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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the API Documenter agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The api-documenter skill is a set of instructions that tells an AI agent to work like an API documentation specialist. It covers OpenAPI 3.1 and AsyncAPI specifications, interactive docs, onboarding guides, authentication and webhook security explanations, and versioning or migration notes. This guide explains what an agent skill is, how to install this one, how to ask for work in plain language, and what to check before you rely on the output.

API Documentersickn33/agentic-awesome-skills · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Download the ZIP. Get the api-documenter skill ZIP from this page. It contains SKILL.md.
  2. 2Unzip into a skills folder. Extract the api-documenter folder into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
  3. 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Open Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill there.
  4. 4Describe your API. Share your spec, endpoints or event definitions and your target audience.
  5. 5Make a documentation request. Ask in plain language, for example for an OpenAPI 3.1 spec or a webhook guide.
  6. 6Review the output. Check examples and auth details against your real API before publishing.

What is an agent skill and what does api-documenter make the agent do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. The file holds instructions and checklists that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. Nothing runs automatically: the skill changes how the agent approaches the work.

With api-documenter loaded, the agent starts from a documentation specialist's workflow. It identifies target users, API scope and documentation goals, then creates or validates specifications with examples and auth flows, builds interactive docs, and plans maintenance, versioning and migration guidance.

  • Write or check OpenAPI 3.1 and AsyncAPI specifications
  • Draft interactive docs, onboarding guides and developer portal structure
  • Explain authentication, rate limiting, CORS and webhook signature verification
  • Plan versioning, deprecation notices and migration guides
  • Generate code example or SDK guidance from an API spec

Install the api-documenter skill from the ZIP

Download the ZIP for the skill from this page. The skill is a single file, SKILL.md, inside the plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-documenter folder of the sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills repository. Unzip it so that the api-documenter folder sits in one of the locations below.

For a personal install available in all your projects, place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

  • Personal: ~/.claude/skills/api-documenter/
  • Project only: .claude/skills/api-documenter/ inside your project
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill

How do you trigger the skill with a natural request?

You do not need a special command. Describe the documentation task in plain language and name the API artifact you have, such as an OpenAPI file, an endpoint list or an event schema. The skill's description covers OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, developer portals, SDK docs and code examples, so requests on those topics are the ones it is meant to handle.

Be specific about your audience and goal. The skill's first step is to identify target users and documentation goals, so including them in the request gives the agent what it needs to work from.

  • "Create a comprehensive OpenAPI 3.1 specification for this REST API with authentication examples."
  • "Design a migration guide for developers upgrading from API v1 to v2."
  • "Create webhook documentation with security best practices and payload examples."
  • "Generate SDKs in Python, JavaScript, and Go from this OpenAPI spec."
  • "Design an API explorer for our public endpoints."

What do you need before you start?

The skill lists no required packages, tools or accounts. It is instructions only. To get useful output you still need the material to document: the API's endpoints, existing spec or code, authentication method and, for event-driven APIs, the message or payload definitions.

The skill is not meant for projects with no API surface or spec, quick internal notes, or pure backend implementation without a documentation goal.

  • Your API details: endpoints, parameters, responses, auth method
  • An existing spec or source code to work from, if you have one
  • Target audience and what they should be able to do after reading the docs

What are the safety notes for scripts and network access?

The skill runs no scripts and uses no network connection, according to its listing. The package contains only SKILL.md. It does not publish docs, deploy a site or run tests by itself.

Some example phrases in the skill mention testing examples, mock servers and CI/CD, but the file names no tools to execute them. Treat any command, test or deployment step the agent proposes as a suggestion to review before you run it, and check every generated example against your real API.

  • No scripts are included in the skill
  • No network use is declared
  • Review generated code samples and curl commands before running them against production

Tips for better documentation output

Give the agent real material. Paste your spec, a sample request and response, or the auth flow, rather than asking for generic docs. The skill is built around concrete examples, so specifics produce better results.

Ask for one deliverable at a time, such as a single endpoint group, a webhook page or a migration guide. Check the output against your API's actual behaviour, because the skill itself relies on your validation to keep docs accurate.

  • Paste the actual spec or endpoint list
  • Name the audience: partner developers, internal teams or public users
  • Ask for a checklist to verify the result against your code

What people use it for

  • Writing or checking an OpenAPI 3.1 specification for an existing REST API
  • Documenting webhook payloads and signature verification for partner developers
  • Drafting an onboarding guide and quick-start for a developer portal
  • Planning a v1 to v2 migration guide with deprecation notices
  • Outlining AsyncAPI documentation for an event-driven service

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the api-documenter agent skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it so the api-documenter folder sits in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in your project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Is the api-documenter skill free to use?

The skill is published under the MIT licence, which is stated on this page. The listing does not mention any price, so check the repository for any terms that apply to you.

Does api-documenter require any tools or packages?

The listing names no required tools, runs no scripts and uses no network. The skill is a single SKILL.md file of instructions, so you need your own API material to document.

Can the skill publish my docs or run my tests?

No. The skill describes testing, publishing and mock server capabilities, but the file names no tools to execute them and includes no scripts. You must run any publishing or testing steps yourself.

What is the difference between OpenAPI and AsyncAPI?

OpenAPI describes request-response REST APIs, while AsyncAPI describes event-driven and real-time APIs. The skill covers both, so use OpenAPI for endpoints and AsyncAPI for messages or events.

When should I not use api-documenter?

Skip it for quick internal notes, pure backend coding with no documentation goal, or projects that have no API or spec to document. The skill states these cases are out of scope.

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Our verdict

Use api-documenter if you are a backend engineer, technical writer or developer relations person who needs help writing or reviewing OpenAPI 3.1 or AsyncAPI docs, onboarding guides or webhook security notes. Pick something else if you need a tool that publishes docs, runs tests or generates SDK code automatically, since this skill is instructions and checklists only.

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