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| 1 | +# AGENTS.md |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +Guidance for AI coding agents working in the [Temporal documentation](https://github.com/temporalio/documentation) repository. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Read these first |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +| Topic | File | |
| 8 | +|-------|------| |
| 9 | +| Where content belongs | [INFORMATION-ARCHITECTURE.md](./INFORMATION-ARCHITECTURE.md) | |
| 10 | +| React components in MDX | [COMPONENTS.md](./COMPONENTS.md) | |
| 11 | +| LLM Markdown pipeline | [MARKDOWN_PIPELINE.md](./MARKDOWN_PIPELINE.md) | |
| 12 | +| Component → Markdown mapping | [COMPONENT_REGISTRY.md](./COMPONENT_REGISTRY.md) | |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +## Repository overview |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +- **Site:** Docusaurus static site for [docs.temporal.io](https://docs.temporal.io). |
| 17 | +- **Content:** MDX files under `docs/`. URLs are served at the site root (`/workflows`), not under `/docs/`. |
| 18 | +- **UI code:** React components in `src/components/`. Sidebar navigation is in `sidebars.js`. |
| 19 | +- **Redirects:** Legacy URL changes go in `vercel.json` before or alongside file moves. |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +## Where to put content |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +Use [INFORMATION-ARCHITECTURE.md](./INFORMATION-ARCHITECTURE.md) to choose the section. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +## Style Guide |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +Follow [STYLE.md](./STYLE.md) and Vale rules in `vale/styles/`. The most common mistakes: |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +### Temporal terms are proper nouns |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +Capitalize Temporal core terms. Do not capitalize generic uses. |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +- Correct: "Register the Activity in the Workflow." |
| 34 | +- Incorrect: "Register the activity in the workflow." |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +Vale enforces many substitutions automatically. See `vale/styles/Temporal/terms.yml`. |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +### Temporal Service, not Cluster |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +In body prose, use **Temporal Service**, not **Cluster** or **Temporal Cluster**. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +- Correct: "The Worker polls the Temporal Service for tasks." |
| 43 | +- Incorrect: "The Worker polls the Cluster for tasks." |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +Exceptions: **Multi-Cluster Replication**, code/config identifiers, and CLI command names. |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +### Identifier abbreviation |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +Outside Temporal core terms, spell out "identifier." For core terms, use `Id` (not `ID` or `id`). |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +- Correct: "Provide an order identifier as a Workflow Id." |
| 52 | +- Incorrect: "Provide an order ID as a Workflow ID." |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +In code blocks, follow each language's conventions. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +### Headings |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +- Use **sentence case**: "How to get started with Temporal" |
| 59 | +- Prefer **infinitive verb forms** or questions: "How to install Temporal", not "Installing Temporal" |
| 60 | +- Develop pages: task-oriented headings ("Start a Workflow Execution") |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +### Writing style |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +Follow [STYLE.md](./STYLE.md) and the [Google developer documentation style guide](https://developers.google.com/style) for tone (conversational, second person, active voice) and structure (short paragraphs, one idea per sentence). A few additions specific to model output: |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +- Cut filler that adds no information: "it's worth noting that," "in order to," "simply," "easily," "just." |
| 67 | +- Avoid vague intensifiers doing the work a specific fact should do: "powerful," "robust," "seamless," "cutting-edge," "leverage" (use "use"), "unlock," "elevate," "streamline." Replace with what the thing actually does. |
| 68 | +- Don't pad a page to look thorough. Prefer brevity over overly-verbose paragraphs. |
| 69 | +- Do not add emojis to documentation prose and use em-dashes sparingly. |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +### Word choice |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +Prefer common, concrete verbs and nouns. |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +| Prefer | Instead of | |
| 76 | +|--------|------------| |
| 77 | +| use | utilize, leverage | |
| 78 | +| help | facilitate | |
| 79 | +| to | in order to | |
| 80 | +| many | numerous, various (when you can be specific, be specific) | |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +### Tense and time |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +Document current behavior. Don't make future promises. Tie claims to a version, release note, or release stage when that matters. |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +| Prefer | Instead of | |
| 87 | +|--------|------------| |
| 88 | +| Temporal Server v1.31.0 and later supports Cassandra 5.0.4 and later. | A future release will support Cassandra 5. | |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +## Frontmatter |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +Typical fields: |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +```yaml |
| 95 | +--- |
| 96 | +id: page-id |
| 97 | +title: Page title |
| 98 | +sidebar_label: Short label |
| 99 | +description: One sentence for SEO and previews. |
| 100 | +keywords: |
| 101 | + - keyword |
| 102 | +tags: |
| 103 | + - Concepts |
| 104 | +--- |
| 105 | +``` |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +- Write `description` as a single clear sentence. |
| 108 | +- Do not change `id` or `slug` without a redirect plan. |
| 109 | +- Match `tags` and `keywords` to sibling pages in the same section. |
| 110 | +- Use existing concepts and keywords. Don't add new ones unless it's a new feature. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +## MDX and components |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +- Pages are `.mdx` with YAML frontmatter (see [Frontmatter](#frontmatter) above). |
| 115 | +- Import shared components from `@site/src/components` unless a page uses a one-off import path already established nearby. |
| 116 | +- Before adding a component, check [COMPONENTS.md](./COMPONENTS.md) and [COMPONENT_REGISTRY.md](./COMPONENT_REGISTRY.md). |
| 117 | +- Reuse existing components (`Tabs`, `SdkTabs`, `CaptionedImage`, `ViewSourceCodeNotice`, etc.) instead of inventing inline HTML patterns. |
| 118 | +- Interactive demos live in `src/components/elements/`. Export new public components from `src/components/index.js` when needed. |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +## URLs and navigation |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +Adding or moving pages usually requires: |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +- Updating `sidebars.js` for navigation placement |
| 126 | +- Adding redirects in `vercel.json` when the public URL changes |
| 127 | +- Fixing internal links across the repo |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +## Code samples and Snipsync |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +- Prefer code extracted from CI-enabled sample repos via [Snipsync](https://github.com/temporalio/snipsync). |
| 132 | +- Snippets are wrapped in `<!--SNIPSTART id-->` / `<!--SNIPEND-->`. Edit the **source repo** named inside the wrapper, then run `yarn snipsync`. |
| 133 | + |
| 134 | +## Commands |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +Requires Node.js 24+ and Yarn. |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +```bash |
| 139 | +yarn # Install dependencies |
| 140 | +yarn start # Dev server at http://localhost:3000 |
| 141 | +yarn build # Production build; catches MDX/build errors |
| 142 | +yarn check-links # Broken link check (run after build) |
| 143 | +yarn snipsync # Refresh Snipsync code snippets |
| 144 | +``` |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +Vale linting (style): |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +```bash |
| 149 | +yarn lint:py # Example: lint Python SDK docs |
| 150 | +yarn vale # Full Vale run via assembly script |
| 151 | +``` |
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