Is the Documentation Criteria skill free?

Yes. The skill itself is free from shinpr/claude-code-workflows. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.

What is the Documentation Criteria SkillProof Score?

9.2/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 5/5.

How do I install Documentation Criteria?

Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.

Can I use Documentation Criteria with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?

The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.

Documentation Criteria

Decision matrix + templates for when to write PRD, ADR, Design Doc, and Work Plan

by shinpr · shinpr/claude-code-workflows

Tested · Works

Install — copy the command Download source ↗

Test report

Verdict: Tested · Works
Score: 9.2/10
Tested: Jul 21, 2026
Environment: Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
Upstream re-checked: Aug 10, 2026 · ab9c994

⚠ The author changed this skill after we tested it. The verdict below describes the version we ran on Jul 21, 2026; it's queued for a re-test.

Fetched the canonical SKILL.md at skills/documentation-criteria; frontmatter parses with name+description and all 3 spot-checked templates (prd/adr/design) returned HTTP 200; no scripts or security smells. Cloned into a temp HOME and confirmed SKILL.md lands at ~/.claude/skills/documentation-criteria/SKILL.md. For OUTPUT I posed one task (new backend feature, ~7 files, new external payment API) and wrote two artifacts: the baseline called PRD "probably overkill" and downgraded the ADR to an optional note, while the skill-followed answer applied the matrix to mandate PRD + a formal ADR with a minimum 3-option comparison (external dependency = ADR Condition #4) plus exact paths, naming conventions, and required diagrams the baseline omitted.

Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works

Installs cleanly 5/5
Triggers reliably 5/5
Output vs. baseline 8/10
Docs & honesty 5/5

What Documentation Criteria does

Provides a criteria matrix mapping change scale (file count, ADR conditions, feature type) to which planning documents are required and in what order, plus six reference templates (PRD, ADR, UI Spec, Design Doc, Work Plan, Task) with their storage paths, naming conventions, and required diagrams. Triggers when creating or reviewing technical documents or deciding which documents a change requires.

How to install Documentation Criteria

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/shinpr/claude-code-workflows.git /tmp/documentation-criteria-src
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -R /tmp/documentation-criteria-src/skills/documentation-criteria ~/.claude/skills/documentation-criteria
# Pure markdown skill: SKILL.md + 6 reference templates in references/. No scripts, deps, or API keys.
# Repo ships several copies (dev-skills/, dev-workflows*/); skills/documentation-criteria is the canonical standalone one.

Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ (per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.

Commands — how to trigger Documentation Criteria

/documentation-criteria Decision matrix + templates for when to write PRD, ADR, Design Doc, and Work Plan

It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:

Which documents does this feature require
Create an ADR for this architecture decision
Review this design doc against our criteria

Frequently asked questions

Is the Documentation Criteria skill free?: Yes. The skill itself is free from shinpr/claude-code-workflows. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
Does Documentation Criteria work with Claude Code?: We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 21, 2026. Verdict: Tested · Works. Fetched the canonical SKILL.md at skills/documentation-criteria; frontmatter parses with name+description and all 3 spot-checked templates (prd/adr/design) returned HTTP 200; no scripts or security smells. Cloned into a temp HOME and confirmed SKILL.md lands at ~/.claude/skills/documentation-criteria/SKILL.md. For OUTPUT I posed one task (new backend feature, ~7 files, new external payment API) and wrote two artifacts: the baseline called PRD "probably overkill" and downgraded the ADR to an optional note, while the skill-followed answer applied the matrix to mandate PRD + a formal ADR with a minimum 3-option comparison (external dependency = ADR Condition #4) plus exact paths, naming conventions, and required diagrams the baseline omitted.
What is the Documentation Criteria SkillProof Score?: 9.2/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 5/5.
How do I install Documentation Criteria?: Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
Can I use Documentation Criteria with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?: The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.