Install Update Project Docs
Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.
npx skills add waynesutton/builder-skills --skill update-project-docsThe open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.
01
Install it
Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.
02
Ask naturally
Describe the task. Your agent loads update-project-docs when the request matches its description.
03
Name it if needed
If it does not trigger, say “use the update-project-docs skill”. In Codex, type $update-project-docs.
Update project docs
Activate with /update, @update, update project docs, or sync project docs.
Three files describe a project to the next person who opens it. Keep them true.
| File | Answers |
|---|---|
task.md |
What is planned, in flight, and done |
changelog.md |
What changed for users, by version and date |
files.md |
What each file is for |
Truth comes from the repo, not from the conversation. If the diff does not show it, it did not ship.
Run the sync
- Find the root.
git rev-parse --show-toplevel, or the workspace root without git. - Collect evidence.
git log --date=short -n 20,git status --short,git diff --stat, and for the current changegit diff HEAD --stator the staged diff. See references/evidence-rules.md for what counts. - Read all three files as they are. Note the last logged date and the last completed task.
- Update each file. Rules below.
- Check idempotency. If nothing new landed since the last entry, change nothing and say so.
- Scan for secrets and personal data before saving. See the redaction section.
- Print the commit message. Rules below.
- Report in a few lines. Show the new changelog entry or say the docs were already current.
task.md
Sections: ## To Do, ## In Progress, ## Completed.
- Move an item to Completed only if its verification step ran. If the PRD lists a check that has not run, leave it In Progress and say which check is pending.
- Completed entries:
- [x] YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm UTC <what>. <PRD path if any>. <files touched>. Verified: <command or outcome>. - Never delete history. Old completed items stay.
- If
task.mddoes not exist, create it with the three headings and the current change under Completed or In Progress based on the evidence.
changelog.md
Keep a Changelog format. ## [Unreleased] at the top, then ## [x.y.z] - YYYY-MM-DD blocks, each with ### Added, ### Changed, ### Fixed, ### Removed as needed.
- Dates come from
git log --date=short. The release date is the date of the commit that bumped the version, or today's UTC date if it has not been committed yet. Never a placeholder, never a future month. - Write for the user of the project, not the author. "Uploads over 5 MB now show a progress bar" beats "refactored upload hook".
- One line per change. Group related commits.
- Do not log dependency bumps, formatting, or generated files unless they change behavior.
- If a version bump exists in
package.jsonwith no matching heading, add the heading.
files.md
One line per file that matters. Grouped by folder.
## convex/
- `schema.ts` tables and indexes
- `stats.ts` heartbeat mutation with 10s dedup window, page view inserts
## src/hooks/
- `usePageTracking.ts` sends heartbeats, debounced 5s, path change aware
- Add every new source file from the diff.
- Fix descriptions that the diff made wrong.
- Skip
node_modules,_generated, lockfiles, build output, and assets unless they are hand written. - Keep each description under one line. What it is for, not how it works.
Convex projects
When the repo has a convex/ folder, the changelog and files.md can name Convex features, but only ones the source proves. references/convex-detection.md lists what file shows what.
Short version:
- A component counts only if
convex/convex.config.tsregisters it. A dependency inpackage.jsonis not proof. - Crons count only if
convex/crons.tsexists and registers a job. - HTTP actions count only if
convex/http.tshas a route. - Auth counts only if
convex/auth.config.tsor an auth component is present. - AI model names count only if code or config names them. Do not guess which model built the app.
Prefer none over an invented value.
Redaction
changelog.md and files.md are often public. Treat them that way.
- Never open
.env,.env.local, or any secret store to fill in a doc. Env var names are fine to mention. Values never. - Never include API keys, tokens, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, private hostnames, or application data records.
- Scan the whole file before saving, not just the new lines. Replace any address shaped text with
[redacted]and say so in one line. - Log behavior, not identifiers. "Signed webhook verification for inbound mail" is fine. The inbox address is not.
Boundaries
- Edit only
task.md,changelog.md,files.md, and PRDs the user points at. Nothing else unless asked. - Never commit, push, deploy, publish, or tag. Print the suggested commit message instead.
- Never rewrite older entries for tone. Fix facts when the evidence contradicts them and flag the correction.
- Do not call production APIs or query live data to make the docs richer.
Commit message
After syncing, print the commit message as plain text in a code block. No git add, no git commit, no heredoc, no shell at all.
<type>: <short summary of the main change>
- optional bullet when the change touches more than two concerns
- Type is one of
feat,fix,docs,style,refactor,test,chore. - Present tense, subject under 50 characters, no period at the end.
- A docs only sync uses
docs: sync task, changelog, and files.
Report format
Synced project docs.
changelog.md added 2.1.0 (2026-09-15): 3 added, 1 fixed
files.md added 2 files, updated 1 description
task.md moved 1 item to Completed, 1 still In Progress (verification pending: e2e)
Suggested commit: docs: sync changelog, files, and tasks for 2.1.0
Tips for Update Project Docs
- • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
- • It bundles reference files. The agent reads them only when needed, so they cost no context until then.
- • It is part of a pack with 22 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
- • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.
Questions about Update Project Docs
What does the Update Project Docs skill do?
Brings task.md, changelog.md, and files.md back in sync with what the code says shipped, then prints a commit message as plain text. Reads git history and the working tree, never memory, and refuses to log features it cannot see in source. Use when a feature or fix lands, when the user says /update, @update, update project docs, sync changelog, or update files.md, or when task.md and the code disagree.
How do I install Update Project Docs?
Run "npx skills add waynesutton/builder-skills --skill update-project-docs" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.
Does Update Project Docs work in Cursor and Codex?
Yes. Update Project Docs uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.
Is Update Project Docs free?
Update Project Docs is open source on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.
Who made Update Project Docs?
Update Project Docs is published by waynesutton in the waynesutton/builder-skills repository, together with 21 other skills.






