Writing technical documentation that needs to be readable

HADS Claude Skill

Version 1.0.0 · Human-AI Document Standard · 2026 · HADS 1.0.0

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AI READING INSTRUCTION

This skill teaches Claude how to read, generate, and validate HADS documents. Read all [SPEC] blocks before responding to any HADS-related request. Read [NOTE] blocks if you need context on intent or edge cases.

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1. WHAT IS HADS

[SPEC]

• HADS = Human-AI Document Standard
• Convention for Markdown technical documentation
• Four block types: **[SPEC]**, **[NOTE]**, **[BUG]**, **[?]**
• Every HADS document requires: H1 title, version declaration, AI manifest
• AI manifest appears before first content section, tells AI what to read/skip
• File extension: .md — standard Markdown, no tooling required

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2. BLOCK TYPES

[SPEC]

**[SPEC]**   Authoritative fact. Terse. Bullet lists, tables, code. AI reads always.
**[NOTE]**   Human context, history, examples. AI may skip.
**[BUG]**    Verified failure + fix. Required fields: symptom, cause, fix. Always read.
**[?]**      Unverified / inferred. Lower confidence. Always flagged.

Block tag rules:

• Bold, on its own line: **[SPEC]**
• Content follows immediately (no blank line between tag and content)
• Multiple blocks of different types allowed per section
• Titled BUG blocks allowed: **[BUG] Short description**
• No nesting of blocks inside blocks

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3. REQUIRED DOCUMENT STRUCTURE

[SPEC]

# Document Title
**Version X.Y.Z** · Author · Date · [metadata]

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## AI READING INSTRUCTION

Read `[SPEC]` and `[BUG]` blocks for authoritative facts.
Read `[NOTE]` only if additional context is needed.
`[?]` blocks are unverified — treat with lower confidence.

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## 1. First Section

**[SPEC]**
...

Required elements in order:

1. H1 title
2. **Version X.Y.Z** in header (first 20 lines)
3. AI manifest section before first content section
4. Content sections (H2), subsections (H3)

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4. HOW CLAUDE READS HADS

[SPEC] When encountering a HADS document:

1. Find and read the AI manifest first
2. Read all [SPEC] blocks — these are ground truth
3. Read all [BUG] blocks — always, before generating any code or config
4. Read [NOTE] blocks only if [SPEC] is insufficient to answer the query
5. Treat [?] content as hypothesis — note uncertainty in response

Token optimization: for large documents, scan section headings first, then read only [SPEC] and [BUG] blocks in relevant sections.

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5. HOW CLAUDE GENERATES HADS

[SPEC] When asked to write documentation in HADS format:

1. Start with header block (title, version, metadata)
2. Add AI manifest — always include, never skip
3. Organize content into numbered H2 sections
4. For each fact: write as [SPEC] — terse, bullet or table or code
5. For each "why" or context: write as [NOTE]
6. For each known failure mode with confirmed fix: write as [BUG]
7. For each unverified claim: write as [?]
8. End with changelog section

Content rules for [SPEC]:

• Prefer bullet lists over prose
• Prefer tables for multi-field facts
• Prefer code blocks for syntax, formats, examples
• Maximum 2 sentences of prose — if more needed, move to [NOTE]

Content rules for [BUG]:

• Always include: symptom, cause, fix
• Optional: affected versions, workaround
• Title on same line: **[BUG] Short description**

[NOTE] When converting existing documentation to HADS: extract facts into [SPEC], move narrative and history to [NOTE], surface all known issues as [BUG]. Do not duplicate content between block types.

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6. VALIDATION RULES

[SPEC] A valid HADS document must have:

• H1 title
• **Version X.Y.Z** in first 20 lines
• AI manifest before first content section
• All block tags bold: **[SPEC]** not [SPEC] not [SPEC]
• [BUG] blocks contain at minimum symptom + fix

Validator: (planned — not yet included in this release)

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7. EXAMPLE INTERACTIONS

[SPEC]

User: "Write HADS documentation for this REST API" → Generate full HADS document: header, manifest, sections with [SPEC]/[NOTE]/[BUG] blocks

User: "Convert this README to HADS format" → Restructure existing content into HADS blocks, preserve all facts, add manifest

User: "Is this document valid HADS?" → Check: H1 title, version, manifest, block tag formatting, BUG block completeness

User: "Summarize this HADS document" → Read only [SPEC] and [BUG] blocks, return structured summary

User: "What does this API do?" (HADS doc provided) → Read manifest, read [SPEC] blocks in relevant sections, answer directly

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8. DESIGN INTENT

[NOTE] HADS exists because AI models increasingly read documentation before humans do. The format optimizes for this reality without sacrificing human readability.

Key insight: the AI manifest is the core innovation. It lets even small (7B) models know what to read and what to skip — without requiring them to reason about document structure. Explicit is better than implicit for model consumption.

When generating HADS, think of [SPEC] as the API surface and [NOTE] as the comments. [BUG] blocks are the most valuable content — they represent hard-won knowledge that saves others from hitting the same wall.

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9. QUICK REFERENCE

[SPEC]

Tag       | Bold format    | Reader  | Required content
----------|----------------|---------|------------------
[SPEC]    | **[SPEC]**     | AI      | Facts, terse
[NOTE]    | **[NOTE]**     | Human   | Context, narrative
[BUG]     | **[BUG] ...**  | Both    | Symptom + fix
[?]       | **[?]**        | Both    | Unverified claims

Manifest minimum:

## AI READING INSTRUCTION
Read `[SPEC]` and `[BUG]` blocks for authoritative facts.
Read `[NOTE]` only if additional context is needed.
`[?]` blocks are unverified.