrad DzbikFlows as numbered steps of three to nine handoffs; the whole path stays visible while one step is explained.
  • c4-architecturesoftaworksPick the level of detail by audience; a checklist of common mistakes: vague arrows, too many boxes, no legend.
  • docs-syncjMertaName the source of every claim; when code changes, update only the docs it affects.
  • pyramid-principleapplied-artificial-intelligenceAnswer first; three to five points at one level; the reader can stop at any level.
  • documentation-diataxisCanonicalA review pass: what kind of page it claims to be against what it is, each finding with its effect on the reader and a fix.
  • excalidraw-diagramcoleam00Ideas only: a diagram should argue; take the words away and the shape should still say it; real names, not “Service A”.

Turned down

metacognitionRewrites its own instructions each cycle and asks for scheduled jobs; not about checking understanding at all.
flowchart-creator, architecture-diagram-creatorHand-placed coordinates and gradients, no method.
readme-generator, api-docs-generatorGeneric templates; install and run unpinned packages.
how-it-worksExplains its own plugin, which records every action and reports usage.
clear-writing, writing-clearly-and-conciselyStrunk’s rules, which Claude already follows; copies of unclear origin.
pretty-mermaid, mermaid skillsInstall packages silently on first use, or are syntax docs only.
canvas-design, internal-commsPosters and newsletters, not docs.

How they were checked

  • Every file was read: instructions, scripts, references, assets.
  • Searched for code that runs or installs, network calls, tracking, hidden text, and instructions that widen what Claude may do.
  • Nothing was installed and no skill’s scripts were run.
  • Links are pinned to the exact version read.