Engineering

README Prompt Template

Overview, Installation, Usage, Examples, Configuration — the README skeleton with required, runnable code examples.

Overview

READMEs die in two ways: missing sections (no install steps, no examples) and decorative code blocks that don't run. This setup generates READMEs against the five-section skeleton every reader expects, with README-specific rules — one-paragraph project description up top, most common use case first — and Require Code Examples: every behavior-describing section carries a fenced, language-tagged block that is usable as written, no pseudo-code, no "..." placeholders.

Workflow

Generate and describe your project below it
The prompt carries the structure; your project details go in the input under it.
Check the code rule
"Usable as written" bans the placeholder snippets that make READMEs look done without being useful.
Keep common-case-first
The README rule that matters most: the reader installing for the first time outranks the power user.

Why This Works

The five-section skeleton matches what every README reader scans for
Required code examples close the decorative-snippet gap
Newcomer-first ordering is encoded as a rule, not a hope

Best for

Open-source maintainers shipping many small projects
Teams standardizing internal repo documentation
READMEs whose examples must actually run

Not for

Deep-dive system documentation — that's the Technical Documentation setup
Summarizing an existing README — that's the Structured Summary Prompt

Use cases

Writing READMEs for new projects in one consistent shape
Backfilling READMEs across a repo collection
Forcing real install commands instead of "install the package"

Customize This Resource

Opens this setup in Markdown Output Builder. Generate to get the full markdown prompt — then adjust the sections, table rules, and consistency level.

Open in Markdown Output Builder

Prompt Template

TASK
Generate a complete README for a new open-source project.
Produce a new markdown document — there is no source text to summarize.

DOCUMENT
The document is a project README — the first thing a new user reads.
- Open with a one-paragraph project description before the first section.
- The most common use case comes first; edge cases come last.

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
Start with one "# " title line, then use exactly these sections, in this order:
## Overview
What the project does and why it exists.
## Installation
Step-by-step install commands.
## Usage
How to use it, most common case first.
## Examples
Working examples a reader can copy.
## Configuration
Options, defaults, and environment variables.

MARKDOWN RULES
- One "# " title at the top; every section below it is a "## " heading.
- Use markdown lists for enumerations — no walls of prose.
- No HTML tags — pure markdown.

TABLE RULES
- Use a markdown table when content is naturally tabular — comparisons, option matrices, parameter lists; otherwise prefer prose.
- Every table needs a header row and a separator row.

CODE RULES
- Every section that describes behavior or usage must include a fenced code example with a language tag.
- Code examples must be usable as written — no pseudo-code, no "..." placeholders.

CONSISTENCY RULES
- Use every section defined above, in the order given.
- Do not add new top-level sections — put extra material inside the closest existing section.

OUTPUT RULES
- Return only the markdown document — no preamble, no closing commentary.
- Start directly with the "# " title line.
- Do not wrap the document in code fences.

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