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hads

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by wshobson · part of wshobson/agents

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.

🧩 One of 7 skills in the wshobson/agents package — works on its own, and pairs well with its siblings.

This is the playbook your agent receives when the skill activates — you don't need to read it to use the skill, but it's here to audit before installing.

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:

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

4. HOW CLAUDE READS HADS

[SPEC] When encountering a HADS document:

  1. Find and read the AI manifest first
  2. Read all [SPEC] blocks — these are ground truth
  3. Read all [BUG] blocks — always, before generating any code or config
  4. Read [NOTE] blocks only if [SPEC] is insufficient to answer the query
  5. 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:

  1. Start with header block (title, version, metadata)
  2. Add AI manifest — always include, never skip
  3. Organize content into numbered H2 sections
  4. For each fact: write as [SPEC] — terse, bullet or table or code
  5. For each "why" or context: write as [NOTE]
  6. For each known failure mode with confirmed fix: write as [BUG]
  7. For each unverified claim: write as [?]
  8. 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.