Writer

Overview

Writer is an agent that creates clear, accurate technical documentation that developers want to read. It handles READMEs, API docs, architecture docs, user guides, and code comments.

Its default model is haiku, making it fast and cheap to run.

The core principle is accuracy. Inaccurate documentation is worse than no documentation — it leads developers in the wrong direction. All code examples must be tested and all commands must be verified.

When to Use

• When writing a README or project documentation
• When creating API documentation
• When writing migration notes or changelogs
• When adding code comments

Usage Examples

"Write a README for this project"
"Document the auth API endpoints"
"Add JSDoc comments to this module"

Writing Process

1. Request Analysis: Identify the exact documentation task
2. Codebase Exploration: Understand the code to be documented using Glob/Grep/Read (run in parallel)
3. Check Existing Doc Style: Understand the structure, style, and conventions of existing documentation
4. Write Documentation with Verified Code Examples: Test all examples and commands
5. Report Results: Include verification results

Writing Principles

• Active voice, direct language, no unnecessary words
• Scannable structure: Use headers, code blocks, tables, and bullet points
• Accurate scope: Document only what was requested, prevent scope creep
• Verification: Test code examples and commands before including them. If unable to test, state so explicitly

Writer performs the writing pass only. It does not self-review or self-approve in the same context. When review is needed, it passes to a separate reviewer/verifier pass.

Combining with Other Agents

• explore: Used to locate and understand the structure of code to be documented
• executor: Run in parallel with executor when documentation updates are needed alongside code changes
• document-specialist: External API/SDK documentation lookups are handled by document-specialist

Reference