Guidance on using tools for documentation extraction. Use the most appropriate tools for the situation Start with what you know - file names, directory structure, or keywords Use multiple discovery methods to build understanding Adapt your approach based on the codebase structure Explore directory structure and find relevant files - Starting exploration of a feature area - Understanding project organization - Finding configuration or test files Examine specific files in detail - Analyzing implementation details - Understanding configuration - Reading documentation or comments Read multiple related files together for better context Find specific patterns or text - Locating API endpoints - Finding configuration usage - Tracking down error handling - Discovering cross-references Get overview of code structure - Understanding module organization - Identifying main components - Finding test coverage Semantic search when available - Finding conceptually related code - Discovering implementations by functionality - When keyword search isn't sufficient Optional - use when semantic understanding is needed Start from high-level structure and drill down List files in feature directory Identify main entry points Follow imports and dependencies Examine implementation details Use tests to understand expected behavior Find test files for the feature Read test descriptions and scenarios Trace back to implementation Verify behavior matches tests Start with configuration to understand setup Find configuration files Identify feature flags and settings Trace usage in code Document impacts of each setting Map external interfaces first Search for route definitions Find API controllers or handlers Trace to business logic Document request/response flow Create extraction or verification report files. Generates reports for documentation teams, not final documentation. - For extraction: EXTRACTION-[feature-name].md - For verification: VERIFICATION-[feature-name].md Use descriptive feature name in filename. Include table of contents. Use consistent Markdown formatting. Include syntax-highlighted code examples. EXTRACTION-authentication-system.md # Authentication System Documentation ## Table of Contents 1. [Overview](#overview) 2. [Architecture](#architecture) ... ## Overview The authentication system provides secure user authentication using JWT tokens... ... ]]> Clarify ambiguous requirements. Multiple features have similar names. Documentation depth is unclear. Audience priorities are undefined. Which authentication aspects should be the focus? The complete flow (JWT, sessions, OAuth). Only JWT implementation and validation. Only OAuth2 integration. Password reset and recovery workflows. ]]> What level of technical detail is needed? High-level overview for all audiences. Detailed developer implementation. API reference with code examples. Full coverage for all audiences. ]]> Find all files related to a feature using various methods. Start by exploring likely directories src false src/features/[feature-name] true ]]> Search for feature-related patterns src feature-name|FeatureName src describe\(['"].*Feature.*['"]|test\(['"].*feature.*['"] *.test.ts ]]> Find configuration files config true . feature.*config|settings.*feature *.json ]]> Use semantic search if available and helpful feature implementation main logic ]]> This is optional - use when other methods aren't sufficient Follow import chains to map dependencies. Read main file. Extract all imports. Read each imported file. Recursively analyze imports. Build dependency graph. src/feature import\s+(?:{[^}]+}|\*\s+as\s+\w+|\w+)\s+from\s+['"]([^'"]+)['"] src/feature require\(['"]([^'"]+)['"]\) ]]> Extract API documentation from code. Route definitions, request/response schemas, auth requirements, rate limiting, error responses. Find route files. Extract route definitions. Find controllers. Analyze request validation. Document response formats. Use tests to document expected behavior. Tests provide usage examples. Test descriptions explain functionality. Tests cover edge cases. Tests document expected outputs. __tests__ (describe|it|test)\(['"]([^'"]+)['"] __tests__/feature.test.ts ]]> .env.example config/*.json src/config/* README.md (configuration section) Custom error classes Error code constants Error message templates HTTP status codes src class\s+\w*Error\s+extends|new Error\(|throw new|ERROR_CODE|HTTP_STATUS ]]> Authentication methods Authorization rules Data encryption Input validation Rate limiting src @Authorized|requireAuth|checkPermission|encrypt|decrypt|sanitize|validate|rateLimit ]]> Organize output for navigation. - Clear hierarchy, consistent headings, ToC with links, cross-references. Include relevant code examples. - Use syntax highlighting, show request/response, include error cases. Suggest diagrams where helpful. - Architecture, sequence, data flow, state machine diagrams. Include important metadata. - Version compatibility, last updated, status, performance, security.