AutoSkillit: Skill for Claude Code

Architecture Documentation Update Skill

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User says "update architecture docs", "sync architecture docs", "update arch docs", "refresh architecture"
• When architecture documentation is out of sync with implementation

Target Selection (Required)

Update ONE location at a time - updating all locations simultaneously creates too much context. Identify which location to update based on user request.

If user doesn't specify, ask which component or area of the codebase to update using AskUserQuestion.

Critical Constraints

NEVER

• Read existing architecture docs BEFORE understanding the codebase (prevents context pollution)
• Catalog components without understanding their PURPOSE
• Document data flows without understanding WHY they exist that way
• List patterns without understanding what PROBLEM they solve
• Patch sections - rebuild from understanding instead
• Trust old documentation over understood principles
• Create diagrams that don't reflect understood architecture
• Document WHAT without explaining WHY
• Assume a WRITE operation implies a corresponding READ (verify both independently)
• Document data flows without tracing actual RETRIEVAL code

ALWAYS

• Focus on ONE target location at a time - ask user if not specified
• Understand before documenting - answer the 6 key questions (Purpose, Constraints, Design Rationale, Collaboration, Invariants, Data Lifecycle)
• Build understanding from code FIRST, then compare with existing docs
• Write documentation that explains WHY, not just WHAT
• Trace READS and WRITES separately - verify each data flow has both ends in actual code
• Establish authority by retrieval patterns - what code QUERIES determines source of truth
• Validate through understanding - errors violate understood principles
• Use /mermaid skill for diagrams that reflect understood architecture
• Maintain the standard 8-file structure per location
• Preserve valid structural elements (navigation, formatting) from existing docs