User Manual Generator

Generate comprehensive, deployment-ready user documentation from application codebases using intelligent code analysis and documentation best practices.

Overview

This skill analyzes your codebase to automatically generate user-focused documentation (not developer/API docs). It creates deployment-ready static sites compatible with GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Vercel, following the Diataxis framework (tutorials, how-to guides, reference, explanation).

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create end-user documentation for web apps, APIs, CLI tools, or desktop applications
• Generate documentation that helps users accomplish tasks, not just understand code
• Deploy professional documentation sites quickly
• Establish a documentation foundation that evolves with your code

Don't use this skill for:

• API-only documentation (use OpenAPI/Swagger generators instead)
• Internal developer documentation (use JSDoc/Sphinx/Godoc)
• Simple README files (write those manually)

Workflow

When invoked, follow these phases in order. Load each phase's context file only when you reach that phase to minimize context usage:

Phase 1: Discovery & Requirements

Context: Read phases/01-discovery.md

Ask clarifying questions and analyze the codebase to understand:

• Application type (web, API, CLI, desktop)
• Target audience
• Preferred static site generator
• Documentation depth needed

Phase 2: Feature Extraction

Context: Read phases/02-feature-extraction.md

Extract user-facing features from code:

• Routes and navigation (web apps)
• Endpoints and schemas (APIs)
• Commands and options (CLI)
• Menus and settings (desktop)

Phase 3: Structure Planning

Context: Read phases/03-structure-planning.md

Plan documentation structure using Diataxis framework:

• Tutorials (learning-oriented)
• How-to guides (task-oriented)
• Reference (information-oriented)
• Explanation (understanding-oriented)

Phase 4: Content Generation

Context: Read phases/04-content-generation.md Templates: Read from templates/ directory as needed

Generate documentation content using templates:

• Writing guidelines for user-focused content
• Templates for each documentation type
• Example formats and placeholders

Phase 5: Static Site Setup

Context: Read phases/05-static-site-setup.md SSG Config: Read from ssg/ directory based on user's choice

Set up the chosen static site generator:

• MkDocs Material (ssg/mkdocs.md)
• Docusaurus (ssg/docusaurus.md)
• VitePress (ssg/vitepress.md)
• Plain Markdown (ssg/plain-markdown.md)

Phase 6: Quality Assurance

Context: Read phases/06-quality-assurance.md

Perform quality checks:

• Completeness verification
• Link validation
• Code sample verification
• Accessibility checks

Phase 7: Handoff

Context: Read phases/07-handoff.md

Generate final deliverables:

• Generation report
• TODO list for manual work
• Deployment instructions
• Summary message for user

Reference Materials

Load these only when needed for specific situations:

Context Needed	File to Read
React, Express, Django, etc. patterns	reference/tech-patterns.md
Multi-language, versioning, API integration	reference/advanced-features.md
Do's and don'ts summary	reference/best-practices.md
Issues running this skill	reference/skill-troubleshooting.md

Quick Reference: Templates

Template	Use For
templates/installation.md	Installation guide
templates/quick-start.md	Quick start guide
templates/how-to-guide.md	Task-oriented guides
templates/configuration-reference.md	Config options reference
templates/api-reference.md	API endpoint documentation
templates/cli-reference.md	CLI command reference
templates/troubleshooting.md	Error messages and FAQ

Expected Outcome

• 70-80% time saved vs manual documentation
• Deployment-ready site in minutes
• Solid foundation requiring ~20% manual refinement
• Maintainable docs that evolve with code

Success Criteria

• Non-technical users can complete tasks using docs
• All major features covered
• Zero build errors
• Passes basic accessibility checks
• Deployable to chosen hosting platform