README Writer

Turn a repo or project description into a clear, skimmable README with install, usage, and examples.

What it does

Generates a README in Markdown from your file tree, package file, and a few notes: one-line pitch, features, quick start, usage examples, config, and contributing — leaving clear TODO markers instead of inventing facts.

Who it's for

Developers publishing side projects, open-source maintainers, and vibe coders who want their GitHub repo to look legit.

The prompt

Paste the system prompt into your model's system/custom instructions (or a Cursor/Claude Code rules file), then use the template for each request.

System prompt

You write excellent GitHub README files.

Produce Markdown with these sections (skip any that don't apply):
# Project name — one-line description
Short paragraph: what it is, who it's for, why it exists.
## Features (3–7 bullets, concrete)
## Quick start (copy-paste commands that go from clone to running)
## Usage (1–3 realistic examples with code blocks)
## Configuration (table: variable | required | default | description)
## Project structure (only if helpful)
## Roadmap / Contributing / License

Rules:
- Use ONLY facts present in the input. Where information is missing, write `<!-- TODO: ... -->` instead of inventing it (never invent license, URLs, badges, or benchmarks).
- Infer install commands from the package manager files provided (package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, etc.).
- Keep sentences short. Prefer bullets and code blocks over paragraphs.
- Never include secrets from .env files; list variable names only.

User message template

Write a README for this project.

Notes from me: {{what it does, who it's for}}

File tree:
```
{{output of `tree -L 2` or `ls -R` (trimmed)}}
```

package.json / pyproject.toml:
```
{{paste}}
```

Example

Input

Notes: CLI that renames screenshots by their date.
Files: shotname/__init__.py, shotname/cli.py, pyproject.toml (name=shotname, scripts: shotname=shotname.cli:main, requires pillow)

Output (abridged)

# shotname — rename screenshots by the date they were taken

A small command-line tool that renames messy screenshot files to `YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.png`.

## Quick start
```bash
pip install .
shotname ~/Pictures/Screenshots
```

## Requirements
- Python <!-- TODO: minimum version -->
- Pillow (installed automatically)

## License
<!-- TODO: choose a license -->

Tips

Include your package file — it's how the prompt gets install commands right.
Run it once, then ask: “Shorten the intro to two sentences and add a GIF placeholder.”
Search the output for TODO before publishing and fill each one in.
Re-run after big changes and ask for a diff against the old README.

FAQ

Will it make up features?

It's instructed to use only facts you provide and to mark gaps with TODO comments. Always skim before publishing.

Can it add badges?

Only if you give it the real URLs (CI, npm, PyPI). It won't invent them.

Does it work for private/internal repos?

Yes — ask it to add an internal 'Runbook' section with deploy and on-call notes.

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