Diataxis

Diataxis Documentation Framework

Audit, classify, validate, and scaffold documentation using the Diataxis framework.

Quick Start

# Classify individual files
uv run scripts/diataxis_classify.py docs/*.md

# Audit a docs directory for coverage
uv run scripts/diataxis_audit.py --dir docs

# Validate quadrant purity
uv run scripts/diataxis_validate.py --dir docs

# Scaffold a new Diataxis structure
uv run scripts/diataxis_scaffold.py --dry-run
uv run scripts/diataxis_scaffold.py

Capabilities

Script	Purpose	Key Flags
diataxis_classify.py	Classify files into quadrants	--json, --verbose, --no-content
diataxis_audit.py	Coverage report with quality score	--dir, --json, --min-coverage
diataxis_validate.py	Lint for quadrant purity (DX001-DX010)	--dir, --file, --strict, --json
diataxis_scaffold.py	Generate folder structure	--layout folders|flat, --init-config, --dry-run

The Four Quadrants

Quadrant	Orientation	User State	Folder
Tutorial	Learning	Study + Action	tutorials/
How-to	Task	Work + Action	how-to/
Reference	Information	Work + Cognition	reference/
Explanation	Understanding	Study + Cognition	explanation/

Classification Algorithm

Multi-signal weighted scoring (title 30%, headings 25%, content 25%, structure 20%). Documents scoring highly for 2+ quadrants are flagged as "collapsed" with split suggestions.

Validation Rules

ID	Rule	Severity
DX001	Tutorial contains reference tables	warning
DX002	How-to has long conceptual preamble	warning
DX003	Reference contains step-by-step instructions	warning
DX004	Explanation contains execution commands	warning
DX005	No clear quadrant signal	info
DX006	Collapsed document (mixed quadrants)	warning
DX007	Tutorial missing prerequisites	info
DX008	Tutorial missing learning objectives	info
DX009	How-to missing problem statement	info
DX010	Reference missing tables	info

Config File (.diataxis-config.json)

Optional per-project override:

{
  "version": 1,
  "root": "docs",
  "layout": "folders",
  "ignore": ["node_modules", ".git", "adr", "rfcs", "*.pdf"],
  "custom_signals": {}
}

Create with uv run scripts/diataxis_scaffold.py --init-config.

Common Issues

Issue	Fix
uv not found	curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh or run with python3 scripts/diataxis_classify.py
Low confidence on all files	Files may lack quadrant-specific keywords; use --verbose to inspect scores
Too many collapsed warnings	Some docs legitimately mix quadrants; consider splitting or accepting

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for all error scenarios.

References

• WORKFLOW.md — Full methodology (discover, classify, audit, validate, scaffold)
• EXAMPLES.md — Real-world examples for all operations
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Error handling and debugging tips
• Diataxis framework — Official documentation