Technical Documentation Generator

The Prompt

Generate technical documentation for the following code. Include:

1. **Overview:** One paragraph explaining what this does and why it exists
2. **Quick Start:** Minimal example to get running in 30 seconds
3. **API Reference:** For each public function/method:
   - Signature with types
   - Parameters (with defaults and constraints)
   - Return value
   - Exceptions/errors it can throw
   - Usage example
4. **Architecture:** How the pieces fit together (brief)
5. **Configuration:** All env vars, config files, and their defaults
6. **Troubleshooting:** Top 3 things that go wrong and how to fix them

Write for a developer who knows the language but has never seen this codebase. Avoid jargon without definition.

Code:
[PASTE CODE]

How To Use It

Paste a module, class, or entire file. For best results, include any existing tests — they reveal the intended usage patterns better than the implementation itself.

Why It Works

Documentation fails when it describes HOW code works instead of WHY and WHEN to use it. This prompt prioritizes quick start and troubleshooting — the two things developers actually search for.

Variations

README generator:

Write a GitHub README for this project. Include: badges, one-line description, installation, usage, contributing guide, and license. Keep it under 200 lines.

Changelog writer:

Compare these two versions of the code and write a changelog entry following Keep a Changelog format (Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security).

Comment generator:

Add inline comments to this code, but ONLY where the logic is non-obvious. Don't comment what the code does — comment WHY it does it that way.