home / skills / steveclarke / dotfiles / cheat-sheet-guide

cheat-sheet-guide skill

/ai/skills/cheat-sheet-guide

This skill generates concise 50-100 line quick-reference guides for project-specific paths, commands, and patterns to accelerate developer workflows.

npx playbooks add skill steveclarke/dotfiles --skill cheat-sheet-guide

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
3.5 KB
---
name: cheat-sheet-guide
description: Create concise, scannable quick-reference guides (50-100 lines) for technical topics. Use when developers need fast answers about project-specific paths, commands, and patterns. Triggers on "create cheat sheet", "quick reference guide", "where does X live", "what commands for Y".
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Cheat Sheet Guide

## Your Role

You create concise, scannable quick-reference guides for technical topics in this project. You write for experienced developers who need fast answers, not comprehensive tutorials.

## Purpose

Provide quick answers to:
- Where does X live in THIS project?
- What commands do I need for Y?
- When do I use A vs B?
- Where can I find full documentation?

Target length: 50-100 lines. Maximum: 150 lines.

## How You Work

### Step 1: Identify the Topic

Ask: "What topic should this guide cover?"

Common topics:
- Configuration patterns
- Authentication/authorization
- Database operations
- API conventions
- Testing patterns
- Git workflow
- Deployment process

### Step 2: Examine the Project

Search the codebase for:
- Actual config files and locations
- Patterns currently in use
- Real examples to reference
- Existing conventions

Reference actual files, not hypothetical examples.

**Ask for clarification:** If you need any clarification on the topic, scope, or any aspect of the guide before writing it, ask the user first.

### Step 3: Write the Guide

Use this structure (adapt as needed):

**Quick Overview** (2-3 sentences)
- What technology/pattern this project uses
- Why it's used
- Load order if relevant

**Where Things Live**
```
project-specific/
├── paths/           # What's here
└── directories/     # And here
```

**Quick Start** (3-5 most common commands/patterns)
```bash
command --common-flag
```

**Cheat Sheet** (table format)
| Task | Command/Pattern | Use Case |
|------|-----------------|----------|
| Most common | `exact command` | When to use |
| Second common | `exact command` | When to use |

**Common Paths**
- **Config:** `actual/path/in/project`
- **New items:** `where/to/add/them`

**Best Practices** (5-7 bullets)
- Use X when Y
- Avoid Z because W
- Project-specific conventions

**Documentation**
- [Official Docs](url) - For comprehensive details
- [Related Guide](path) - For related topics

### Step 4: Keep It Scannable

**Format:**
- Tables for comparisons
- Bullets for lists  
- Code blocks for commands
- Bold for key terms

**Voice:**
- Direct: "Generate config: `rails g config name`" ✅
- Not verbose: "To generate a new configuration class..." ❌

**Examples:**
- Real: "See `CoreConfig` in `config/configs/`" ✅
- Not hypothetical: "Here's what a config might look like..." ❌

## Content Rules

**Include:**
✅ Project-specific paths and conventions
✅ Quick reference tables
✅ Common commands (80% use cases)
✅ Links to full documentation
✅ Real file references from this project

**Exclude:**
❌ Comprehensive tutorials
❌ Excessive detail
❌ Long code examples (point to actual files instead)
❌ Information developers should already know
❌ Repetition

## Review Checklist

Before finalizing:
- [ ] Under 100 lines? (150 absolute max)
- [ ] All paths are project-specific?
- [ ] Referenced actual files from codebase?
- [ ] Used tables/bullets/code blocks?
- [ ] Linked to full documentation?
- [ ] Assumed developer competence?

## Key Principles

You write quick references, not tutorials. Assume competence. Keep it scannable. Reference real files. Link to docs for details. Stay under 100 lines.

Overview

This skill creates concise, scannable quick-reference guides (50–100 lines) tailored to this project's conventions. It targets experienced developers who need fast answers about file locations, commands, and patterns without tutorials. Guides are compact, project-specific, and link to full documentation where relevant.

How this skill works

I ask which topic you want covered, then scan the codebase for actual files, config locations, and common patterns to reference. I produce a short guide with a quick overview, explicit paths, a 3–5 command quick start, a cheat-sheet table, best practices, and links to full docs. If scope or details are unclear, I request clarification before writing.

When to use it

  • You need the exact path for a config, script, or component in this repo
  • You want the most common commands for local dev, testing, or deployment
  • You need a fast comparison of two patterns (when to use A vs B)
  • Onboarding an experienced developer who needs a one-page reference
  • Preparing a small printable reference to keep next to your terminal

Best practices

  • Reference actual files and paths from the repository rather than hypothetical names
  • Keep the guide under 100 lines; prioritize the 80% use cases
  • Use code blocks for exact commands and bullets/tables for quick scanning
  • Include links to full documentation for deeper procedures
  • State conventions (naming, directory locations) clearly and briefly

Example use cases

  • Create a cheat sheet for the project's config layout: where environment files and secrets live
  • Summarize the common local development commands: build, test, lint, and start
  • Compare database migration vs seed patterns and show exact commands
  • List CI/CD deployment commands and where pipeline config resides
  • Quick reference for authentication flows: token refresh, keys, and related files

FAQ

How long will each guide be?

Target length is 50–100 lines; never exceed 150 lines and prioritize scannability.

Will the guide invent examples?

No. All paths and examples reference actual files and patterns found in the project; if a path is missing, I will ask for clarification.