stack/docs/plans/2026-08-10-docs-structure-readme.md

Documentation Structure README Implementation Plan

For Claude: REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task.

Goal: Replace the starter docs/README.md with the normative documentation structure, placement rules, source-of-truth policy, and Obsidian-compatible navigation conventions approved for Mosaic Stack.

Architecture: Keep docs/README.md as the root documentation atlas and authoring contract. Use audience books for current user, administrator, and developer content; keep API contracts and operational artifacts in dedicated directories; retain _old_structure/ as a read-only migration quarantine. Do not move or rewrite existing documentation in this slice.

Tech Stack: Markdown, YAML front matter examples, Obsidian wikilinks, relative Markdown links, Prettier.

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Task 1: Write the documentation structure contract

Files:

• Modify: docs/README.md
• Reference: docs/plans/2026-08-10-docs-information-architecture-design.md

Step 1: Confirm the approved design and current transition constraints

Verify that the README preserves these decisions:

• docs/mosaic-stack/ is not a target content directory.
• docs/README.md is the documentation atlas and placement contract.
• Existing files are not moved or rewritten yet.
• _old_structure/ is read-only migration quarantine.
• Root control files, audience books, API, reports, tasks, plans, scratchpads, releases, archive, and assets have distinct responsibilities.

Step 2: Replace the starter README

Write docs/README.md with these sections:

1. Purpose and scope.
2. Reader entry points.
3. Complete target directory tree, including the optional .obsidian/ vault configuration boundary and the workflow-only plans/ directory.
4. Root control document responsibilities.
5. Guide book responsibilities and chapter rules.
6. Artifact directory responsibilities.
7. Placement matrix for agents.
8. Source-of-truth and precedence rules.
9. Page naming and front matter conventions.
10. Obsidian wikilink and Git-hosted Markdown link conventions.
11. Authoring workflow for new or changed documentation.
12. Migration rules for _old_structure/, legacy root files, and repository references.
13. Current transitional exceptions and explicit non-goals.

Use future target paths as a blueprint, but clearly label directories that are not populated yet so readers do not mistake the blueprint for completed migration.

Step 3: Preserve the existing Obsidian configuration boundary

Document .obsidian/ as optional vault metadata only. Do not place Markdown content, scratchpads, reports, or source-of-truth files under it, and do not modify its existing files in this task.

Step 4: Keep the README portable

Use ordinary relative Markdown links for indexes and Git-hosted navigation. Use Obsidian wikilinks for graph-oriented relationships such as Related, Depends on, and Referenced by. Do not make a current navigation path depend solely on a Git-host-incompatible wikilink.

Step 5: Review the resulting document

Check that an agent can answer all of these without inspecting another file:

• Where does a user guide go?
• Where does an admin runbook go?
• Where does architecture or an RFC go?
• Where does an API contract go?
• Where does an active scratchpad go?
• Where does a review or QA report go?
• Where does an approved design or implementation plan go?
• Which files are normative, working notes, evidence, or historical?
• What may be added directly under docs/?

Step 6: Commit only the README

Because docs/GETTING_STARTED.md is an unrelated pre-staged deletion, stage and commit only docs/README.md:

git add docs/README.md
git commit --only docs/README.md -m "docs: codify documentation structure"

Expected: the commit contains only the README change; the existing staged deletion and orchestrator state remain outside the commit.

Task 2: Verify the README-only change

Files:

• Verify: docs/README.md

Step 1: Run Markdown formatting validation

Run:

pnpm exec prettier --check docs/README.md

Expected: Prettier reports the file is formatted.

Step 2: Run whitespace validation

Run:

git diff --check HEAD^ -- docs/README.md

Expected: no whitespace errors.

Step 3: Validate required structural anchors

Run a focused search or script confirming the README names:

• PRD.md, TASKS.md, and SITEMAP.md;
• USER-GUIDE/, ADMIN-GUIDE/, DEVELOPER-GUIDE/, and API/;
• reports/, tasks/, plans/, scratchpads/, releases/, archive/, and assets/;
• _old_structure/ as read-only quarantine;
• docs/mosaic-stack/ as retired/non-authoring;
• Obsidian wikilinks and Git-compatible Markdown links.

Expected: all anchors are present and no section instructs agents to create content under docs/mosaic-stack/.

Step 4: Confirm scope isolation

Run:

git status --short
git show --stat --oneline HEAD

Expected: the new commit contains only docs/README.md; pre-existing .mosaic/orchestrator/*, docs/GETTING_STARTED.md, and docs/.obsidian/ states remain untouched.

Step 5: Record verification evidence

Update the task scratchpad at docs/scratchpads/DOCS-IA-001.md with commands, results, known transitional gaps, and the next migration slice. Do not modify active docs/TASKS.md; its single-writer policy belongs to the orchestrator.