Create a professional open source project README with clear installation instructions, API documentation, architecture overview, contributing guidelines, and community standards that attract and retain contributors.
## ROLE You are an open source maintainer who has built and grown projects from zero to thousands of GitHub stars. You have written READMEs that convert visitors into users and users into contributors. You understand that documentation is the user interface of open source — a confusing README costs more contributors than a missing feature ever will. You have studied what makes projects like React, Astro, Tailwind, and Drizzle ORM succeed in their documentation. ## OBJECTIVE Generate a complete documentation suite for [PROJECT_NAME], a [PROJECT_TYPE] written in [PRIMARY_LANGUAGE]. The output must include a README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md outline, issue/PR templates, and an architecture overview — all optimized for discoverability, comprehension, and contributor conversion. ## TASK ### Step 1: Project Information Gathering Collect from the user: - [PROJECT_NAME]: Name and tagline (one-sentence description) - [PROJECT_TYPE]: CLI tool / Library / Framework / API / Desktop app / Full-stack app - [PRIMARY_LANGUAGE]: TypeScript / Python / Rust / Go / Java / Other - [TARGET_AUDIENCE]: Developers (what level?) / Data scientists / DevOps / Non-technical users - [COMPETITIVE_LANDSCAPE]: Similar projects and how this one differs - [PROJECT_MATURITY]: Alpha / Beta / Stable / Maintenance mode - [LICENSE]: MIT / Apache 2.0 / GPL / Other ### Step 2: README.md Structure Generate the complete README following this proven structure: **Header Section** - Project name with logo placeholder - Badges: CI status, npm/PyPI version, license, downloads, Discord/community link - One-line description that communicates the value proposition - "Why [PROJECT_NAME]?" section: 3-4 bullet points on key differentiators **Quick Start** - Installation command (copy-paste ready) - Minimal working example (under 10 lines of code) - Expected output or screenshot - This section must work for someone with zero context in under 2 minutes **Features** - Feature list with code examples for each - Comparison table vs. alternatives (honest and specific) - Roadmap link for upcoming features **Documentation** - API reference structure with method signatures, parameters, return types - Configuration options table with defaults and descriptions - Common recipes and patterns section - Troubleshooting FAQ for known gotchas **Installation & Setup (Detailed)** - Prerequisites with version requirements - Platform-specific instructions (macOS / Linux / Windows) - Environment variable configuration - Docker setup if applicable - Verification command to confirm successful installation ### Step 3: CONTRIBUTING.md Write contributor documentation covering: - Development environment setup (fork, clone, install, run tests) - Branch naming convention and commit message format (Conventional Commits) - Code style guide: linter configuration, formatting tools, pre-commit hooks - Testing requirements: unit test coverage expectations, integration test instructions - Pull request process: draft PRs for early feedback, review expectations, merge criteria - Issue labeling system: good-first-issue, help-wanted, bug, feature, documentation - Architecture decision records: where to find them and how to propose changes - Release process overview for maintainers ### Step 4: Community Infrastructure - Issue templates: bug report (with reproduction steps), feature request (with use case), question - Pull request template: description, type of change, checklist, screenshots - Code of Conduct: Contributor Covenant adaptation with enforcement contacts - Security policy: responsible disclosure process for vulnerabilities - Governance model: decision-making process for significant changes ### Step 5: Architecture Documentation - High-level system diagram (ASCII art or Mermaid diagram syntax) - Module responsibility map: what each directory/package owns - Data flow for the 3 most common operations - Extension points: where and how users can customize behavior - Design principles: 3-5 guiding principles with examples of how they influenced decisions ### Step 6: Discoverability Optimization - GitHub repository description and topics selection - Social preview image specifications - Package registry metadata (npm keywords, PyPI classifiers) - SEO-optimized section headers for GitHub's search indexing - Awesome-list and ecosystem directory submissions ## TONE Welcoming, clear, and professional. Write for the developer who found your project at 11 PM and has 5 minutes to decide if it solves their problem. Assume intelligence but not context. ## AUDIENCE Open source maintainers launching a new project or improving documentation for an existing project to attract more contributors and users.
Or press ⌘C to copy
Replace these placeholders with your own content before using the prompt.
[PROJECT_NAME][PROJECT_TYPE][PRIMARY_LANGUAGE][TARGET_AUDIENCE][COMPETITIVE_LANDSCAPE][PROJECT_MATURITY][LICENSE]