Skill353 repo starsupdated 3mo ago

compound-docs

The compound-docs skill manages structured documentation of solved problems in a `docs/solutions/` directory to enable knowledge reuse across sessions. Use this skill when solutions are discovered to capture them with standardized YAML frontmatter, searchable tags, and detailed investigation steps including failed attempts and lessons learned. When a problem recurs three or more times, promote the solution to critical patterns for broader team visibility and faster resolution.

View source Repository: gemini-kit

Install in Claude Code

Copy

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nth5693/gemini-kit /tmp/compound-docs && cp -r /tmp/compound-docs/skills/compound-docs ~/.claude/skills/compound-docs

Then start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.

Definition

SKILL.md

# Compound Documentation Skill

Manages solution documentation in `docs/solutions/` for knowledge persistence across sessions.

## Overview

When you solve a problem, document it so the solution can be found and reused later.

## What do you want to do?

1. **Document a solution** → Use `/compound` workflow
2. **Find existing solutions** → See "Searching Solutions" below
3. **Promote to pattern** → See "Pattern Promotion" below
4. **Validate schema** → See "YAML Validation" below

---

## Instrumentation

```bash
# Log usage when using this skill
./scripts/log-skill.sh "compound-docs" "manual" "$$"
```

## Searching Solutions

```bash
# Search by keyword
grep -r "keyword" docs/solutions/

# Search by tag
grep -l "tags:.*performance" docs/solutions/**/*.md

# Search by problem type
ls docs/solutions/performance-issues/
```

## Pattern Promotion

When an issue occurs 3+ times:

1. Search for similar solutions:
   ```bash
   grep -r "similar terms" docs/solutions/
   ```

2. Add to critical patterns:
   ```bash
   # Edit docs/solutions/patterns/critical-patterns.md
   ```

3. Format:
   ```markdown
   ### Pattern #{N}: {Name}
   
   **Problem:** {What goes wrong}
   
   **❌ WRONG:**
   ```code
   {incorrect}
   ```
   
   **✅ CORRECT:**
   ```code
   {correct}
   ```
   ```

## YAML Validation

All solutions must have valid frontmatter:

```yaml
---
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
problem_type: "{from schema.yaml}"
severity: "critical|high|medium|low"
symptoms:
  - "symptom 1"
root_cause: "{from schema.yaml}"
tags:
  - tag1
---
```

See `docs/solutions/schema.yaml` for valid enum values.

## Documenting Failures & Learnings

When documenting solutions, capture the full journey:

### What to Include
- ✅ Failed attempts with explanations
- ✅ Incorrect assumptions and corrections
- ✅ Key insights from mistakes
- ✅ Course corrections and why
- ✅ Time investment (helps prioritize future similar issues)

### Example Pattern
```markdown
## Investigation Steps

| Attempt | Hypothesis | Result |
|---------|------------|--------|
| 1. Check API logs | API might be timing out | ❌ No timeouts found |
| 2. Review database queries | N+1 query suspected | ❌ Queries were optimized |
| 3. Check cache invalidation | Cache might be stale | ✅ Found cache not clearing |

## Lessons Learned

### Mistakes Made
- **Assumption:** Assumed the API was the bottleneck
  - **Why wrong:** Didn't check cache layer first
  - **Correction:** Should always check cache before API

### Key Breakthrough
- **Insight:** Realized cache invalidation logic was only running on UPDATE, not DELETE
  - **Impact:** Led directly to the solution
```

> [!TIP]
> **Document the journey, not just the destination.** Future readers learn from understanding WHY failed approaches didn't work.

## References

- Schema: `docs/solutions/schema.yaml`
- Template: `docs/solutions/templates/solution-template.md`
- Patterns: `docs/solutions/patterns/critical-patterns.md`