Documentation Templates

Templates and structure guidelines for common documentation types.

1. README Structure

Essential Sections (Priority Order)

Section

Purpose

Title + One-liner

What is this?

Quick Start

Running in <5 min

Features

What can I do?

Configuration

How to customize

API Reference

Link to detailed docs

Contributing

How to help

License

Legal

README Template

# Project Name

Brief one-line description.

## Quick Start

[Minimum steps to run]

## Features

- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Configuration

| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| PORT | Server port | 3000 |

## Documentation

- [API Reference](./docs/api.md)
- [Architecture](./docs/architecture.md)

## License

MIT

2. API Documentation Structure

Per-Endpoint Template

## GET /users/:id

Get a user by ID.

**Parameters:**
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| id | string | Yes | User ID |

**Response:**
- 200: User object
- 404: User not found

**Example:**
[Request and response example]

3. Code Comment Guidelines

JSDoc/TSDoc Template

/**
 * Brief description of what the function does.
 * 
 * @param paramName - Description of parameter
 * @returns Description of return value
 * @throws ErrorType - When this error occurs
 * 
 * @example
 * const result = functionName(input);
 */

When to Comment

✅ Comment

❌ Don't Comment

Why (business logic)

What (obvious)

Complex algorithms

Every line

Non-obvious behavior

Self-explanatory code

API contracts

Implementation details

4. Changelog Template (Keep a Changelog)

# Changelog

## [Unreleased]
### Added
- New feature

## [1.0.0] - 2025-01-01
### Added
- Initial release
### Changed
- Updated dependency
### Fixed
- Bug fix

5. Architecture Decision Record (ADR)

# ADR-001: [Title]

## Status
Accepted / Deprecated / Superseded

## Context
Why are we making this decision?

## Decision
What did we decide?

## Consequences
What are the trade-offs?

6. AI-Friendly Documentation (2025)

llms.txt Template

For AI crawlers and agents:

# Project Name
> One-line objective.

## Core Files
- [src/index.ts]: Main entry
- [src/api/]: API routes
- [docs/]: Documentation

## Key Concepts
- Concept 1: Brief explanation
- Concept 2: Brief explanation

MCP-Ready Documentation

For RAG indexing:

Clear H1-H3 hierarchy
JSON/YAML examples for data structures
Mermaid diagrams for flows
Self-contained sections

7. Structure Principles

Principle

Why

Scannable

Headers, lists, tables

Examples first

Show, don't just tell

Progressive detail

Simple → Complex

Up to date

Outdated = misleading

Remember: Templates are starting points. Adapt to your project's needs.

documentation-templates