compound-docs#

Process#

Single-file architecture -- one markdown file per problem in its symptom category directory (e.g., docs/solutions/performance-issues/n-plus-one-briefs.md), with YAML frontmatter for metadata.

Follow the 7-step documentation capture process. For full details, see documentation-process.md.

1. Detect confirmation -- Auto-invoke after "that worked", "it's fixed", etc. Skip trivial fixes.
2. Gather context -- Extract module, symptom, investigation attempts, root cause, solution, prevention. BLOCK if critical context missing.
3. Check existing docs -- Search docs/solutions/ for similar issues. If found, offer: new doc with cross-reference, update existing, or other.
4. Generate filename -- Format: [sanitized-symptom]-[module]-[YYYYMMDD].md
5. Validate YAML -- Save the draft to a temporary Markdown file, then run validate-frontmatter.sh against it. The validator requires Python 3 and PyYAML; report a missing dependency rather than claiming validation. If invalid, fix the frontmatter and re-run until it passes.
6. Create documentation -- Write file to docs/solutions/[category]/[filename].md using resolution-template.md.
7. Cross-reference -- Link related issues. Detect critical patterns (3+ similar issues).

Capture gate (step 1): capture only if, without this doc, a future engineer reading the final code, tests, comments, CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md, and existing docs or skills would still repeat the mistake or redo the investigation. Skip when any of those already carries the lesson.

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Decision Menu#

After successful documentation, present the options below via AskUserQuestion (Claude Code; load with ToolSearch select:AskUserQuestion if not loaded) or request_user_input (Codex), falling back to the numbered menu in chat, and WAIT for the user's response:

text

Solution documented

File created:
- docs/solutions/[category]/[filename].md

What's next?
1. Continue workflow (recommended)
2. Add to Required Reading - Promote to critical patterns
3. Link related issues - Connect to similar problems
4. Add to existing skill - Add to a learning skill
5. Create new skill - Extract into new learning skill
6. View documentation - See what was captured
7. Other

For detailed response handling, see documentation-process.md.

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Success Criteria#

• YAML frontmatter validated (all required fields, correct formats)
• File created in docs/solutions/[category]/[filename].md
• Enum values match schema exactly
• Code examples included in solution section
• Cross-references added if related issues found
• User presented with decision menu and action confirmed

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References#

• documentation-process.md - Full 7-step process with validation gates
• yaml-schema.md - YAML frontmatter schema and enum values
• quality-guidelines.md - Quality standards, execution rules, error handling
• example-scenario.md - Complete walkthrough of documenting an N+1 query fix
• resolution-template.md - Template for documentation files
• critical-pattern-template.md - Template for critical pattern entries
• validate-frontmatter.sh - Validate YAML frontmatter against schema
• validate-frontmatter.py - Safe YAML parser and field validation; install its dependency with python3 -m pip install PyYAML when authorized

Integration#

• Stale-learning review ( /ia-compound-refresh in Claude Code) -- reviews docs/solutions/ for entries that have aged out