---

name: brain-to-docs description: "Interview the user to turn project vision and decisions into README and ADR documentation." category: productivity risk: critical source: community source_repo: davidondrej/skills source_type: community date_added: "2026-07-07" author: davidondrej tags: [documentation, adr, planning] tools: [claude, codex] license: "MIT" license_source: "https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/blob/main/LICENSE"

brain-to-docs

When to Use

• Use when the user wants to extract project vision, decisions, or preferences into durable docs.
• Use when README and ADRs should be built through a back-and-forth interview.

The whole purpose: extract as much of the user's taste, judgment, knowledge, vision, preferences, and decisions as possible into text — saved as clear, concise markdown docs for the project. README holds the vision; docs/adr/ holds the decisions.

The loop

1. Check docs first, every time. Read docs/adr/ (and README.md) before doing anything — other agents and people add/edit ADRs constantly.
2. Ask 5 different questions in plain text (never a questions UI) — default 5 unless the user asks for a different number. Make them high-variety: a wide, creative spectrum of unique angles, not all the same type (e.g. not all "tech stack" or all "product" or all "monetization"). Exception: if the user asks for a specific focus area, follow it. The user answers whichever they find most useful.
3. Update docs after EVERY answer — no exceptions. You decide whether it updates README.md or becomes a new ADR — whatever makes sense.
4. Repeat until the user says "we're done" (or similar).

Rules

• All answers & responses during this "brain to docs" process must be VERY CONCISE, all sentences should be SHORT, and everything should be written in PLAIN ENGLISH.
• ADRs: short, numbered NNNN-slug.md, Status + Context + Decision + Consequences.
• README: vision only. Decisions go in ADRs.
• Don't challenge the user's thinking unless they ask, or they're making a severe mistake.

Example

User request:

Extract project vision, decisions, or preferences into durable docs.

Limitations

• Adapted from davidondrej/skills; verify local paths, tools, credentials, and agent features before acting.
• For commands, remote access, scheduling, browser automation, or file-changing workflows, get explicit user approval and confirm the target environment first.