docs-writing

Enforces house voice, RFC 2119 keywords, and authorship provenance in Markdown documentation.

3|Updated May 1, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring --skill docs-writing-materializeinc
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: docs-writing
Source: https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring/tree/main/.claude/skills/docs-writing
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring --skill docs-writing-materializeinc

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Documentation prose often reads as machine-generated or carries normative statements whose force is ambiguous, leaving readers unable to tell what is required of them. This Skill standardizes how Markdown prose is written across docs pages, SKILL.md files, and README files. ## Core Features & Use Cases - House Voice Rules: Enforces plain, declarative, third-person prose with one claim per sentence, tables for parallel content, and calibrated hedging. - RFC 2119 Convention: Applies MUST/SHOULD/MAY keywords on normative pages with the required shortcode invocation, and forbids unfalsifiable phrasing like "MUST do its best to". - Authorship Provenance: Manages the params.author and params.agent frontmatter fields, including the rule that agents stamp new pages but never touch existing fields unless an edit rewrites over half the page. - Use Case: When drafting a new stability policy page under docs/content/, apply the voice rules, invoke the rfc-2119 shortcode, stamp the agent field, and verify the page against the review checklist. ## Quick Start Review this Markdown page against the docs-writing voice rules and RFC 2119 conventions, then fix any violations.

Frequently Asked Questions about docs-writing

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I write normative documentation with RFC 2119 keywords?

Use MUST for absolute requirements, SHOULD for rules with documented exceptions, and MAY for permissions, and invoke the rfc-2119 shortcode once after the opening paragraph. Never wrap MUST in a best-effort qualifier, since that makes the requirement unfalsifiable.

How do I avoid machine-generated sounding documentation prose?

Write in plain, declarative third person with one claim per sentence, define terms before using them, and put parallel content in tables rather than lists. Avoid second-person address, em-dash asides carrying second claims, and dramatized stakes.

When should RFC 2119 keywords be used in docs?

Use them only on normative pages such as stability guarantees, deprecation policy, and authoring conventions. Do not use them in tutorials, architecture explanations, or troubleshooting prose where nothing is being required of the reader.

Should I update the author and agent frontmatter fields when editing a page?

No, leave both fields unchanged on ordinary edits since they record the initial writer, not the current one. Only re-stamp them when a single edit rewrites more than half the page.

What are the limitations of this writing convention?

The convention covers prose style only; mechanical Markdown rules like sentence-per-line and _index.md frontmatter live elsewhere. It also does not require rewriting a page's voice as a side effect of an unrelated edit.