Use when writing technical documentation that needs to be readable by both humans and AI models, converting existing docs to HADS format, validating a HADS document, or optimizing documentation for token-efficient AI consumption.
Installs just this skill. Get the whole plugin for auto-invocation.
⚡ How it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
Fires itselfClaude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.
You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
Slash command/hads
👁️ Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Use when writing technical documentation that needs to be readable by both humans and AI models, converting existing docs to HADS format, validating a HADS document, or optimizing documentation for token-efficient AI consumption.
📊 Stats
Stars38,174
Forks4,092
LanguagePython
LicenseMIT
📦 Ships with wshobson-agents
</> SKILL.md
hads.SKILL.md
---name: hads
description: Use when writing technical documentation that needs to be readable by both humans and AI models, converting existing docs to HADS format, validating a HADS document, or optimizing documentation for token-efficient AI consumption.
---# HADS Claude Skill
**Version 1.0.0** · Human-AI Document Standard · 2026 · HADS 1.0.0
---## 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.
---## 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
---## 2. BLOCK TYPES
**[SPEC]**
```
**[SPEC]** Authoritative fact. Terse. Bullet lists, tables, code. AI reads always.
- 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
---
## 3. REQUIRED DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
**[SPEC]**
```markdown
# Document Title
**Version X.Y.Z** · Author · Date · [metadata]
---
## 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.
---
## 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)
---
## 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.
---
## 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.
---
## 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)*
---
## 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
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.
