HADS Claude Skill

Version 1.0.0 · Human-AI Document Standard · 2026 · HADS 1.0.0

AI READING INSTRUCTION

This skill teaches Claude how to read, generate, and validate HADS documents.

Read all [SPEC] blocks before responding to any HADS-related request.

Read [NOTE] blocks if you need context on intent or edge cases.

1. WHAT IS HADS

[SPEC]

• HADS = Human-AI Document Standard

• Convention for Markdown technical documentation

• Four block types: **[SPEC]**, **[NOTE]**, **[BUG]**, **[?]**

• Every HADS document requires: H1 title, version declaration, AI manifest

• AI manifest appears before first content section, tells AI what to read/skip

• File extension: .md — standard Markdown, no tooling required

2. BLOCK TYPES

[SPEC]

**[SPEC]**   Authoritative fact. Terse. Bullet lists, tables, code. AI reads always.

**[NOTE]**   Human context, history, examples. AI may skip.

**[BUG]**    Verified failure + fix. Required fields: symptom, cause, fix. Always read.

**[?]**      Unverified / inferred. Lower confidence. Always flagged.

Block tag rules:

• Bold, on its own line: **[SPEC]**

• Content follows immediately (no blank line between tag and content)

• Multiple blocks of different types allowed per section

• Titled BUG blocks allowed: **[BUG] Short description**

• No nesting of blocks inside blocks

3. REQUIRED DOCUMENT STRUCTURE

[SPEC]

# Document Title

**Version X.Y.Z** · Author · Date · [metadata]

---

## AI READING INSTRUCTION

Read `[SPEC]` and `[BUG]` blocks for authoritative facts.

Read `[NOTE]` only if additional context is needed.

`[?]` blocks are unverified — treat with lower confidence.

---

## 1. First Section

**[SPEC]**

...

Required elements in order:

• H1 title

• **Version X.Y.Z** in header (first 20 lines)

• AI manifest section before first content section

• Content sections (H2), subsections (H3)

4. HOW CLAUDE READS HADS

[SPEC]

When encountering a HADS document:

• Find and read the AI manifest first

• Read all [SPEC] blocks — these are ground truth

• Read all [BUG] blocks — always, before generating any code or config

• Read [NOTE] blocks only if [SPEC] is insufficient to answer the query

• Treat [?] content as hypothesis — note uncertainty in response

Token optimization: for large documents, scan section headings first, then read only [SPEC] and [BUG] blocks in relevant sections.

5. HOW CLAUDE GENERATES HADS

[SPEC]

When asked to write documentation in HADS format:

• Start with header block (title, version, metadata)

• Add AI manifest — always include, never skip

• Organize content into numbered H2 sections

• For each fact: write as [SPEC] — terse, bullet or table or code

• For each "why" or context: write as [NOTE]

• For each known failure mode with confirmed fix: write as [BUG]

• For each unverified claim: write as [?]

• End with changelog section

Content rules for [SPEC]:

• Prefer bullet lists over prose

• Prefer tables for multi-field facts

• Prefer code blocks for syntax, formats, examples

• Maximum 2 sentences of prose — if more needed, move to [NOTE]

Content rules for [BUG]:

• Always include: symptom, cause, fix

• Optional: affected versions, workaround

• Title on same line: **[BUG] Short description**

[NOTE]

When converting existing documentation to HADS: extract facts into [SPEC], move narrative and history to [NOTE], surface all known issues as [BUG]. Do not duplicate content between block types.

6. VALIDATION RULES

[SPEC]

A valid HADS document must have:

• H1 title

• **Version X.Y.Z** in first 20 lines

• AI manifest before first content section

• All block tags bold: **[SPEC]** not [SPEC] not [SPEC]

• [BUG] blocks contain at minimum symptom + fix

Validator: (planned — not yet included in this release)

7. EXAMPLE INTERACTIONS

[SPEC]

User: "Write HADS documentation for this REST API"

→ Generate full HADS document: header, manifest, sections with [SPEC]/[NOTE]/[BUG] blocks

User: "Convert this README to HADS format"

→ Restructure existing content into HADS blocks, preserve all facts, add manifest

User: "Is this document valid HADS?"

→ Check: H1 title, version, manifest, block tag formatting, BUG block completeness

User: "Summarize this HADS document"

→ Read only [SPEC] and [BUG] blocks, return structured summary

User: "What does this API do?" (HADS doc provided)

→ Read manifest, read [SPEC] blocks in relevant sections, answer directly

8. DESIGN INTENT

[NOTE]

HADS exists because AI models increasingly read documentation before humans do. The format optimizes for this reality without sacrificing human readability.

Key insight: the AI manifest is the core innovation. It lets even small (7B) models know what to read and what to skip — without requiring them to reason about document structure. Explicit is better than implicit for model consumption.

When generating HADS, think of [SPEC] as the API surface and [NOTE] as the comments. [BUG] blocks are the most valuable content — they represent hard-won knowledge that saves others from hitting the same wall.

9. QUICK REFERENCE

[SPEC]

Tag       | Bold format    | Reader  | Required content

----------|----------------|---------|------------------

[SPEC]    | **[SPEC]**     | AI      | Facts, terse

[NOTE]    | **[NOTE]**     | Human   | Context, narrative

[BUG]     | **[BUG] ...**  | Both    | Symptom + fix

[?]       | **[?]**        | Both    | Unverified claims

Manifest minimum:

## AI READING INSTRUCTION

Read `[SPEC]` and `[BUG]` blocks for authoritative facts.

Read `[NOTE]` only if additional context is needed.

`[?]` blocks are unverified.