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Read the Damn Docs

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Verification of official documentation before generating code or technical guidance.

What it does

This skill forces the assistant to prioritize current, authoritative sources over generalized training data. Instead of relying on potentially outdated patterns, it mandates a search-first approach to confirm the latest syntax, API endpoints, and configuration parameters directly from official provider materials.

By integrating this, your assistant becomes significantly more disciplined when handling third-party libraries and cloud services. It prevents common pitfalls caused by model drift, ensuring the suggested code aligns with the actual version of the tools currently in your environment.

When it earns its place

Reach for it when…

Apply this when dealing with fast-moving frameworks, security-sensitive API integrations, or whenever you need to confirm breaking changes during a package migration. It is essential for high-stakes tasks where relying on memory could lead to configuration errors, deprecated function calls, or invalid authentication scopes.

Look elsewhere when…

Do not use this for general creative writing, purely internal business logic where no external dependencies exist, or debugging problems that are rooted in your own custom source code rather than an external platform's behavior.

What to say to use it

You never invoke a skill directly — the assistant picks it up when your request matches what it covers. These are the kinds of things that do that.

  • What is the official way to set up the latest Stripe API?
  • Check the docs to see if this Next.js router feature is deprecated.
  • Look up the current recommended configuration for this SDK.
  • Verify these auth permissions against the provider's documentation.

Install it

Install for all your projects

Copy the skill directory into your personal skills folder. Claude picks it up on its own the next time your request matches what it does — there is nothing to enable.

bash
git clone --depth 1 --branch main https://github.com/BuilderIO/skills.git /tmp/skills
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/skills/skills/read-the-damn-docs ~/.claude/skills/read-the-damn-docs

Install for one project only

Put it in the project's own skills folder instead, so it can be committed and shared with everyone working on that repository.

bash
cp -r /tmp/skills/skills/read-the-damn-docs .claude/skills/read-the-damn-docs

If a skill of the same name exists in both places, the personal one wins.

Installing on Claude.ai or through the API instead? The full guide covers every surface.

Pair it with an MCP server

Read the Damn Docs changes how the work is done. These servers change what Claude can reach while doing it.

How skills and MCP servers differ →