Agents hads

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.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/wshobson/agents

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/wshobson/agents "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/plugins/documentation-standards/skills/hads" ~/.claude/skills/wshobson-agents-hads && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: plugins/documentation-standards/skills/hads/SKILL.md

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.
**[NOTE]**   Human context, history, examples. AI may skip.
**[BUG]**    Verified failure + fix. Required fields: symptom, cause, fix. Always read.
**[?]**      Unverified / inferred. Lower confidence. Always flagged.

Block tag rules:

Bold, on its own line:
```
**[SPEC]**
```
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]

# 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:

H1 title
```
**Version X.Y.Z**
```
in header (first 20 lines)
AI manifest section before first content section
Content sections (H2), subsections (H3)

4. HOW CLAUDE READS HADS

[SPEC] When encountering a HADS document:

Find and read the AI manifest first
Read all
```
[SPEC]
```
blocks — these are ground truth
Read all
```
[BUG]
```
blocks — always, before generating any code or config
Read
```
[NOTE]
```
blocks only if
```
[SPEC]
```
is insufficient to answer the query
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:

Start with header block (title, version, metadata)
Add AI manifest — always include, never skip
Organize content into numbered H2 sections
For each fact: write as
```
[SPEC]
```
— terse, bullet or table or code
For each "why" or context: write as
```
[NOTE]
```
For each known failure mode with confirmed fix: write as
```
[BUG]
```
For each unverified claim: write as
```
[?]
```
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

User: "Is this document valid HADS?" → Check: H1 title, version, manifest, block tag formatting, BUG block completeness

User: "Summarize this HADS document" → Read only [SPEC] and [BUG] blocks, return structured summary

User: "What does this API do?" (HADS doc provided) → Read manifest, read [SPEC] blocks in relevant sections, answer directly

8. DESIGN INTENT

[NOTE] 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.

9. QUICK REFERENCE

[SPEC]

Tag       | Bold format    | Reader  | Required content
----------|----------------|---------|------------------
[SPEC]    | **[SPEC]**     | AI      | Facts, terse
[NOTE]    | **[NOTE]**     | Human   | Context, narrative
[BUG]     | **[BUG] ...**  | Both    | Symptom + fix
[?]       | **[?]**        | Both    | Unverified claims

Manifest minimum:

## AI READING INSTRUCTION
Read `[SPEC]` and `[BUG]` blocks for authoritative facts.
Read `[NOTE]` only if additional context is needed.
`[?]` blocks are unverified.