Component Writeup — Structured Technical Documentation

Produce a structured technical writeup of a target system by systematically discovering its components, tracing their relationships through artifacts, and rendering the findings into progressive-disclosure documentation.

The writeup follows the Patnaik template format. The analytical methodology is adapted from the system-decomposition pattern — phased discovery with gate checks ensures the documentation is grounded in artifact evidence rather than assumptions.

Input

The operator provides a target system: a project directory, a subsystem within a project, or a set of artifacts to document. The operator may also specify the audience and the question the documentation should answer.

If the operator provides only a name or vague reference, ask for the artifact paths before proceeding. The skill cannot produce artifact-grounded documentation without access to the artifacts.

Phase 1: Readiness and Discovery

Phase 1 produces the raw inventory that all subsequent phases build on. Do not begin analysis or writing until discovery is complete.

1.1 Readiness Verification

Before beginning discovery, verify that the target system's artifacts exist and are accessible. Read the top-level directory structure. Identify the artifact types present (code, config, skills, hooks, specs, docs). If critical artifacts are missing or inaccessible, report the gaps to the operator before proceeding — a writeup produced from incomplete artifacts will contain gaps that look like analysis failures rather than input failures.