Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Docs Update From Diff agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Docs Update From Diff is an agent skill, a packaged set of instructions that an AI coding agent loads when your request matches its description. This one is for maintainers of the qwen-code repository and teams that keep their documentation in a docs/ folder. After reading this guide you will know how to install the skill, how to phrase a request so the agent uses it, and what to check before you commit the result.
Docs Update From DiffQwenLM/qwen-code · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the docs-update-from-diff ZIP from our page and unzip it.
- 2Place the skill folder. Put it in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or in the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one repository. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills instead.
- 3Confirm git and docs/. Make sure git is installed and you are in a local checkout of the repository that has a docs/ directory.
- 4Make your code changes. Work on the feature, command, setting or refactor as usual. You do not need to commit them.
- 5Ask for the docs update. Use a natural request such as asking the agent to sync the docs under docs/ with your local git diff.
- 6Review the diff. Run git diff on docs/, check links, _meta.ts entries and examples against the code.
What the skill makes the agent do
When you ask the agent to document your local work, the skill tells it to start from your local Git state. It inspects git status --short, git diff --stat and targeted git diff output, then works out which behaviours, commands, settings, paths or defaults changed.
The agent then edits only the repository's docs/ pages so they match the current code. It prefers updating an existing page over creating a new one, removes or rewrites stale text instead of adding caveats on top, and afterwards searches docs/ for old names and checks links and _meta.ts navigation files.
- Reads uncommitted changes, ignoring README.md and other non-docs/ content unless it helps confirm intent
- Maps each change to docs/users/** for end-user behaviour or docs/developers/** for internals and contributor workflow
- Checks related helper skills and project-level skills under .qwen/skills/ for hardcoded docs/users/ paths
Install the skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP for this skill from our page and unzip it. The skill is a folder containing SKILL.md and a references/docs-surface.md file, and the folder needs to sit in a skills directory that your agent reads.
For a personal install, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. To make it available only inside one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: .claude/skills/ inside the project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Check your repository before you start
The skill needs git, because it reads git status and git diff from your local repository. It also needs a local checkout of the repository that contains a docs/ directory. The workflow is written for the qwen-code layout, so the paths and conventions it expects are the ones in that repository.
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. All of its work happens on your local files.
- git installed and available to the agent
- A local checkout with a docs/ directory
- Changes made locally; the skill works from uncommitted state
git status --short
git diff --statTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not call the skill by name. The agent loads it when your request matches its description. The description lists phrases such as "git diff", "local changes", "update docs" and "official docs", and situations such as documenting current uncommitted work or updating docs after a feature or refactor.
Clear requests work best. Name the kind of change and the outcome you want, so the agent knows which pages to touch.
- "Update the docs under docs/ to match my local git diff."
- "Document the uncommitted work in this repo in the official docs."
- "I refactored the settings loader. Sync the docs with my local changes."
- "Update docs after this feature; check the quickstart and feature pages too."
Review the result before you commit
The agent edits files directly. Because of that, review the changes in git before you commit. Read the changed docs against your code diff, not from memory, and confirm that examples, setting keys and file paths match what the code now does.
The skill also tells the agent to confirm that new pages appear in the relevant _meta.ts file and that links still resolve. Check those yourself as well.
- Run git diff on docs/ and read every changed page
- Confirm new pages are listed in the nearest _meta.ts
- Search docs/ for names you renamed or removed
git diff -- docs/What people use it for
- Keeping the official docs in step after adding a new command or flag in the same working branch
- Updating configuration pages, such as docs/users/configuration/settings.md, after a settings change
- Refreshing feature pages under docs/users/features/ after changing how a tool or agent behaviour works
- Removing outdated examples and setup steps left behind by a refactor
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the docs-update-from-diff skill?
Download the ZIP from our page and unzip it. For personal use, put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/; for one project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the docs-update-from-diff skill require?
It requires git, because it inspects git status and git diff in your local repository, and a local checkout of the repository with a docs/ directory. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing.
Is the docs-update-from-diff skill free to use?
The skill is listed under the Apache-2.0 licence. This page does not state pricing for the skill, so check the licence and your agent platform's terms for any costs.
Does the skill work on a project that does not use a docs/ folder?
Not well. The workflow is hardcoded to the qwen-code layout and its docs/ paths and conventions, so projects without a docs/ folder or with a different structure are not a good fit.
Why does the agent not see my changes?
The skill works from local, uncommitted state through git status and git diff. Make sure you are in the correct local checkout and that your changes exist in the working tree. Committed release history is not what it reads.
What should I check after the agent edits my docs?
Review the changes with git diff on docs/ before committing, since the agent edits files directly. Check links, new pages in _meta.ts and any old names that are still present in docs/.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you maintain the qwen-code repository or a similar docs/ layout and want documentation updated alongside feature work from your local changes. Skip it if your project has no docs/ folder, if you need a history-based review of a committed release, or if you want large unreviewed rewrites, since the agent edits files directly.
Download the skill