Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Docs Sync Audit agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Docs Sync Audit is an agent skill that asks an AI agent to act as a read-only documentation auditor. It checks whether your README, setup guides, API docs, env docs, changelogs and examples still match what the code actually does. This guide explains what the skill makes the agent do, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what to watch for, so you can get a prioritised list of documentation risks after a release or code change.
Docs Sync Auditgithub/awesome-copilot · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 2Confirm Python 3. Make sure python3 (or python) is on your PATH, since the bundled script needs it.
- 3Ask in plain language. Describe the scope, such as a PR, a release or a feature, and ask whether the docs are stale or missing.
- 4Let the script run. The agent runs scripts/docs_drift.py first to check npm scripts, make targets, Markdown links and env variable names.
- 5Review the mismatches. Check each finding's code side and docs side, and confirm anything that depends on dynamic imports or generated code.
- 6Decide on fixes. Because the audit is read-only, ask the agent to update docs explicitly once you agree with the findings.
What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file and optional scripts that an AI agent can load when a task matches the skill's description. This skill is licensed MIT and is named docs-sync-audit.
When you ask whether docs are stale, missing or inconsistent with the code, the agent compares what the docs claim against what the code does. It then reports each mismatch with evidence from both sides and a suggested direction for the fix. The skill states that this is not a general code review: it does not judge code quality or hunt bugs.
- Checks README files, setup guides, API docs, env docs, changelogs, examples, comments, generated docs and user-facing instructions.
- Can be scoped to a feature, PR, branch, release, API, configuration change, workflow, CLI, package or repository area.
- Runs a bundled Python script first, then applies judgement to wording and completeness.
- Stays read-only unless you explicitly ask it to update docs.
Install the docs-sync-audit skill
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it. For a personal install, place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder so it applies only there.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/docs-sync-audit/
- Project: .claude/skills/docs-sync-audit/ inside your repository
Check the requirements before you run it
The skill needs Python 3 available as python3 or python on your PATH. The bundled script uses only the Python standard library, so there are no packages to install. The agent runtime must be able to load SKILL.md and execute bundled scripts, and it needs read access to the repository under review.
Git is used for git status and for scoping PR or branch audits. The skill does not use the network and does run scripts.
- Python 3 (python3 or python on PATH)
- An agent runtime that can load SKILL.md and run bundled scripts
- Read access to the repository
- Git available for status and PR/branch scoping
How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe what you want in plain language and the agent will load the skill when the request matches its description. The skill also accepts a stated scope; if you give none, it audits the whole repository.
If the scope is unclear, the skill infers the smallest useful boundary and states it. It asks only when different scopes would produce materially different checks.
- audit docs for this PR
- what docs need updating before release
- docs sync for uploads
- check billing docs after this change
- audit OpenAPI docs against handlers
- env docs drift
- README setup audit
- check command docs
Run the bundled script directly
The skill runs scripts/docs_drift.py first. It checks only claims with a definite answer: documented npm run scripts and make targets against the ones that exist, relative Markdown links against the filesystem, and environment variable names in both directions between docs and code. The path is relative to the skill's own directory, which varies by host.
You can call it yourself with the flags the skill documents. Backticked paths are checked only when you add --check-paths, which is off by default.
- Use --top 30 to limit output, or --format json to filter results yourself.
- Use --check-paths only when you want backticked paths checked too. Treat its output as leads, not findings.
python <skill-dir>/scripts/docs_drift.py --top 30Read the findings and what to do with them
Each finding should show both the source of truth and the stale or missing documentation. Findings are split into confirmed drift and inferred doc gaps, and user-impacting drift is ranked above cosmetic wording issues. Severity runs from P0 (possible outage, data loss or security exposure) to P3 (low-risk cleanup).
The script never judges prose, so wording, completeness and whether an explanation is correct are left to the agent. Generated docs are treated carefully: the agent identifies the generator and source before recommending edits.
- P0: could cause production outage, data loss, security exposure or credential mishandling
- P1: blocks setup, release, API integration, migration or a common workflow
- P2: likely to confuse users, operators or contributors
- P3: lower-risk cleanup and naming drift
Safety notes: scripts and what the audit touches
The skill runs a bundled Python script, so review scripts/docs_drift.py before you trust it on sensitive repositories. The skill itself declares that it uses no network. By design it avoids writing into the repository: the agent is told not to create docs during the audit and to prefer checks that write nothing.
The script uses name matching, so it can miss or misreport references in repos that depend on dynamic imports or generated code. Its unreachable-module finding should be confirmed manually before you act on it.
- Runs scripts: yes (bundled Python)
- Uses network: no
- Read-only unless you explicitly ask for doc updates
- Confirm flagged findings manually, especially around dynamic imports
What people use it for
- Before a release, ask which README setup steps and changelog entries no longer match the code.
- After changing an endpoint, check whether the API docs and examples still show the old request or response shape.
- After renaming or adding environment variables, find .env.example and deployment docs that are missing or outdated.
- On a large repo, get a prioritised list of doc risks instead of a full manual review.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the docs-sync-audit skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one repository. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the docs-sync-audit skill free?
The skill is licensed under MIT, as stated in its SKILL.md. The source does not mention pricing for any agent runtime you use with it, so check your runtime's own terms.
What does the skill need to run?
It needs Python 3 on your PATH as python3 or python, an agent runtime that can load SKILL.md and run bundled scripts, and read access to the repository. Git is used for status and PR or branch scoping.
Does the skill change my documentation?
No. It is designed to stay read-only unless you explicitly ask it to update docs. It also avoids creating docs during the audit phase.
Why does the script miss some references or report false positives?
The script uses name matching, so it cannot see dynamic imports or generated code. Confirm any unreachable-module finding manually before acting on it.
How is this different from a general code review?
The skill explicitly is not a general code review. It compares what the docs claim against what the code does, rather than judging code quality or looking for bugs.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are a maintainer preparing a release, a developer who changed a feature or config and needs to find misleading docs, or a team with a large repo that wants prioritised doc risks. Pick something else if you want general code review or bug hunting, or if you want the docs fixed automatically, since this skill stays read-only by design.
Download the skill