readme-generator

What I do

1. Analyze project structure: Examine directory layout, source files, and configuration
2. Detect project type: Identify language/framework from package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, requirements.txt, etc.
3. Extract metadata: Get project name, description, scripts, dependencies from config files
4. Check existing README: Review current README.md content if it exists
5. Detect codebase changes: Analyze recent git changes to understand what's new or modified
6. Generate README: Create comprehensive README with appropriate sections
7. Update existing README: Edit current README.md to reflect codebase changes
8. Show preview: Display generated content for confirmation before writing

When to use me

Use this when you want to:

• Create a new README.md for a fresh project
• Update an existing README to reflect current codebase state
• Update README based on recent changes in the repository (new features, changed dependencies, etc.)
• Add missing sections like installation, usage, or API docs
• Generate documentation based on project structure

How to use

1. Load this skill: skill({ name: "readme-generator" })
2. I'll analyze your project structure and config files
3. I'll show you what I found and what sections I'll include
4. You'll confirm or specify what to include
5. I'll generate the README and show a preview
6. You can edit before I write it to README.md

Project Analysis Steps

1. Detect Project Type

Check for:

• package.json - Node.js/npm project
• Cargo.toml - Rust project
• go.mod - Go project
• requirements.txt / pyproject.toml - Python project
• pom.xml / build.gradle - Java project
• *.csproj - C#/.NET project
• Gemfile - Ruby project

2. Extract Project Info

From config files:

• Name: project name
• Description: from config or prompt user
• Version: current version
• Scripts: build, test, start commands
• Dependencies: key dependencies
• License: from LICENSE file or config

3. Analyze Structure

• List root directory contents
• Identify src/, lib/, app/, tests/ directories
• Check for docs/, examples/, scripts/ folders
• Look for main entry points

4. Detect Codebase Changes

When updating an existing README:

• Run git diff or check recent commits to see what changed
• Identify new files, modified functionality, updated dependencies
• Look at git log for recent features or changes
• Check for new scripts in package.json or similar config files
• Update relevant sections: features, installation, usage, API, etc.

5. Generate README Sections

Based on project type, include:

• Title & Badges: name, version, license, CI status
• Description: what the project does
• Features: key capabilities
• Prerequisites: required tools/versions
• Installation: how to install
• Usage: basic usage examples
• API: for libraries, document public interfaces
• Configuration: config options if applicable
• Development: how to contribute/run dev mode
• Testing: how to run tests
• License: license info
• Directory Structure: overview of code organization

6. Output Format

Generated README follows common conventions:

• Markdown format
• Badge placeholders for CI/CD
• Code blocks for examples
• Tables for options/CLI flags
• Link references for dependencies

Options

• Update: Tell me "update" to update existing README based on recent codebase changes
• Update only: Tell me "update only" to only modify existing README sections without adding new ones
• Minimal: Tell me "minimal" to create a bare-bones README
• Detailed: Tell me "detailed" to include all possible sections
• Custom sections: Specify which sections to include

Example

User: "Generate README for this project" Skill finds: Node.js project with package.json, tests/, README exists Action: Analyze existing README, update with current package.json info, add missing sections

User: "Update README based on recent changes" Skill finds: 5 new commits, new API endpoints added, new dependencies Action: Run git diff/log, identify changes, update Features/API/Installation sections accordingly