Technical writing

Documentation is the single source of truth for how a system behaves, and every string a person reads shapes their trust in it. Write for clarity, accuracy, and completeness. When you can show instead of tell, show: an example lands faster than an explanation.

This skill is the durable, behavior-changing core. The exhaustive mechanics (units, possessives, abbreviations, keyboard shortcuts, code-doc conventions) live in REFERENCE.md — consult it when a specific question comes up. Project-specific vocabulary (a glossary, wire-format terms, product names) belongs in that project's own style guide; link the canonical definition on first use.

Voice and tone

Three words are the touchstone: clear, direct, specific. Every rule below serves one of them.