sw:living-docs-navigator
Living Docs Navigator
Access project knowledge stored in .specweave/docs/internal/.
Quick Navigation
When you need context, read relevant files from these locations:
📋 Specifications (Features & User Stories)
.specweave/docs/internal/specs/
- Feature specifications with user stories
- Acceptance criteria
- Implementation history
Find specs: ls .specweave/docs/internal/specs/
📐 Architecture Decisions (ADRs)
.specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/
- WHY decisions were made
- Trade-offs considered
- Context for design choices
Find ADRs: ls .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/
🏗️ System Architecture
.specweave/docs/internal/architecture/
- High-level design (HLD)
- System diagrams
- Component architecture
Find architecture docs: ls .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/*.md
📊 Operations
.specweave/docs/internal/operations/
- Runbooks
- SLOs
- Incident procedures
💼 Strategy
.specweave/docs/internal/strategy/
- Business requirements
- Product vision
- PRDs
🛡️ Governance
.specweave/docs/internal/governance/
- Security policies
- Coding standards
- Compliance docs
How to Use
Before Implementing a Feature
-
Check for related specs:
grep -ril "keyword" .specweave/docs/internal/specs/ -
Read relevant ADRs:
grep -l "topic" .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/*.md -
Load the context by reading the files found.
Before Making Design Decisions
- Check existing ADRs to avoid contradicting past decisions
- Read architecture docs to understand current patterns
- Follow established conventions
Example Workflow
Task: "Implement user authentication"
1. Search for related docs:
grep -ril "auth" .specweave/docs/internal/
2. Found:
- .specweave/docs/internal/specs/backend/us-001-authentication.md
- .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/0001-jwt-vs-sessions.md
- .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/auth-flow.md
3. Read each file for context before implementing.
Progressive Disclosure Pattern
This skill follows progressive disclosure:
- Metadata only (this SKILL.md) loads initially (~200 tokens)
- You search for relevant docs using grep/ls
- You read only the specific files you need
- Result: Minimal tokens, maximum context
No RAG needed - Claude's native file reading is more accurate.
Integration with /sw:do
When executing /sw:do:
- Extract topic keywords from spec.md
- Search living docs for matches
- Read relevant ADRs and architecture docs
- Apply context during implementation
Tips
- ADRs are critical - always check before design decisions
- Specs show history - see what was already built
- Use grep liberally - find docs by keyword, not guessing paths
- Cross-reference - related documents link to each other
Stakeholder Views
Living docs serve different audiences. Navigate by role:
For Business Stakeholders
Quick access to high-level, non-technical documentation:
.specweave/docs/internal/
├── strategy/ # Business context
│ ├── executive-summary.md # Project overview for leadership
│ ├── feature-dashboard.md # Feature status tracking
│ ├── roadmap.md # Product roadmap
│ └── business-impact/ # Per-feature impact statements
├── operations/ # System health
│ └── health-dashboard.md # Current system status
└── specs/
└── _feature-status.md # Active features & completion %
Use case: Board reports, investor updates, quarterly reviews
For Technical Leads
Quick access to architecture and decisions:
# Recent architectural decisions
ls -lt .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/ | head -10
# Search for decisions about specific topics
grep -ril "authentication" .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/adr/
# Find system architecture diagrams
ls .specweave/docs/internal/architecture/*.md
Use case: Design reviews, tech debt assessment, onboarding
For Product Managers
Quick access to specifications and progress:
# Feature specifications
ls .specweave/docs/internal/specs/
# Find features by keyword
grep -ril "checkout" .specweave/docs/internal/specs/
# Check increment status
ls .specweave/increments/*/metadata.json
Use case: Sprint planning, release notes, stakeholder updates
Executive Summary Generation
Living docs can be transformed into executive-friendly formats:
Automatic Generation
Use the stakeholder-docs skill to generate:
- Executive summaries from technical specs
- Feature status dashboards
- Business impact statements
- Release summaries
"Create an executive summary of our current project status"
"Generate a feature status dashboard for Q1"
Manual Navigation
For quick stakeholder context:
- Project Overview:
.specweave/docs/internal/strategy/executive-summary.md - Feature Status:
.specweave/docs/internal/strategy/feature-dashboard.md - Recent Decisions: Latest 3 ADRs in
architecture/adr/
Visual Documentation
When documentation needs diagrams or illustrations:
Architecture Diagrams
Use Mermaid in markdown files:
```mermaid
graph TD
A[Client] --> B[API Gateway]
B --> C[Auth Service]
### AI-Generated Illustrations
Use the `/sw:image-generation` skill for professional visuals:
"Generate an architecture diagram illustration for the API docs" "Create a feature illustration for the living docs"
Brand colors: Purple #7c3aed, Light purple #a78bfa
---
## Related Skills
- **stakeholder-docs**: Generate executive-friendly views
- **docs-writer**: Create detailed documentation
- **image-generation**: Add visuals via `/sw:image-generation`
- **docusaurus**: Preview docs as website via `/sw-docs:view`
## Project-Specific Learnings
**Before starting work, check for project-specific learnings:**
```bash
# Check if skill memory exists for this skill
cat .specweave/skill-memories/living-docs-navigator.md 2>/dev/null || echo "No project learnings yet"
Project learnings are automatically captured by the reflection system when corrections or patterns are identified during development. These learnings help you understand project-specific conventions and past decisions.
More from anton-abyzov/specweave
technical-writing
Technical writing expert for API documentation, README files, tutorials, changelog management, and developer documentation. Covers style guides, information architecture, versioning docs, OpenAPI/Swagger, and documentation-as-code. Activates for technical writing, API docs, README, changelog, tutorial writing, documentation, technical communication, style guide, OpenAPI, Swagger, developer docs.
45spec-driven-brainstorming
Spec-driven brainstorming and product discovery expert. Helps teams ideate features, break down epics, conduct story mapping sessions, prioritize using MoSCoW/RICE/Kano, and validate ideas with lean startup methods. Activates for brainstorming, product discovery, story mapping, feature ideation, prioritization, MoSCoW, RICE, Kano model, lean startup, MVP definition, product backlog, feature breakdown.
43kafka-architecture
Apache Kafka architecture expert for cluster design, capacity planning, and high availability. Use when designing Kafka clusters, choosing partition strategies, or sizing brokers for production workloads.
34docusaurus
Docusaurus 3.x documentation framework - MDX authoring, theming, versioning, i18n. Use for documentation sites or spec-weave.com.
29frontend
Expert frontend developer for React, Vue, Angular, and modern JavaScript/TypeScript. Use when creating components, implementing hooks, handling state management, or building responsive web interfaces. Covers React 18+ features, custom hooks, form handling, and accessibility best practices.
29reflect
Self-improving AI memory system that persists learnings across sessions in CLAUDE.md. Use when capturing corrections, remembering user preferences, or extracting patterns from successful implementations. Enables continual learning without starting from zero each conversation.
27