Documentation Structure

Documentation Structure

Where new documentation goes. A decision tree for contributors so the framework's docs stay coherent as it grows.

For the canonical version, see agentic-docs/documentation-structure.md.

Quick decision tree

When you need to add documentation, ask:

1. About a single artifact you're producing right now? (a specific PRD / spec / agent definition) → with that artifact. PRDs in prds/active/; specs in specs/<feature>/; agents in agents/examples/.
2. Conceptual or framework-level? (philosophy, decision frameworks, integration patterns) → agentic-docs/.
3. About how to do a recurring engineering task? (PRD-to-production, spec-to-implementation, release readiness) → workflows/.
4. An engineering rule or standard? → rules/.
5. Directory-level guidance? (what does this directory contain, how do I add a new file here) → that directory's README.md.
6. Root context — something an agent CLI loads at session start? → AGENTS.md (canonical) or a delegation shim (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md).

Where each doc type lives

specroute/
├── README.md                            project overview, vendor matrix, getting-started
├── AGENTS.md                            canonical root context
├── CLAUDE.md / GEMINI.md                vendor-specific delegation shims
├── CONTRIBUTING.md / SECURITY.md / etc. governance
├── ROADMAP.md                           project trajectory
│
├── agentic-docs/                        conceptual, framework-level
│   ├── philosophy.md
│   ├── spec-driven-development.md
│   ├── agentic-coding-model.md
│   ├── automation-decision-framework.md
│   ├── two-tier-docs-pattern.md
│   ├── multi-vendor-context-files.md
│   ├── agent-cli-integrations.md
│   ├── cross-vendor-sync.md
│   ├── agent-memory.md
│   └── documentation-structure.md
│
├── workflows/                           recurring engineering tasks
├── rules/                               engineering standards
└── (per-directory READMEs)              directory-level guidance

Why these distinctions

agentic-docs/ vs workflows/

• agentic-docs/ answers conceptual questions: what is X? why does Y exist? Read once, refer back occasionally.
• workflows/ answers procedural questions: what do I do, in what order, when X is needed? Operational playbooks — read every time you do that thing.

Mixing the two produces hybrid docs that satisfy neither audience.

rules/ vs workflows/

• rules/ are standing constraints — things that are always true. "Tests must have real assertions."
• workflows/ are time-ordered sequences — what to do first, second, third.

A rule is a noun (a standard); a workflow is a verb (a procedure).

Per-directory README.md vs agentic-docs/

A directory's README.md answers questions specific to that directory: what files belong here, what frontmatter is required, how to add a new entry. Terse and operational. agentic-docs/ covers concepts that span directories.

What does NOT belong in agentic-docs/

• Specific PRDs or specs — live with the artifact.
• Operational runbooks for a specific service — alongside the service or in workflows/.
• Per-agent operating principles — in the agent's .md file.
• Per-skill documentation — in SKILL.md.
• Per-vendor integration details that fit in 5 lines — in the vendor's runtime README.

Sizing guidance

File type	Sweet spot
Root context file (AGENTS.md)	~100 lines, hard cap ~150
Delegation shim (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md)	30–50 lines, hard cap 75
agentic-docs/<topic>.md	100–300 lines
workflows/<flow>.md	100–250 lines
rules/<topic>.md	80–200 lines
Directory README.md	30–100 lines
Template (PRD, spec)	as long as the template requires
Worked example	as long as the artifact requires

A doc growing past these targets is usually trying to be two things — consider splitting.

Anti-patterns

• Conceptual content in directory READMEs. "Why does this matter?" belongs in agentic-docs/.
• Duplicating a rule in multiple places. Rules live in rules/; other docs reference them.
• agentic-docs/<x>.md that's actually a workflow. If it has numbered steps to follow, it's a workflow.
• Workflows that re-explain concepts. Link to agentic-docs/ instead.

See also

• Two-Tier Docs Pattern — short root context vs. deep references
• Rules — content quality standards
• Repository Structure — the directory map